AircraftOwner Online

    You might expect that a report concerning General Aviation in the Huffington Post would necessarily be negative to GA. After all, it’s a left-leaning Internet blog. But instead, the recent article about Bob Hope Airport in Burbank California was, in fact, very positive coverage describing the airport as having “the world’s most sustainable airport hangar.” Rooftop solar panels, electric vehicles, sustainable landscaping, polished concrete floors and natural daylighting were a few of the highlights. 

    In the same way that a single aviation incident will attract negative media attention while thousands of uneventful landings are never mentioned, any green improvement to a GA airport could attract positive media attention. Instead of “Airplane Lands in Cornfield” in our local papers, we could read “Local Airport Goes Green”.

    Billy Dobitsch considered this when he bought Seamans Field (9N3) in North East Pennsylvania. The airport, arguably in one of the prettiest parts of the United States, is home to a nearly-completed community development that takes advantage of many of the environmentally friendly building ideas currently available. Living on an airport, with very pretty surroundings, in an energy efficient house should sell homes even in a down economy.

    Seamans is also a great place to base because it is home to one of the nation’s best known A&P shops, O&N Aircraft Modifications. Many in aviation know O&N as the designers of the advanced panel, pressurized Cessna P 210 N, powered by a modified Rolls-Royce (Allison) 450 hp Gas Turbine Engine. And now, O&N has a twin in the works as well.

    Dobitsch has spent the last few years learning the best practices available to building greener communities. His idea is that building green saves money and saves the environment. 

    “Photovoltaic, solar powered hot water and small wind pays for itself in the energy saved”, explains Dobitsch, whose own house on the airport is a prototype for the carbon-clean community he is building.

    And just as Dobitsch hoped, going green has started to catch on with other pilots on the field.

    “Before Billy bought the airport a few years ago, nobody really thought about green. I think he’s made us all really more aware of it. It’s a good idea” says airplane owner Glen Mikolaczyk, whose Cessna 172 is based at Seamans field.

    For as long as most pilots can remember, General Aviation has been under siege. Airports closing to community developments, noise abatements, environmental concerns and security restrictions afflict those of us afflicted with a passion for flying. Every pilot reading this publication would likely agree that modern General Aviation is often presented by the press unfairly. The media’s negative presentation of GA and the public’s aversion to GA are, of course, not mutually exclusive.

    And, although AOPA and EAA have done a good job in Washington and in our communities they will continue to fight an uphill battle as long as the non-flying public perceives their local general aviation airport as a threat to their well-being.

    Therefore, it is time for an entirely new strategy to attract positive press: building GA airports as friendly stewards of the environment. It’s not just “greenwashing”. Building facilities actually use 48% of US energy whereas the transportation sector consumes about 25%. Yet transportation has a worse reputation in the media as an energy hog.

    For airports at least, this perception could be changed. Consider that the highest rating a building can receive from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - the organization responsible for rating how green a building is - is “LEED Platinum”. The Burbank airport hangar reported in the Huffington Post is one of only a handful of US buildings to receive this award.

    The statement by Rick Fedrizzi, President and founding chairman of USGBC is reveling. It describes his negative perception of airports but also how we can overcome that perception. Fedrizzi  says, “People may ask, ‘How could the USGBC give its highest rating to an airport facility for private aircraft? Isn’t that oxymoronic when you’re thinking of climate change and the opportunities in front of us?’ And I have to tell you that we are so proud to award the LEED Platinum plaque to this facility”. His statement, and more like them, will make it more complicated for a community to close an airport.

    Where will the money come from to build greener airports? Certainly new construction can justify build costs against maintenance and energy savings. But retrofits and building repairs are also the right time to consider green.

    One easy building improvement that went into the LEED Platinum hanger reported in the blog was the polished concrete floor. If you’ve ever seen a hanger floor so clean and shinny that the aircraft seems to be sitting on a mirror, it’s likely to be polished concrete. The sustainable floor doesn’t absorb hydraulic fluid and oil making oil and gas spills easier to clean up and less slippery than conventional hangar floors. 

    According to QuestMark Flooring (www.questmarkflooring.com), the nation’s leading flooring company, instead of repairing older floors, major retail chain stores are now replacing their floors with polished concrete.

    When QuestMark first developed the idea of a polished concrete floor for the retail industry the challenge was in getting folks to do things differently. But once the commercial retail sector discovered that the maintenance was substantially lessened and also that the floor’s look improved sales, many major retail stores signed on. It’s a green technology airport hangers could benefit from today. 

    Rooftops receive a lot of sun, making them perfect for photovoltaic power. But an even more efficient and cost effective use of flat roofs may be in something just as important as electrical power; daylight.

    In fact, one of the finest displays of natural daylighting is also at an airport; Changi Airport in Singapore, in Terminal 3. Changi is the world’s 19th busiest airport. In 2008, using a new material called MIRO (www.alanod.com), that reflects nearly all the light it receives, the airport installed 919 skylights. Inside the building, the MIRO panels reflect both natural and artificial light. Daylighting is a relatively low-cost, green technology that pays for itself in energy saved. 

    Any green airport upgrade can garner affirmative local press. And working the press in favor of GA just makes good plane sense. The Eneref Group (www.eneref.org) collects and lists ideas to help facilities build green. 

    Let’s say your airport is next door to one that recently closed. Suddenly, 50 new airplanes are planning to base at your airport. That’s great news for the airport owner looking to sell fuel, but is just the kind of story that panics surrounding communities.

    In such a situation most of the newly arriving aircraft would likely be tie-downs, as hanger space would be unavailable. Aircraft parked on the lawn, far from the runway, would have no available lighting when parking at night.

    To add a positive light to an otherwise unfavorable story, the airport could install solar-powered outdoor light poles where the new arrivals would park. Since no ground wire trenching is required, lights could be installed quickly and easily. 

    Liberty Park in upstate NY received accolades in the local press after installing six outdoor light fixtures from SolarOne Solutions (www.solarone.net) to light up a pathway. The SolarOne fixtures are unique because they are computer controlled and designed to assure the lights stay bright enough even after a full week of the sun hiding behind IMC. 

    The stories in the press about the park reported that local residents remarked the park felt prettier and safer. More importantly, most also expressed pride that their park was using energy-free solar-powered LED lights.

    “Residents Express Pride in Local Airport” is a headline we could begin to read just by changing the way we build airport facilities. It’s time to promote general aviation airports as large green spaces protecting the environment from urban sprawl. ~ Seth Warren Rose