Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James R. Conner.

 

18 September 2013

I’d vote against expanding Kalispell’s city airport

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Updated. Kalispell’s 84-year-old city airport is in trouble. Its runway nearing the end of its service life, it must close or expand. Once surrounded by open fields, today the city airport is surrounded by businesses and residential neighborhoods (large image). It’s not a setting in which a new airport would be approved, and therefore not a setting in which expansion makes sense.

Nevertheless, a lot of the people who run Kalispell want to expand the airfield. Unless Kalispell's voters say NO in November, a facility rendered superfluous by Glacier Park International Airport nine miles to the north-northeast may get a new lease on life and a longer runway. I'm not a resident of Kalispell, but if I were, I'd vote against expansion.

At this point, the airport is neither an economic nor an aviation necessity. It's certainly a safety hazard. So why the support, especially from owners of small aircraft, for keeping the airport open and lengthening the runway? The answer, I believe, is in the following passage on page 59 of Chapter 4 (PDF) of the final master plan update for the airport:

From discussions with local area pilots, review of the responses on the pilot’s survey, and observations of usage at GPI and Kalispell City Airport, most private pilots flying smaller A-I aircraft, rotorcraft, and gliders prefer to use Kalispell City Airport rather than GPI. Many of these pilots are not instrument rated and do not benefit from the lower minimums at GPI; many do not like having to communicate with Air Traffic Control, and most prefer the location and convenience that the City Airport offers.

Given the all weather capability and long runway at Glacier Park International, GPI is an attractive alternate airport to the larger, twin engine light aircraft (Cessna 310’s, Beechcraft Baron’s, Piper Seneca’s) and jet aircraft. This discriminatory use of each airport by the different types of users is not likely to change in the future, even if the City Airport is upgraded to ARC B-II standards. There would likely be some increased use of the City Airport by pilots of the larger B-II aircraft if it were upgraded but many of these pilots are instrument rated and would continue to use GPI because of the instrument approach capability. In conclusion, the single engine aircraft that are most commonly seen at Kalispell City Airport are likely to continue using this facility provided the facility is maintained and/or upgraded and aircraft storage remains available. There would likely be a minor increase of usage of B-II aircraft if the facility were upgraded but most of these pilots will continue to use GPI because of its instrument capability. [Highlighting by Flathead Memo.]

There you have it. If the city airport closes, a lot of private aviators who are intimidated by Glacier International, whose flying skills might not cut the mustard at GPI, fear they will suffer a de facto grounding. I understand that and certainly can sympathize with their predicament. But their fears and convenience are not good reasons for keeping open an airfield that's no longer needed and has become a safety hazard.

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