The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - A5 p in the air Tighter aviation rules threaten a possible return to bad old days of missed approaches Stories by ROD LINK ROPOSED NEW federal regulations could increase the number of missed landings and diverted flights at the airport here. ': And, if implemented, they could reverse the success the airport has enjoyed over the past two years by using a newly-installed $1 million-plus: landing system. That instrument landing system now means pilots can approach the airport lower and closer: than in years past before needing to see the run- way in order to land. It's helped erase the airport’ s historical repu- tation as an unreliable landing place during peri- ods of foggy or cloudy weather. But the proposed regulations would i increase those height and distance limits. | In some cases. ground observers would make the call on whether or not aircraft could even ap- proach the airport. It could mean aircraft being diverted some- place else miles before they even get near the airport. . “What this would do is take away: some > of the decision making ability pilots have,” says Laurie Brown, the manager of the Northwest Regional Airport. ” “They couldn't even go down and take a look.” The proposed regulations, which could come * _into effect as early as this fall, are. enough ofa worry that airports across the country and airlines " have banded together to lobby against them. ”“For the traveling public, the new rules will o @ greater number of missed approaches, diverted flights, reduced numbers of scheduled depar- tures and cessation of some services altogether,” says a January 2005 brief prepared by the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC), an umbrella group of the aviation industry. “For the passengers,=more diversions_wwill cause considerable inconvenience, as they will miss connections and appointments, ‘and will ° result in airlines bearing the cost for returning them to their planned destinations,” the brief “adds pect of-more missed flights will add thousands . Of dollars’ to the Terrace-based airline’s.costs. © ’_ Diverting a plane from Terrace to Prince Ru- . pert costs at least $3,000 and involves expenses _such as bussing, he said. ~ ' Hayward’s skeptical about the idea of having « ground observers make the call on whether an aircraft could approach the airport or not. One end of the runway could be clear but the other could not,” he said in adding that pilots are best equipped to make final approach decisions. There are ways to deal with the new proposed height and distance regulations. One involves increased training of both pilots in/an aircraft so that both are certified to make decisions about landing in uncertain weather. The other is a higher standard of landing lights at airports, but that’s expensive and prob- ably beyond the reach of smaller airports. Brown said a lighting system of the kind needed here could cost in the $1 million range. ” The January ATAC brief says current regula: presenta significant inconvenience in the form of - Hawkair official Rod. Hayward said the pros- | oo A FLIGHT taxies into position to drop off passengers at the Northwest Regional Airport, « . .. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO Rule approaches being conducted in compliance with published limits, and using the existing ap- proach ban rules, are perfectly safe,” the brief states. , The background for the proposed changes dates back to a’crash landing of an Air Canada’ jet at the Fredericton airport in December 1997... “More diversions will create considerable inconvenience.” The aircraft’s pilots attempted to land at night and after the airport had closed in Iess than ideal weather, resulting in the plane sliding off of the runway and injuring its occupants. 1 low-weather conditions and prompted a review | which has resulted in the proposed changes. “The guiding principle is that, when an air- craft is flying in conditions of poor visibility and approaching a runway to land, the crew must be able to see ‘the.’ runway ‘environment in jtime to position the aircraft for'a safe landing, prohibit- ing commercial air operators from beginning an approach when visibility is so poor that a suc- cessful approach to a landing is unlikely,” the department said in a press release announcing the proposed changes. It will be at least until the fall before Trans- " port Canada responds to comments sent in about the proposed changes. It could either amend the proposed changes, tions are working well. Airport counts best year in a decade as more people fl THE NORT HWEST . Regional Airport here recorded its best year in a decade last year when 99,071 passengers went through its doors. That was substantially higher than 2003’s 89,715 figure and air- port officials had to go back to 1990 to find a year when passenger traffic passed the 100,000 mark. But 1990’s figure of 105,000 may . be Suspect as stats. back then could ~ have craft destined for Terrace .but ended up -being diverted to Prince Rupert because of bad weather, said airport manager Laurie Brown. ’ Officials don’t have any data tell- ing them why traffic went up. but Brown says it may have ‘something to do vith higher fuel prices. “People who would have traveled by car may now be thinking that with higher fuel prices, they might as well ‘fly instead once they factor in costs of hotels and meals and the time invested,” he said. Brown added that people who may have cut back.on traveling be- cause of the economic downturn of the past several years have now de- cided to resume. “And there could be a sense of optimism out there that things are about to turn the corner. Mineral ex- ploration is also picking up so there could be some additional traffic there,” he continued. There were in 1998, 86,218 in 1999 and just 88,880 movements in 2000. Traf- fic increased to.95,814 in 2001 and dipped to 89,252 in 2002 and 89,715 in 2003. included passengers on air-° 97,293 passen- ger movements in 1997, 96,968 | A Transportation Safety Board investigation focussed on regulations concerning landings in’ ». " The January 2005. passenger “count was 7,011 people, less than the 7,250 for January 2004 but high- er than 2003 or 2002. . Brown estimates that the airport's two main carriers, Hawkair and Jazz, are now flying at 75 per cent capacity on average. a figure that is above the national level. - It means that some flights may be completely full and that passengers may not be able to travel when they want. “When this happens you have a certain amount of unsatisfied de- mand,” said Brown. Air Canada Jazz expects to ease some of that demand this spring when it adds another. daily flight through the summer months. At the same time, high. passen- ger loads means there is a reduced. capacity to carry freight, especially ~ on the Dash-8 models flown by Hawkair and Jazz.. The ability to have dependable freight service is a critical factor for companies doing business in the north. “If there is one area in which we are underserviced now, it’ S freight.” said Brown. Fraser Mackie, the chair of the society which runs the. airport, said the relative lack of freight capacity may become more of an issue now that Transport Canada has increased the average weight of male and fe- male passengers. Airlines must now calculate what they can carry based on 200 pounds for males over the age of 12 in sum- mer. and 206 pounds in winter and on 165 pounds for females over the age of 12 in summer and |71 pounds to 28 seats so we can in winter. These weight figures in-- clude carry on luggage. “These weight restrictions may even mean carrying less luggage,” said Mackie, As it is. Mackie said passengers flying just between ‘Terrace Vancouver can find their luggage has been left behind. Hawkair CEO Rod Hayward said adding more flights is an option that could help solve both the growing passenger business and” come at-a time when the airport is about to undertake two major proj-° ects, a 1,500 foot extension to its 6,000 foot long main runway and an interior renovation to create a new passenger check in and baggage screening area, based on its evaluation of those comments, or . implement them right away. Airport officials expect to attract . larger aircraft with a longer runway and have plans to start the work in May aimed at: an end-of-summer completion date for the $3 million project. and freight capacity situation. “And we have the option with our Dash 8s of going from 37° haul more cargo. That would be the’ best of both worlds,” he said. The Dash 8 is built in such a way that. its seal capacity can be expanded. or contract- ed as need be within ty’s instrument fand- ing system equipment ‘to make room for the longer runway. . | Airport manager the preliminary work for this to start in April with a move of the equipment itself to take ‘place the next month. an hour-and a_ half, Hayward added. L Laurie Brown The prospect of the , equipment being out Hayward attributes ’ some of the increase in Terrace air- port passenger traffic to the $56 it now costs in ferry and airport use fees for a round trip from Prince Rupert's Digby Island airport. “I think what people are doing is driving to Terrace and using the air- port here instead,” he said. Hayward also said there are is a community of commuters who have kept their homes here but who now work elsewhere. a RISING PASSENGER volumes of commission in April had worried local carrier Hawkair because weather that month can be . chancy. There’s. no firm start date for the interior renovation work as the airport and the’ newly- -formed Ca- Workers need to. first move the facili-. Laurie Brown expects _ nadian Air Transport Sécurity Au- | thority have still to hammer out final details. The work is made necessary so the airport falls in line with en- hanced passenger and baggage screening measures introduced after Sept. 11, 2001. CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag ~ What’s with our MP? Dear Sir: The Canadian Judicial Council is an organization es- tablished for the purpose of policing judges who make er- rors in their decisions. The problem with this organization is that its made up of mostly judges, retired judges, etc.’ and so there are judges judging judges, a scenario that sel- dom works in any organization. : I belong to a group whose purpose is to bring attention to this practice. Mr. Randy Haigh of Terrace and myself, have attempted to bring this unfair trial issue to. the at- tention of our new. NDP Member _of Parliament,’ ‘Nathan -Cullen, but have been ignored. We noticed in a recent issue of The Terrace Standard that Mr. Cullen has expressed his and his party’s position in