JULY 2014 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3

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1 This quarterly MMU E-Newsletter is a joint publication from DM AIRPORTS, LTD. (Operators of Morristown Airport), MAA (Morristown Aviation Association) and MAPA (Morristown Airport Pilot s Association). This issue, as well as previous issues, is available at Table of Contents: Airport News Page 1 CoMMUnity Page 4 Committees & Messages Page 5 Our Airport Family Page 7 AIRPORT NEWS Runway Keel Repair-Phase II by Peter Gilchrist, A.A.E, DM-Manager, Operations & Security Phase two of the Runway Keel Repair Project will begin this Monday, August 4 th at 7am. This phase includes a work area similar to last year s project, and will consist of a 1,100 x 50 section of pavement. The work area extends approximately from Taxiway Hotel to just beyond Taxiway Gulf and will include a depression in the pavement that is located approximately 2,000 feet from the threshold of Runway 23. This work is projected to take approximately 13 days to complete. The exact length of the closure will depend on weather and construction conditions. The Airport is currently estimating that the re-opening of Runway 5-23 will occur at 7 pm on Saturday, August 16 th. Regular updates will be sent to tenants via the Airport s alert system. Approximately 30 days after this runway closure, the runway will require a second closure to allow for pavement grooving that will consist of two overnight closures. Keel Repair during Phase I, September 2013 These closures are part of an ongoing multi-year Runway Rehabilitation Project. The ultimate result of this project will be the rehabilitation of Runway 5-23 pavement, associated lighting, drainage, and safety areas as well as the rehabilitation of the Medium-Intensity Approach Lighting System with Runway Alignment Indicator (MALSR). If you have any questions about this project, please contact Peter Gilchrist, Manager, Operations & Security, at PeterG@mmuair.com or Darren Large, Manager, Facilities & Projects, at DarrenL@mmuair.com. Newsletter 1

2 Airport Barbecue Commemorating Morristown Municipal Airport s Snow Team by Kevin Warnetski, DM-Operations Coordinator On Tuesday, June 10 th, an airport wide barbecue was held to commemorate the Morristown Municipal Airport s snow team for their tireless work during the arduous winter we recently experienced. In April, the MMU snow team won the AAAE Northeast Chapter s Balchen/Post Award, which recognizes outstanding ice and snow control for airports of all sizes worldwide. To celebrate the honor of winning the Large GA Airport category for the first time in 38 years, all airport users and tenants were invited to the Operations Building to enjoy the nice weather and a barbecue kindly operated by the Morristown Airport Pilots Association (MAPA) and the Morristown Aviation Association (MAA). The event had an outstanding turnout with approximately 150 people in attendance. cooking, serving and cleaning afterwards. We would like to extend a special thanks to the volunteers of MAPA and the MAA, especially Len Levy, Greg Benson, Pete Poli, Arnie Itzkowitz, Judy Newman, Al Cioffi, Tessa Sherman, Sandy Sherman and last but not least, Mike Berns. We would also like to thank all who attended and made this event a success. ARFF Chief s Chat by Doug Reighard, MARS/ARFF-Fire Chief On July 10 th the members of the airport ARFF department took Rescue 2, our newest addition to the ARFF vehicle fleet, up to the Morris County Fire Academy to conduct training on the vehicle systems. The Department conducted two training sessions to ensure all our members had the opportunity to operate the vehicle systems under actual fire conditions. The Academy s car fire trainer, which is a propane fed prop, was used to simulate a small aircraft fire. Members were able to practice extinguishing fires on the car fire simulator with Rescue 2 s twin agent bumper turret and foam hand line. Later on they practiced extinguishing actual hydrocarbon fires utilizing the vehicle s twin agent hand line. Training with our Department s equipment is very important because when we go offsite to other training facilities, we use the local vehicles and equipment which are different than our own. It was a very good opportunity for all the firefighters and a great training day. Scott Peterson, aka The Snow Boss, ceremoniously cuts the plow truck cake at the picnic Rescue 2 extinguishing a car fire at the Training Academy Needless to say Len Levy, President of MAPA, and his team of volunteers had their hands full. They were gracious enough to help with set-up, Newsletter 2

