Technical Support For Airport Projects

Statewide Studies

During the past year, the Division completed the State Aviation Needs Study-2000 project. Several important projects were undertaken to consider the impact of the FAA’s major change to the Airport Improvement Program. The Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) made significant changes to the distribution of AIP funds as well as increasing the dollars expended to at least $3.2 billion annually for the next three years. However, most of the major AIP programs initiated in AIR-21 were predicated on Congress appropriating at least $3.2 billion in each fiscal year.

In determining the affect of AIR-21 on the State Aviation Fund program, several impact areas were analyzed and communicated to State Legislature:

• The potential increase in AIP funds available to airports in Arizona would require the State to set aside approximately $4.0 million, an increase of $1.0 million over the funds planned for FY 2002. The affect of this impact will be to reduce the State dollars, reducing the funds available for State-funded airport development projects.
• Historically, Congress has failed to appropriate the AIP funds requested in the Congress’ budget. AIR-21’s major features are predicated on a minimum appropriation of $3.2 billion. An appropriation of $3.2 in any fiscal years does guarantee a similar appropriation in the next year. A majority of the AIP funds reach only a small fraction of the State’s airports. The AIP generally appropriates 72% of the available funding to commercial service airports while approximately 14% is available to only eight General Aviation (GA) airports. The State invests more than 20% annually in a greater number of airports.
• Although under AIR-21, some GA airports could receive an entitlement up to $150,000, the distribution is restricted to airports included in the federal National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). Nine of our airports in the Secondary system are ineligible to participate in this program and many of the eligible airports may be unable to produce matching funds in order to receive the entitlement.

In many ways, AIP funding policies are not compatible with the State policies. AIP funds cannot be used to fund revenue-generating projects. Airports may not spend entitlement funds in anticipation of future funding and is limited to those deemed appropriate to the FAA. In addition, the administrative costs of applying for and tracking those AIP funds may be too burdensome to some of the smaller communities.

The State Aviation Needs Study is nearing completion and some of the major elements addressed in this study were influenced by decisions being made by the Governor’s Transportation Vision 21 Task Force. Two major impacts on the current study being undertaken by Bucher, Willis and Ratliff were the requirement to establish the 20-year Aviation Needs and Revenue for the State and to determine these needs based upon a revised set of Performance Factors. The Vision 21 Task Force decided that all modes of transportation need to address the same set of performance factors. Although not clear on just what those performance factors are ultimately to be, the consultant recommended additional performance factors to be addressed in this study. In addition, a thorough and significant attempt was made to build a baseline database and inventory that would provide the basis for the State’s aviation comparisons and evaluations in the future.

Technical Assistance

The Airport Development staff provides technical support to assure quality construction, optimize construction costs, streamline administrative procedures, and assist local officials in the development of their airport facilities in a cost-effective manner. The Airport Development staff also provides technical support for special aeronautical studies and for the development of airport plans. Local airport sponsors may, at any time, receive technical comments and operational guidance concerning improvements or development of their airports. The airport sponsor's administrative burden is being reduced through policies developed by the Airport Development Section. Whenever possible, reporting forms and other documents already required by the federal government are also used for state purposes, helping reduce the amount of man-hours necessary to comply with reporting requirements.