While that project has seen some delays because of supply-chain issues, it is now expected to be completed by May. The project is requiring the refurbishment of an existing fuel tank at the airport to accommodate a new form of fuel known as Unleaded 94. Swanson highlighted some of the airport's recent sustainability initiatives, most notably its effort to switch from leaded to unleaded fuel.
"We're very lucky to have an FAA control tower and it's one of the busier, more sought-out assignments to work at for the controllers, to come there and then progress to larger airports like Oakland, SFO and San Jose or throughout the nation," Swanson told the council. It is frequently used as a refueling stop for Life Flight helicopters bound for Stanford Hospital and it serves as a base for Silicon Valley DART, an organization that flies in supplies to communities where emergencies such as floods, fires and earthquakes have made roads impassable.Īnd with one taxiway and one runway, Palo Alto Airport is also a popular training ground for air traffic controllers, Swanson said. Unlike those commercial airports, the general airport in Palo Alto is a "reliever airport" that spreads around air traffic to assist the larger airports and make the entire system work more efficiently. "Staff are not aware of any other airport in the nation in a position to transition to electric aircraft as quickly as PAO," the report states.Īccording to Airport Manager Andrew Swanson, Palo Alto Airport is currently the fourth busiest in the Bay Area, averaging about 152,000 takeoffs and landings per year and trailing only San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose airports. Airport staff has also worked with the FAA to include infrastructure for future solar photovoltaic installations, according to a report from the Public Works Department. Underground, beneath the airport's new apron, lie conduits that could accommodate installation of utilities, enabling charging stations for electric aircraft. It also means looking for ways to discourage - if not abolish - leaded fuel and to construct solar arrays throughout the 102-acre facility so that it would actually generate more electricity than it expends. This means turning it into one of the first airports in the nation capable of accommodating electric airplanes. No longer content to simply have an airport that serves a useful regional function and doesn't bleed money, the council and city staff are looking at making Palo Alto Airport a world leader when it comes to sustainability. As the City Council and airplane administrators pondered on Monday, March 6, the next phase of airplane improvements, the common sentiment was: Sky's the limit. Palo Alto Airport today is home to 360 aircraft and five flight schools its annual revenues exceed its operating expenses by about $600,000 and it has recently received a major facelift - a $36-million apron reconstruction project that was funded largely by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand the airplane parking and maintenance area. The city's 2014 decision appears to have paid off. When Palo Alto took over operations of its namesake airport from Santa Clara County nine years ago, the busy Baylands hub was in a sad state: losing money and wearing down from heavy use and insufficient upkeep. Embarcadero Media file photo by Sammy Dallal. Kho, left, and student pilot Andy Smith prepare for a lesson at the Palo Alto Airport on Sept.
Advantage Aviation flight instructor Jimena A.
0 kommentar(er)