3 Morristown Airport & Aéroports de la Côte d Azur Establish a Sister Airport Relationship by Maria Sheridan, A.A.E., DM-Sr. Director, Government Affairs & Business Development Senior airport officials from Morristown Airport (MMU) and Aéroports de la Cote D Azur (ACA) in Nice, France have signed an MOU linking the two airports into a Sister Airport Relationship. The agreement was signed by Morristown s Airport Executive Director, Mr. William G. Barkhauer, A.A.E. and Cote D Azur s Chairman of the Management Board, Mr. Dominique Thillaud. A signing ceremony took place at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland where the two business aviation airports exhibited. The purpose of the partnership is to promote communication and an opportunity to exchange information, expertise, and best practices to promote corporate aviation. The sister airport connection formalizes a friendship that started many years ago between the two airports. This agreement solidifies the longstanding relationship between ACA and MMU which began almost a decade ago at one of the early EBACE tradeshows, stated Mr. Barkhauer. Solo Deck by Darren Large, A.A.E.,DM-Manager, Facilities & Projects DM AIRPORTS, LTD. recently held a meeting with the locally based flight schools to officially open the new Solo Deck. The Solo Deck has been located in the grass area directly in front of the air traffic control tower and adjacent to Signature s ramp area. The Solo Deck consists of a 10 foot by 14 foot deck that is positioned in a manner that will allow for unobstructed views of all four runway ends. The idea behind the Solo Deck was to provide an area for instructors to watch their students solo at Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) and to provide an extension of the classroom in which instructors/students can discuss training while being out on the airfield where they can view the taxiways/runways and patterns. The Solo Deck is currently available to all based flight schools and flying clubs that provide flight training activity. The Solo Deck will also be available to transient flight schools and flying clubs that want to conduct flight training at MMU. Dominique Thillaud with Maria Sheridan and Corey Lindeman at the MMU booth at EBACE Besides linking the U.S. and France through the two gateway airports, the relationship will foster the opportunity for them to collaborate on airport and business development projects and enhance customer service for the business aviation community. Both airports have Customs clearing capabilities for passengers and crew, allowing direct business flights between New-York and Nice. The airports intend to communicate on a regular basis and seek ways to co-promote their facilities. Mr. Thillaud adds, We are excited about the opportunities for our respective staffs to works together for the betterment of our customers and communities. MMU s Solo Deck Signature has graciously offered space on their ramp for aircraft who are interested in using the Solo Deck for training activities. Pilots who are looking to access the Solo Deck should contact Signature on the ARINC frequency upon arrival at MMU and let the Customer Service Representative know that you would like to use the Solo Deck for training. Newsletter 3

4 If you have any questions about this project, please contact Peter Gilchrist, Manager, Operations & Security at or Darren Large, Manager, Facilities & Projects, at Take Our Survey! by Maria Sheridan, A.A.E., DM-Sr. Director, Government Affairs & Business Development How are we doing? We want to hear from you! We have a survey on our website to get feedback from our pilot community, both based and transient. As an enticement for you to take 2-3 minutes of your time to answer our questions, we will have a monthly drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. Please feel free to complete the survey as often as you use MMU. Just go to main page for the link or go directly to mmuair.com/pilots/airportsurvey. CoMMUnity North Jersey Ninety-Nines Poker Run by Keith Stover, DM-Operations Coordinator Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) recently had the great pleasure of being a sponsor airport for the North Jersey Ninety-Nines Poker Run. For those who are not already familiar, the Ninety- Nines are an international organization dedicated to supporting women in aviation. They are named after the original 99 women who began the organization back in 1929, only 26 years after the Wright Brothers first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC. Today the Ninety-Nines serve over 60 women pilots in their North Jersey Chapter alone. The recent Poker Run that took place at MMU on Saturday, May 17 th was a fundraising event put together to support their annual scholarship program. Each year the Chapter presents the Dodie and David Riach Memorial Scholarship to as many as three individuals. The scholarship is awarded to a pilot or student pilot in recognition of an earnest degree to further his or her aviation achievements. Although the Ninety-Nines are an organization dedicated to serving women, any New Jersey pilot or student pilot can apply for the scholarship, regardless of gender. Poker Run participants getting their cards at the MMU table This year s Poker Run was a great success. Participating pilots flew into the sponsor airports where they were greeted by women from the Ninety-Nines positioned to sign them in and sell them a playing card. Pilots then continued on to the next stop of their choice to pick up additional playing cards until they had a completed hand. A single hand cost $20 and there was no limit to the amount of hands a pilot could purchase. Several great prizes were awarded to lucky participants, including items such as round trip domestic airfare and a brand new aviation headset, to name a few. Although most participants traveled by airplane, bikers and motorists could also partake in the event. Those who stopped at MMU were given a warm welcome from airport management. The staff of DM AIRPORTS, LTD. (DM) was out on the ramp of Signature Flight Support (SFS) ready to greet participants and serve them complimentary refreshments and attendance prizes. Airport operations worked alongside the SFS staff to marshal inbound aircraft and ensure ramp safety throughout the event. Two members of the DM staff, Rosemary Rizzo and Gloria Baird, participated in the event by piloting a C182 along with a CFI to all of the other sponsor airports. Newsletter 4

