Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study
Presented by
Kent Penney, Airport Systems Director
Aviation Department
Pre Council Meeting
May 18, 2010
Presented by
Lisa Pyles, URS
Why a Heliport in the Downtown Area?
• Door-Step to Door-Step time (point-to-point)
• Downtown Fort Worth is the Western Economic/Business Center of the DFW Metroplex
• Helicopters move high value goods, services and people
• Existing airports are too far in time from Downtown Fort Worth
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Activities To Date
• Background
– URS was selected by the Aviation Department in 2008 to do various Aviation Planning projects
– URS selected for Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study by City Council M&C C-23868, 10-20-2009
• Stakeholders Group
– 3 Meetings of the Stakeholders Group were conducted
to receive input through the Feasibility & Siting Process
• Neighborhood Groups
– 1 meeting was conducted to inform the neighborhood closest to the highest rated site (United Riverside)
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Stakeholders Group� William Boecker, President/CEO, Fine Line Diversified Development
� Johnny Campbell, Chairman of the Board, Convention & Visitors Bureau/Sundance Square
� Guy del Giudice, Chief Pilot, CareFlite
� Brian Dunaway, President, Epic Helicopters, LLC
� Jim Dunaway, President, JRD Group, Inc.
� Jim Godfrey, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board
� Randle Harwood, TRV Project Manager, City of Fort Worth
� Alex Jimenez, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board
� Ruseena Johnson,Capital Program Specialist, City of Fort Worth
� Randy Means, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board
� Jay Paschke, Chief Pilot, Fort Worth Police
� Brinton Payne, Director Government Affairs and Urban Development, Chamber of Commerce-Ft Worth
� Kent Penney, Airport Systems Director, City of Fort Worth
� Doug Rademaker, Program Management, City of Fort Worth
� Jack Sosebee, Director of Transport Services, Cook Children's Medical Center
� Andy Taft, Director of Downtown Development/TIF District, Downtown Ft. Worth, Inc.
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Fort Worth Heliport Study - Outline
• What is a Heliport?– a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters; typically
contains one or more helipads and may have services such as fuel, maintenance facilities, hangars or ground transportation
• Existing Heliports
• Validation of Need
• Site Evaluation and Preferred Site
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Downtown Dallas Vertiport – 1994
•Owned by City of Dallas
•2 landing pads
•5 parking spaces
•No fuel available
•No maintenance available
•Open 7 days a week - 7:00 am to 10:00 pm
•Operations – 50 per month
Garland Heloplex – 1991
•Owned by City of Garland
•Fuel and minor maintenance available
•Attended 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Mon-Sat;
Sun 9:00am to 5:00pm
•Operations – 100 per day
Area Heliports
Validation of Need• NCTCOG Year 2000 Heliport System Plan – 1983
� Recommended 4 area locations (Downtown Dallas, Downtown Fort Worth,
North Dallas/ Addison, Las Colinas)
• Analysis of FAA Data
� 423 Helicopters registered in 8 county DFW Metroplex (2009)
� 26% of helicopter operations in Texas are in the DFW Metroplex
• URS/City of Fort Worth Survey
� 75% would use a downtown heliport
� 35% would use it more than 10 operations a month
� Types of Uses
38% Corp/Exec 19% Aerial Surveying 16% Sight-seeing
13% Air Taxi 11% Pilot Training
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Conclusion: Significant Demand Exists
• COG 1983 Study first identified need
• Population, congestion, and income levels have increased
since 1983
• Fort Worth is the 17th largest city in US and still growing
• Majority of survey respondents favor facility
• Greater percentage would use it >10 times per month
• Helicopter use viability depends on point to point travel
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Site Assessment - Evaluation Criteria
• Highest Weighting
– Navigable Airspace
– Emergency Access
– Community Overflight
• Medium Weighting
– Proximity to Business Centers
– General Land Use Compatibility
• Lowest Weighting
– Availability, suitability and Interface with Surface Transportation
– General Site Considerations
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Seven Areas Assessed
A : Forest Park
B: University Dr
C: Purina Plant
D: White
Settlement Rd
E: ITC Site
F: E35 / S121
G: Forest Park/
Rosedale
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Interference with Approach
to Runway 34 at Meacham
4 Areas Eliminated:
Area A – Forest Park
Area B – N. University Dr.
Area D – White Settlement Rd.
Area G – Forest Park and Rosedale
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Area C Area C –– Purina Plant Purina Plant –– Score 42Score 42
No Emergency Vehicle Access; Vehicle access via 1st St; RR Crossings on East and West Sides, Cell
Tower North End of the Area13
Area E Area E –– Intermodal Trans Center Intermodal Trans Center –– Score 53Score 53
Limited Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Airspace Issues, Minimal Community Overflight
Issues; Site Constrained by Rail on both East and West14
Area F Area F –– East IHEast IH--35 / South 121 35 / South 121 –– Score 63Score 63
Good Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Navigable Airspace Issues; Minimal Community
Overflight Issues 15
Noise Contours for Area F
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Next Steps
• Establish Informational Website for the Study at
www.fortworthgov.org/aviation
• Conduct Public Forum providing information on
the Top 3 sites (May/June)
• Report to City Council results of Public Forum
and Outreach
• Negotiate Design Contracts
• Council Consideration of Contracts in (June/July)
• Facility Operational by February 2011
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Questions/Comments/Conclusion
Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study
4th Street
Qtran Corporation
Purina Plant
Area C Area C –– Purina Plant Purina Plant –– Score 42Score 42
No Emergency Vehicle Access; Vehicle access via 1st St; RR Crossings on East and West Sides, Cell
Tower North End of the Area
Area E Area E –– Intermodal Trans Center Intermodal Trans Center –– Score 53Score 53
Limited Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Airspace Issues, Minimal Community Overflight
Issues; Site Constrained by Rail on both East and West
Harmon Field Park
Greenway Park
Area F Area F –– East IHEast IH--35 / South 121 35 / South 121 –– Score 63Score 63
Good Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Navigable Airspace Issues; Minimal Community
Overflight Issues
Area F – East 35W South 121
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Indianapolis Downtown Heliport – 1978
Office and hangar facilities
Self-serve fuel
Minor maintenance available
Operations – 25 per day
New Orleans Downtown Heliport – 1997
Attended 24 hours per day
Fuel available
No maintenance
Operations – 9 per day
Portland Downtown Heliport – 1989
Owned by City of Portland
Unattended
No fuel or maintenance available
Operations – 14 per day
Other City Heliports in US