I\u2019m writing to share my thoughts from attending the Airport Planning Scenario public meeting from March 6. <\/p>\n
Our city hired Gruen, Gruen + Associates as consultants to provide expert advice on the airport. As a life-long aviation professional and a 20-year veteran helicopter pilot of the Colorado National Guard, it became quickly apparent to me that the consultants knew exactly diddly squat about aviation. <\/p>\n
The meeting started with Gruen, Gruen + Associates stating that emergency medical airplanes cannot land at the Glenwood Springs Airport. This is absolutely false. <\/p>\n
Our state has five airplanes for medical transport needs. Four of them (Pilatus PC-12s and Beechcraft King Airs) regularly use our airport to transport patients. The single airplane in Colorado that cannot land is a LearJet that is used to transport organs across the country for things like heart transplants.<\/p>\n
Since Valley View Hospital does not perform heart transplants, there is very little reason for the jet to land here. <\/p>\n
Starting a meeting with wrong information from \u201cexperts\u201d shows how little they know. The meeting went quickly downhill from there. <\/p>\n
They also showed zero understanding of helicopter operations. It had to be explained to them that in high density altitude conditions (high temps+high elevation=less lift) that we have here may require a helicopter to take off using ground effect on the runway much like an airplane would. <\/p>\n
The consultants were also surprised to learn that there are many conditions where a helicopter needs a runway to land, particular in an emergency condition. <\/p>\n
If our city is going to spend our tax dollars on consultants to come up with a plan for the airport, I would prefer them hiring competent ones instead of the ones that have no idea what they are talking about.<\/p>\n