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We know, Virgin Atlantic doesn't fly here, but it's wildly entertaining!
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BUCKLE UP, FOLKS
... it's about to get bumpy.
Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the "fasten seat belt" sign. We are now crossing a zone of turbulence. Please return to your seat and keep your belt fastened for the duration of the flight.
Yeehaw, it's been a while since we've had some really good 'discussion' in FMAA board meetings. The room got all abuzz on at the last meeting. Wagers where made ($100,000 that Blaine County won't address necessary zoning issues to allow an airport). The topic of a regional airport and its potential was discussed with passion.
It's no surprise that some members of the FMAA board favor moving commercial air service, and someday that may need to happen. But it has already been determined that today is not that day.
Master Planning is not about site selection. We'll say it again using different words: it's about reviewing the information and creating a plan to operate the existing airport in a safe and reliable manner, while developing a knowledge base of relocation options and obstacles. Let's remember, we didn't' know any of this before we started. (We stole that last line from Commissioner Schoen.)
What would a new airport cost anyway?
Relocating the airport is a massive expense, and during the last meeting we learned that the
estimated cost hovers around $320 million for the most viable site within the EIS study. It is not a site that we can warm up to today, but depending on the circumstances, it could be a very good site in the future. The community tab on airport relocation is approximately $120 million, an amount that could choke any community. Read the full implementation analysis HERE or get the overview on PowerPoint (which is a little easier to follow) HERE.
Is a regional airport a good option?
Sure, a regional airport is an option, but it has its own set of issues. In a regional airport scenario, FMA would be a player, but County Government would be the engine. What we do know is that the price tag looks pretty close to what we received last week in evaluating the implementation of site 12.
While it's impossible for us to predict the future, we're doing the best we can to provide the most realistic information. Honestly, we don't even know what the FAA would actually come to the table with for either scenario. The experts are literally using historical data to create a hypothesis.
Of course, a well-written hypothesis follows this format:
"If __________, then __________ will happen."
(Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information from your own experiment.)
Hey, let's do our own experiment:
"If we lose commercial service, then
will happen."
(Stay tuned, we'll tell you what we think will happen in the next On The Fly.)