5 Gloria Baird and Rosemary Rizzo with their CFI and C-182 DM applauds the North Jersey Chapter of the Ninety-Nines for their work towards promoting aviation and look forward to supporting similar events in the future. Other participating airports were Orange County, Sky Acres, Quakertown and Blairstown. **Save the Date** The Collings Foundation Returns this October! by Maria Sheridan, A.A.E.-DM, Sr. Director, Government Affairs & Business Development We are pleased to announce that for the third year in a row the Collings Foundation is gearing up for another visit to MMU. For those who missed out on last two visits, the Collings Foundation is a non-profit educational foundation that preserves historic military aircraft and tours them around the country. Since 1979 they have acquired over 25 restored historic aircraft that represent a progression of military aircraft developed during the 20 th century. their more popular WWII aircraft into MMU. On display will be a B-17, a P-51C Mustang, considered by some as the greatest fighter aircraft ever produced, and a B-24, the only restored flying B-24 in the world. During their stay, each event attendee will be granted full access to tour and take pictures of each aircraft inside and out. These walk through tours will cost $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12. WWII veterans get into the ground tours at no charge. Parking is free and the event will be held on the apron at Signature Flight Support FBO. For those who really want to get the full experience of these magnificent machines, 30 minute flights will be offered to those willing to make a donation to the foundation. For more information on the Collings Foundation, go to COMMITTEES & MESSAGES ATC Update Total traffic for May 2014 was up 7% compared to May There were 12 days of delays mostly attributed to sector volume. Total traffic for June 2014 was up 15.6% compared to June There were 17 days of delays mostly attributed to sector volume, SWAP, and opposite direction traffic. Membership The next MAA meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 3rd, from 10:00am to noon in the DM/Airport Administration Conference Room. Please attend and consider joining MAA if you are not already a member. Message from the MAA Chairperson Collings Foundation s B-24 Witchcraft taxiing onto Signature s ramp during a previous visit From October 1 st through October 3 rd, as part of their nationwide 25 th Anniversary Wings of Freedom Tour, the Foundation will fly three of Traffic Count and Flight Training? Yes, there is a correlation. As with almost every airport like Morristown, we live and die by the traffic count process. Landings are counted and used to receive federal and state monies for maintenance and improvements to airport facilities. Your landing fees alone don t pay for the large capital improvements at an airport. So where does the flight training come in? It s within the same issue. When a corporate flight department increases their aircraft utilization, it obviously has an effect on the traffic count, but how much of an improvement is that really? Increasing a flight operation s schedule by 20% would be Newsletter 5

