Published August 11, 2005

Turbulence ahead?
Aviation professionals say county airport plans
should not be cleared for takeoff
while engineer calls project "ideal situation"

Dan Ashby has spent more than 6,000 hours piloting corporate jets for some of the biggest companies in Georgia, taking him all around the world.
He said Thursday he has never seen airport plans like those unveiled by Pickens County last week.
It wasn't a compliment.
In addition to being a pilot with more 25,000 total flight hours, Ashby has owned an FBO (airport management company), owned a charter air service, served on advisory committees and working committees for airports as large as San Francisco International and as small as Pickens. Ashby said he had already expressed "grave reservations" about the direction the county is taking the local airport to Commissioner Robert Jones, past Commissioner Billy Newton and Economic Developer Larry Toney, but to avail.
Ashby said the latest plans where commercial aspects are toned down and Jones stresses general aviation are the best thus far, but there are still significant problems.
A 24-year resident of Bent Tree and a current commercial airline captain, Ashby said he has never become involved in a political situation locally before, but he wants the public to know many statements made by the county are naively optimistic or flat wrong.
At one point Ashby said he had been asked to work on the local airport advisory committee as a liaison to the FAA, but now feels his vocal opposition has left him intentionally excluded from unannounced meetings of the group's steering committee.
The plans themselves, printed in last week's paper, were great Ashby said, but not practical to a county like Pickens. And the plans don't mesh with statements made by Commissioner Robert Jones and Economic Developer Larry Toney about county intentions.
Among flaws Ashby cited are the commissioner's statements that infrastructure needs like water, fire protection, instrument landings systems, security and fuel for jets will only be added when funds are available, while Toney points out that work is already underway on a related airport-tech park to accommodate jets.
Ashby said it's pointless to offer lots or hangars for jets until the infrastructure is taken care of.
"It's pie in the sky. I have both flown for and managed corporate jets for many different companies and have trained other corporate pilots and I can say there is no way we would use this airport until these infrastructure needs are met," he said.
The owners of the FBO managing the quickly growing Cherokee County airport said in their business philosophy full service maintenance, jet fuel and a comfortable, attractive terminal for pilots to wait while the people they are flying conduct business in Canton are the keys to airport success.
Pickens has thus far stressed new hangars in their expansion plans, which are the most profitable according to the Cherokee FBO owners, but won't succeed without related services.
"If you had the best hangars but you don't have the services, you won't attract many planes," said Jimmy Garland, who along with Coleman Sutton owns S & S Aviation, the FBO at Cherokee County airport.
They said it's not uncommon for people destined for Pickens to land in Cherokee, even with its relatively short 3,400 runway and then drive to Pickens to play golf or handle business, because they do offer fuel and service.
The owners there said that for Pickens to grow, they would need an FBO to come in and manage the fuel and maintenance facilities and offer the services that pilots expect. But, they weren't sure any established FBOs would be interested unless they could collect the rent off the hangars as well.
At Cherokee County Airport, S&S Aviation built and will manage the hangars for a period of 20 to 30 years (depending on which hangar) and will collect rent paid by owners of planes based there.
S&S Aviation pays a lease on the property to the county and at the end of the 20 to 30 years, the hangars become property of Cherokee County.
Garland and Sutton said there is very little profit in fuel sales even though they sell 10,000 gallons per month of regular aviation fuel and jet fuel. They said the maintenance operation is mostly "break-even" but necessary to keep planes in the hangars which is where the FBO's profits are.
Without hangar rental income, Sutton and Garland said they didn't believe a maintenance operation or fuel operation could be operated successfully at any small airport, especially when you figure in insurance, payroll and other expenses, and without these services the rest of the airport won't grow.
Johnny Smith with the Cherokee County Airport Authority said the airport there languished before an FBO arrived and took part in airport expansion. Smith said, "Before we had an FBO, there was no where to get fuel, and our biggest problem was trying to keep the grass cut."
In another direct contrast to Pickens' plans, the Cherokee airport is looking to expand from space to accommodate 100 planes to space for 300. But among that airport's top priorities is a new or renovated terminal. FBO owners say the county recognizes an improved terminal as vitally important in attracting corporate users.
Cherokee FBO owners said they had once been presented plans similar to t-hangars already under construction in Pickens, that were drawn by the same engineers Pickens is using.
Sutton and Garland said WK Dickson does great work drawing plans, but for a business, the smaller t-hangars aren't profitable. They said constructing a number of smaller hangar slots means only smaller planes can locate there, which is great for hobby pilots, but detrimental for airports looking to turn a profit. "Smaller planes simply do not pay for themselves," Garland said.
The small planes burn very little fuel, use less paid maintenance and with values as low as $25,000 don't generate much ad valorem taxes, according to the managers of the Cherokee airport.
Pickens Airport will collect a rental fee of $18,700 for seven years, for each of the 18 t-hangar spaces available, to pay for their construction. After that, all rent collected will be revenue for the airport.
Ashby said Pickens airport plans, as presented, are well drawn but mainly suit smaller personal aircraft and aren't feasible for corporate jets with larger wingspans.
He noted the fueling area is mixed amid other structures, and the county initially plans to have jets pulling up to the tank, which is something he has never done. He said if the county wants corporate jets to use the facility, they need to immediately go to a system where trucks deliver fuel to the jets.
