Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 09-22-2009 regular — reading text

AA yryy Opp n' ° wHapp, lN / hv h' k € y} , µ %.,,,. •' 1 pm" "'./, . i' i:- xw' r J/nnHNn ¢ tt . ,.. }. ( nw n. u r €' € xN.,,, f ti 5` / t i iypixiow . M jpp yyy hh i y g. 4 J .vJJr''$fwNa pCH F \,ORS - N p. Z N B Section 7 35-  E( * LIN AIR FORCE BASE JOINT LAND USE STUDY JUNE 2009 prescribing flight path area and vertical clearances from In May 2006, the Air Force conducted a Building Height terrain and manmade obstructions. This required open Study for the Southern Region of Okaloosa County to help space is defined both veffcally and horizontally, and is de- ensure that there were no navigation problems. Figure 7 -4 signed above the airfield imaginary surfaces. The restric- identifies the maximum building heights resulting from this tions prescribed for standard instrument approach and de- study. parture procedures require limitations on the height of build- ings and other structures in the vicinity of airfields in order 7. 2. 5 Lighting to ensure the safety of pilots, aircraft, and individuals and structures on the ground ( U. S. Air Force, 1999). These Outdoor lights can cause difficult and unsafe flying condi- procedures are a complex set of specific requirements that tions when located near airfields or within Military Training Routes used during night hours with night vision equipment. ensure the proper clearances exist for aircraft to safely take off, land, and circle, when required. The requirements for Ground lighting can interfere with a pilot' s vision or with each surface of a TERPS airfield are specified in FAA Or- night vision instrumentation or equipment. Ground lighting ders 8260. 3B, " U. S. Standard for Terminal Instrument Pro- may also cause confusion with approach landing patterns. cedures" ( TERPS) ( July 7, 1976) and 8260. 19C, " Flight Examples of ground lighting that can interfere with night Procedures and Airspace" ; September 16, 1993). vision equipment are residential street lighting, stadium lighting, amusement parks, golf courses and driving ranges if lit at night), and parking lot lighting. Mobile lights ( from TERPs have been designed for all major airfields on Eglin: Eglin' s Main Airfield, Duke Field, Choctaw Field and Hurl - sources such as motor vehicles or roaming spotlights) can burt' s Main Airfield. Airf'elds with instrumented landing also cause pilot disorientation and difficulty with night vision systems ( ILS) are categorized based on aircraft that will equipment. Several airfields, drop zones, and military train- ing routes occurring on or over Eglin AFB and adjacent use the airfield and conditions available for landing with instruments. The categories provide minimum altitudes at lands conduct these types of training, especially those as- sociated with Hurlburt' s 1 SOW. which a pilot must be able to see the runway prior to touch- ing down with the aircraft. For example, Category I airfields with ILS have a 200 -foot above ground minimum altitude at Also, Eglin is home to the U. S. Army 6th Ranger Training Battalion, and the future home of the 7th Special Forces which the pilot must see the runway. This has a trickle down effect when it comes to heights of objects in the vicin- Group ( Airborne). Training for night operations is mission - essential to these units. Light encroachment can be light ity of airfields. trespass, glare, sky glow or any unintended consequence An additional complicating factor in altitudes and tall struc- from artificial lighting. Light trespass is illuminating areas not intended. Glare results from overly bright lights and tures is weather conditions. As tall structures cause aircraft interferes with vision. Sky glow is the illumination of the sky to fly higher prior to landing, conflicts can arise as a result from artificial sources. Figure 7 -5 shows the increase in of cloud ceiling heights and minimum altitudes prescribed by instrument approach procedures. If the cloud ceiling artificial lighting that is visible from satellites. It is clearly height changes due to weather and becomes lower than evident that the amount of lights is increasing with popula- tion. the acceptable altitude at which an aircraft can descend with instruments, the airfield is essentially unusable and no 7.2. 6 Radio Frequency Interference aircraft can land. The minimum ceiling height of clouds and the minimum visibility an air crew needs to plan for an in- According to the RAICUZ, radio frequency is an additional strument approach is based on the minimum descent alti- element related to land use compatibility. Certain Eglin tude ( MDA) for non -precision approaches or decision height frequency bands are being encroached upon by devices DH) for precision approaches. The MDA and DH are that are either sloppy in their frequency control ( e. g., cord- based on height of obstructions. Past a certain threshold, less phones, cell phones, radio stations, cell towers) or that the higher the obstruction, the higher the MDA or DH re- leak frequency emissions even if they are not designed to quired. The higher