6 considered a tremendous amount for that flight department, however, that does not directly increase the traffic count by the same percentage at the home airport. Yes, it would increase the number of landings overall but only a small portion of the increased flying would actually be seen at home. The loss of flight training, however, can have a devastating effect on the total traffic count. One trainer aircraft in the pattern doing takeoffs and landings can add more to the total traffic count than all of the increases in the corporate flight department scenario outlined above. Given that, DM, the managers of Morristown Airport, with the support of MAA, has reached out to our own flight training companies at MMU to find out what we can do for them to support increased operations at MMU. Since early last year, DM has waived the landing fees for each single engine aircraft that lands and/or practices in the pattern. In addition, DM has reached out to local airports surrounding MMU marketing the opportunity to practice at here. Surprisingly, the feedback we were getting baffled us. In several cases, we learned that flight training students were flying farther away to get practice at towered facilities. Additionally, we learned that the influx of corporate aircraft, over time, influenced and in some cases created fear as to how to fit in with the jet traffic in a traffic pattern. Being surprised at that, both DM and MAA are striving to educate the local flight schools that this is not something to fear but to embrace. Working into a traffic pattern, when there are corporate jets operating, can be a stepping stone to working into much larger airports, especially those with scheduled airline traffic. Something that seems trivial to us as corporate pilots may be quite overwhelming of a tasks for a less experienced pilot. So, what can we do here? As corporate entities, when entering or exiting a traffic pattern, please be cognitive and courteous to your fellow aviators regardless of their experience level. I would hope that you remember and still relish the feeling of your basic training, your first solo, the scary first cross country or even the first check-ride. Taking that same attitude toward the smaller aircraft in the pattern can go a long way. A wide turn for you to allow them to land without feeling the pressure or letting them take off first with a quick turn will go a long way toward alleviating the fear and anxiety. Slowly but surely, we can make a difference albeit one aircraft, one student at a time. Randall (Randy) Wood Chairman, MAA (201) Message from MAPA It is hard to believe that the summer is here and is flying by. At least we are finally getting some good weather, so it s time to get out there and do some flying! If you haven t flown in a while, you may want to find a flight instructor and go up for an hour or so to knock off the rust. You may also be able to use that time towards your BFR or the Wings Program. If you are an aircraft owner, you want to pay special attention to your aircraft. Do a good preflight! Pay special attention to areas where difficulties may occur, like pitot tubes, fuel vents, static ports, air inlets, etc. Carefully check for fuel contamination (usually water) before each flight and after refueling. Allow for settling time after fueling before sampling. For the non-owner, you too have to do a good preflight. Never assume that the person who flew before you checked everything! One thing to be aware of is that the bees and wasps are out and building their homes. They like places where they can t be readily observed. Any opening is fair game. While many of them like to go for the ride, there are those who become unfriendly! Always check your air inlets before flight. (I recommend that you tap in the area of the opening and, if you have anything come out to greet you, you find out where they were and try to get rid of them before flight). None of us want to share the cabin with something that can do you harm and distract you. If you get something in the cockpit, remember to fly the aircraft. The June BBQ to honor the DM Snow Crew went very well with lots of people and lots of food. MAPA s volunteers participated by cooking for the event. Fortunately, we did not get any complaints about our cooking skills. NOISE. Windows are open, neighbors are sitting outside and there is more awareness of aircraft noise. Let s be good neighbors and observe the Airport s Noise Abatement procedures. Yes, there are noise abatement procedures at the Airport. If you are unaware of these procedures, they are available at the MMU Operations office or go to For all noise abatement procedures go to Newsletter 6

7 For those of you who plan ahead, the MAPA Anti- Winter Party is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, Mark your calendar. It is an open party, so the more the merrier! Enjoy the good weather and fly Safe!! Len Levy Morristown Airport Pilots Association OUR AIRPORT FAMILY Congratulations, Keith! by Peter Gilchrist, A.A.E, DM-Manager, Operations & Security DM s Operations Coordinator Keith Stover is now engaged to his longtime girlfriend Kellie Esposito. The couple plan a wedding in the autumn of Congratulations Keith and Kellie! Congratulations, Rosy! by Gloria Baird, DM-Airport Operations Coordinator DM AIRPORTS would like congratulate Rosemary Rizzo for earning her certificate in Essential Management Skills from the Rutgers Center for Management Development. The certificate comprised of 16 workshops ranging from Supervisory Roles and Responsibilities to Developing Individuals and Teams. Rosemary not only exceled at her courses, but is excited to bring her new ideas to work. Well done Rosy! If you have any questions or comments regarding the newsletter or items of airport interest including notable events (promotions, awards, service anniversaries, marriages, births, deaths, milestone anniversaries, etc.) please contact Maria Sheridan at: MariaS@mmuair.com Join us for travel talk, news, videos, and more! Type Morristown Municipal Airport into the Facebook search bar or visit the link directly at: Airport Newsletter 7