support of gay marriage. Mr. Cullen should know that the Canadian people are paying him. top money to repre- sent them in Parliament and not to hear him tell the Cana- dian public what [he} supports in Parliament.. I hear people say they would prefer to go to bed ‘with their favourite pet than a member of their own gender. Yet _ this activity is just as illegal as was the homosexual activ- ity a few years-ago. Are the Supreme Court, Mr. Cullen | and his political party dictating to the Canadian people which sexual acts are legal and which are not regardless’ of what the majority of people think? Maybe we need a new Member of Parliament. - Lioyd Brinson, Nass Camp, B.C. Letters insulting to highways crews Dear Sir: You have two letters in your Feb. 16 i issue that are rath- - er insulting to hi ghways maintenance workers. If Ms. Prett - has indeed lived in the northwest since 1968 she should ‘know that you can have sun, rain, -hail; sleet/snow, and - black ice in a 10km stretch of highway in the wintertime. Bright , sunny days are the trickiest to drive because - _ of. melting/freezing conditions. Snow from the side of the roadways melts and flows across the roads, but the mo- ment the sun is‘no longer on that stretch of roadway — in- stant ice. This is especially true in corners. She wrote they “had a high performance vehicle. This, coupled with the _ fact that they. were looking forward to a week of skiing, ” makes me think that speéd may have been a factor in their vaccident. Just because the posted speed is: 100. kph does not mean that road conditions warrant that speed. When a _ cautionary. sign going into a corner say slow to 80, in the os winter time it is advisable to go even a little slower. The other writer, Ms. Klassen, is not satisfied with the. - amount of sand/salt put on the highways. ‘Again, kecp i in ‘mind that salt is only effective at certain temperatures. Spread, sand and salt on the roadways, and the salt melts the’ ice, the sand settles into the moisture ‘created by the. © . ~ salt, and the whole mess freezes giving you dirty black ice. _ Talk to people with more chips in their windshields than stars in the sky ona clear winter’s night, and I am-sure they will say there is plenty of sand on the road. Straight sand is only effective until the first large vehicle travels the road. The wind created by a passing vehicle blows the sand off the road. The centre and edges are fine. .- \. We.do have, Solutions to, the. problems. el haye in, the, ever changing ‘conditions i in our area’ Wei can station asand truck-évery. kilometre ‘of our “highways ‘to'insure-constant sand coverage and not complain about the extra taxes we ‘ will have to pay. The second, and much cheaper solution would be for all of us to drive according to conditions. ‘The Greyhound bus driver was out of line with his comments. As a professional driver, on the highway every ' day, he should know how quickly conditions can and do change without warning, and no amount of maintenance can insure perfect driving conditions. I have been driving northwest highways for 45 years. I still get the odd surprise, hypnotized by the nice sunny weather in the winter time: Sometimes I am not a-100 per cent satisfied with the maintenance people, but overall.1 think they perform a very good job. They risk their lives to make the highways as safe as possible. Remember, they are the first ones out there when conditions are lousy. Thank you and Keep up the good work. James B. Ippel, Terrace, B. c. I miss B. C. Tel Dear Sir: Sometime ago a slick talking Telus telemarketer talked me into their long distance plan. It sounded really good, 7 cents.a minute to anywhere in North America.and the same to the Netherlands where I have two sisters. I should have known better. When I made the deal | asked the salesperson if this was all, not hidden charges and |. was told that was it. No mention of so-called long distance ad- ministration fee of $4.95 that by the way went up another dollar a month. That makes my 7 cent a minute call 14 cents a minute, | So guess who is looking for another long distance ser- vice? If another phone company comes to this area | will: be the first in line to sign up for local service. J} am also getting the run around and talking to their machines for service. Where:is the human touch? Where ‘ are the days of B.C. Tel, and personal service gone to? Lambert Keulen, Terrace, B. Cc. Look after me ‘Dear Sir: © : _ A plea from your perfect pet partners to look after us and keep us safe and happy. Please give.us plenty of fresh waster, food and a warm and secure piace to live. Please have us vaccinated, spayed, neutered, licensed and groomed. Please let us ride with you inside your car or truck canopy. Please keep your garbage secure and inside until pickup day so we are not tempted. And finally, please refrain from tying us to mobile anchors like old Christmas tree stands so we won’t get tangled and stuck in the middle of a busy road. Yes that happened to me and it was only because of a caring person partners that I am still here. As they posi- tioned their car so I wouldn’t be run over, untangled me and found my owner. So give us consideration, and at-° tention (waikies) and we will be your companions and friends for life. Bob Childs, Terrace, B.C. 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