Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study

Presented by

Kent Penney, Airport Systems Director

Aviation Department

Pre Council Meeting

May 18, 2010

Presented by

Lisa Pyles, URS

Why a Heliport in the Downtown Area?

• Door-Step to Door-Step time (point-to-point)

• Downtown Fort Worth is the Western Economic/Business Center of the DFW Metroplex

• Helicopters move high value goods, services and people

• Existing airports are too far in time from Downtown Fort Worth

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Activities To Date

• Background

– URS was selected by the Aviation Department in 2008 to do various Aviation Planning projects

– URS selected for Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study by City Council M&C C-23868, 10-20-2009

• Stakeholders Group

– 3 Meetings of the Stakeholders Group were conducted

to receive input through the Feasibility & Siting Process

• Neighborhood Groups

– 1 meeting was conducted to inform the neighborhood closest to the highest rated site (United Riverside)

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Stakeholders Group� William Boecker, President/CEO, Fine Line Diversified Development

� Johnny Campbell, Chairman of the Board, Convention & Visitors Bureau/Sundance Square

� Guy del Giudice, Chief Pilot, CareFlite

� Brian Dunaway, President, Epic Helicopters, LLC

� Jim Dunaway, President, JRD Group, Inc.

� Jim Godfrey, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board

� Randle Harwood, TRV Project Manager, City of Fort Worth

� Alex Jimenez, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board

� Ruseena Johnson,Capital Program Specialist, City of Fort Worth

� Randy Means, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board

� Jay Paschke, Chief Pilot, Fort Worth Police

� Brinton Payne, Director Government Affairs and Urban Development, Chamber of Commerce-Ft Worth

� Kent Penney, Airport Systems Director, City of Fort Worth

� Doug Rademaker, Program Management, City of Fort Worth

� Jack Sosebee, Director of Transport Services, Cook Children's Medical Center

� Andy Taft, Director of Downtown Development/TIF District, Downtown Ft. Worth, Inc.

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Fort Worth Heliport Study - Outline

• What is a Heliport?– a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters; typically

contains one or more helipads and may have services such as fuel, maintenance facilities, hangars or ground transportation

• Existing Heliports

• Validation of Need

• Site Evaluation and Preferred Site

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Downtown Dallas Vertiport – 1994

•Owned by City of Dallas

•2 landing pads

•5 parking spaces

•No fuel available

•No maintenance available

•Open 7 days a week - 7:00 am to 10:00 pm

•Operations – 50 per month

Garland Heloplex – 1991

•Owned by City of Garland

•Fuel and minor maintenance available

•Attended 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Mon-Sat;

Sun 9:00am to 5:00pm

•Operations – 100 per day

Area Heliports

Validation of Need• NCTCOG Year 2000 Heliport System Plan – 1983

� Recommended 4 area locations (Downtown Dallas, Downtown Fort Worth,

North Dallas/ Addison, Las Colinas)

• Analysis of FAA Data

� 423 Helicopters registered in 8 county DFW Metroplex (2009)

� 26% of helicopter operations in Texas are in the DFW Metroplex

• URS/City of Fort Worth Survey

� 75% would use a downtown heliport

� 35% would use it more than 10 operations a month

� Types of Uses

38% Corp/Exec 19% Aerial Surveying 16% Sight-seeing

13% Air Taxi 11% Pilot Training

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Conclusion: Significant Demand Exists

• COG 1983 Study first identified need

• Population, congestion, and income levels have increased

since 1983

• Fort Worth is the 17th largest city in US and still growing

• Majority of survey respondents favor facility

• Greater percentage would use it >10 times per month

• Helicopter use viability depends on point to point travel

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Site Assessment - Evaluation Criteria

• Highest Weighting

– Navigable Airspace

– Emergency Access

– Community Overflight

• Medium Weighting

– Proximity to Business Centers

– General Land Use Compatibility

• Lowest Weighting

– Availability, suitability and Interface with Surface Transportation

– General Site Considerations

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Seven Areas Assessed

A : Forest Park

B: University Dr

C: Purina Plant

D: White

Settlement Rd

E: ITC Site

F: E35 / S121

G: Forest Park/

Rosedale

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Interference with Approach

to Runway 34 at Meacham

4 Areas Eliminated:

Area A – Forest Park

Area B – N. University Dr.

Area D – White Settlement Rd.

Area G – Forest Park and Rosedale

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Area C Area C –– Purina Plant Purina Plant –– Score 42Score 42

No Emergency Vehicle Access; Vehicle access via 1st St; RR Crossings on East and West Sides, Cell

Tower North End of the Area13

Area E Area E –– Intermodal Trans Center Intermodal Trans Center –– Score 53Score 53

Limited Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Airspace Issues, Minimal Community Overflight

Issues; Site Constrained by Rail on both East and West14

Area F Area F –– East IHEast IH--35 / South 121 35 / South 121 –– Score 63Score 63

Good Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Navigable Airspace Issues; Minimal Community

Overflight Issues 15

Noise Contours for Area F

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Next Steps

• Establish Informational Website for the Study at

www.fortworthgov.org/aviation

• Conduct Public Forum providing information on

the Top 3 sites (May/June)

• Report to City Council results of Public Forum

and Outreach

• Negotiate Design Contracts

• Council Consideration of Contracts in (June/July)

• Facility Operational by February 2011

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Questions/Comments/Conclusion

Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study

4th Street

Qtran Corporation

Purina Plant

Area C Area C –– Purina Plant Purina Plant –– Score 42Score 42

No Emergency Vehicle Access; Vehicle access via 1st St; RR Crossings on East and West Sides, Cell

Tower North End of the Area

Area E Area E –– Intermodal Trans Center Intermodal Trans Center –– Score 53Score 53

Limited Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Airspace Issues, Minimal Community Overflight

Issues; Site Constrained by Rail on both East and West

Harmon Field Park

Greenway Park

Area F Area F –– East IHEast IH--35 / South 121 35 / South 121 –– Score 63Score 63

Good Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Navigable Airspace Issues; Minimal Community

Overflight Issues

Area F – East 35W South 121

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Indianapolis Downtown Heliport – 1978

Office and hangar facilities

Self-serve fuel

Minor maintenance available

Operations – 25 per day

New Orleans Downtown Heliport – 1997

Attended 24 hours per day

Fuel available

No maintenance

Operations – 9 per day

Portland Downtown Heliport – 1989

Owned by City of Portland

Unattended

No fuel or maintenance available

Operations – 14 per day

Other City Heliports in US