"These planes are 25,000 pounds. You don't pull it up like a car to a gas tank," he said. "They have a reverse which is used to slow down, but you don't back one up."
The Cherokee airport relies on "tugs" to pull planes around. Currently they use converted golf carts to move planes around and have a truck to deliver fuel.
Like Ashby, Sutton said it is impractical to expect any corporate aircraft to drive to a pump. And it is necessary to have an employee available during all working hours to pump gas, he said.
Ashby said from his experience operating an FBO (airport management company), statements made by Economic Developer Toney that airports require a lot of capital but not much in operating expenses are "flat wrong."
Cherokee FBO owners also sharply disagreed with Toney's statement, saying they spend a considerable amount on insurance every year, plus the people who are qualified to work on airplanes don't come for minimum wage.
Ashby said complying with security requirements is going to be very expensive if Pickens wants to become a larger airport. Ashby has testified before the California legislature on airport security and served on committees preparing testimony for Congress on the subject, following 9/11.
"Right now this is a sleepy airport, and no one pays much attention to it," he said. "But if you develop it with large hangars and start attracting more aircraft, every government agency will be up here taking a look at it."
Among other incorrect statements Ashby addressed was one that the runway must be extended to 5,500 feet from its current 5,000 due to insurance requirements for jets. Ashby said he checked with both his contacts at FAA and his own insurance carrier, and they had never heard the claim before.
Responding to some specific concerns, Phil Eberley, with engineering company WK Dickson, said the plans for Pickens' airport should be well received. Eberley said there is a lot of demand for taxiway access to an airport with the current 5,000 foot runway, and the demand will increase when the runway is expanded to 5,500 feet.
Eberley said rather than focusing on particular issues, the airport plan should be viewed "in the context that it depicts what you are considering building over the next 20 years."
The plan, with its ambitious projects depicted, should help Pickens' airport attract funding when it is presented to the FAA. The plan has been prepared for submission to the federal agency primarily to attract grants.
Eberley said going ahead and building the tech park with a taxiway will increase use of the facility and with it demand for infrastructure support, which will increase the likelihood of grants.
However, Eberley noted that predicting any timetable for grants awarded by the FAA is impossible.
Eberley said the lack of current infrastructure shouldn't be viewed as a problem, but as "growth issues."
"Jet fuel, more parking, additional hangar space are only issues because of the interest in the airport," he said. "There are other airports where they are worrying about keeping the grass mowed and keeping the lights on."
He said there is so much market demand for the planned tech park, that it will be successful in attracting users and this growth will lead to the other improvements.
"There are very few opportunities for a business to have that kind of access to a taxiway," he said. "It is a prime location."
He said it is an "ideal situation" that a county like Pickens recognizes the importance of the airport and develops a plan to expand while there is still land available for the expansion.
"Very few airports get this kind of opportunity," he said. "Most lack space and can't move forward."
Ed Marger, chairman of the airport advisory committee, also defended the project in an earlier interview. Marger, who also has extensive experience involving airport management, including work as chairman of the citizens advisory committee of Charlie Brown airport in Fulton County and work with FBOs, said he believes county plans are solid and will attract business users.
Marger questioned why Ashby did not attend more of the early meetings of the advisory committee to publicly state his objections.
Marger said he has faith in the engineers to deliver a working plan. And he believes the market for expansion is there. With this, he believes infrastructure needs will be met when funding is available.
He said the t-hangars are being completed first, because there is funding for them through grants and rent paid in advance by future plane owners.
"We would like to have many of these things [infrastructure improvements]," Marger said. "I'm looking forward to when we have a maintenance facility. We are working towards that. A church isn't built from the steeple down. We are building a substantial foundation."
Marger said he believes folks critical of airport plans are a minority.
Joe Fore, another member of the airport advisory committee who worked on the economic development side of the project for the previous county administration, strikes a middle ground between naysayers and supporters.
Fore said concerns cited by Ashby, who is his neighbor in Bent Tree, are legitimate, but the county is trying to address them as funding is found.
Lack of water, lack of jet fuel and a lack of security are needs which must be addressed before the airport can expand, Fore said.
"It's a mess [the current situation]," he said. "I don't know any other word to use."
But, he said the plan is a proposal which at least gets Pickens into the hunt for grants to address the problems. Unfortunately, it appears Pickens won't likely receive any significant funding until the 2007 grant cycle at the earliest, he said.
Fore said, based on his work in the economic development office of the county, he is doubtful there is much demand by businesses for stationing corporate jets here.
Companies will base their jets either close to their company headquarters or in states where there is no ad valorem tax, Fore said.
"I would be greatly surprised if the county attracts a large number of jets," he said.
One point everyone interviewed strongly stated is the need for Pickens to get a fully-functioning airport authority in place as soon as possible.
Marger and Ashby said an authority independent of county politics is a necessity. And authority members should have experience in aviation, but also in business and dealing with regulatory agencies.
The county has said they will present a request to the Georgia legislature to pass a bill creating a Pickens Airport authority when legislators re-convene in January.
The Airport Advisory Committee meets the last Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at the airport. Meetings are open to the public.