DeKalb Times

City of Dekalb Airport Advisory Board met Oct. 27.

Here is the agenda provided by the board:

A. Roll Call

B. Approval of Agenda – Additions / Deletions

C. Public Participation

D. Approval of Minutes – September 29, 2020

E. Old Business

1. AWOS (Automated Weather Observation System)

Airport Manager’s Summary: The AWOS quarterly/yearly inspection with the FAA inspector present occurred on Sep 29, which passed, and received the approval letter dated Oct. 15.

2. DKB-4800 Rehabilitate Runway 2-20

Airport Manager’s Summary: I worked with Doug, CMT, on the background memo for the City Council for Resolution 2020-119 Authorizing a Standard Agreement for with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly Inc. for Construction Services at Illinois Airports for Design/Special Services and Construction Phase Engineering to Resurface Runway 2/20 at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport, which will be presented during the Regular City Council Meeting on Monday, Oct., 26. I received the UBT and PRA documents and them executed and then emailed them to Richard Borus, IDOT.

F. New Business

1. IDOT TIPs

On Oct. 2, Bob Owens and I met with Doug Klonowski and Neil Finke, CMT, for a pre-TIPs review for FY2021-2025. On Oct. 16, Bob Owens joined me in my office for the IDOT TIPs virtual meeting via a Webex conference call which lasted about 1.75 hours. We can expect the updated FY2021-2025 TIP by the end of November.

G. Reports

a. Airport Manager’s Report

Sep 30 - A Frontier technician arrived to service the AWOS phone line. He called in the afternoon and explained the fact that their line runs south of the Pleasant St homes into our main hangar, then an Airport line runs north out of the hangar, under Pleasant St. north into the farm field, then east through the farm field under Pleasant again, into the airfield farm field to the AWOS station. After his repairs on the line, I was finally able to call the AWOS line and remotely record and cancel a message!

The IL Department of Agriculture arrived for a surprise inspection, and our fuel farm and fuel trucks passed the flow tests.

I had a two-hour conference call with Matt Rose, Attorney, regarding Land Leases, Tenant Leases, and SASO agreements. I was then able to finalize the 2020 Land Lease invoice amounts, created a memo and emailed it to Beth, Finance, for the invoices to be mailed to the lessors.

We received a request by Sycamore Kiwanis to continue holding their bi-monthly meetings in the West Community hangar for distancing compliance.

Oct 2 - Bob Owens and I met with Doug Klonowski and Neil Finke, CMT, for a pre-TIPs review for FY2021- 2025.

I had Dave Dahlberg evaluate our myriad vehicle, lock and building keys to determine which ones are no longer viable and disposed of the defunct ones.

I emailed the FAA CSA Comm Requirements POC Kimberly Mai and requested that they consider installing a Remote Communications Outlet frequency that pilots can use for activating their instrument flight plans. We have been providing a business card with the TRACON phone number so they can call TRACON to activate their instrument flight plans. The response I received from the FAA - Central Service Center Planning & Requirements AJV-C33 Lead Planner, NAS Planning & Integration:

“In reviewing this request, while we recognize the growth of air traffic operations at DKB, the Airport fails to meet the required number of IFR operations of at least 2,000 per year for 3 consecutive years. Below is a snapshot of data that was pulled:

“We certainly recognize the decrease in volume for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the numbers are still well below the required 2,000 for 2018 and 2019. At this time, we recommend pilots continue to contact the C90 TRACON via phone. If there are significant changes in Airport operations, airspace redesign or other factors mentioned above, we will be happy to take another look into this. The Airport should look into the possibility of establishing a GCO. This would be a Non-Fed funded and owned and maintained system.”

He was kind enough to provide information from a company that can provide the equipment and service, which costs upwards of $10,000. Considering the cost, we could charge pilots $2.50 for each use of the GCO and recoup our initial costs in four years, or continue providing the TRACON phone number to call when they are ready to depart.

Oct 5 - Runway 9-27 was closed until 11am for mowing. Jim Sietsema, PW, spotted a coyote crossing Taxiway B west of the T-hangars.

Oct 6 - I watched the hour-long IDOT Planning webinar which was 45 minutes, followed by an hour-long IPAA Zoom with Congressman Rodney Davis. Biggest takeaway: The Congressman firmly assured us that the Heroes Act will not pass the Senate, then during the Zoom he received notification that Pres. Trump had stopped negotiations until after the election.

Oct 8 - We had a mostly successful drone flight that mapped Taxiway B for estimating repairs to the numerous significant pavement cracks. John Engstrom and Nick Newman, Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District, and Doug Eaton, COD IT, arrived at 10am to set up the flight. I closed Runway 9/27 at 10:22am and was able to open it before 11am. At the end of the mapping flight, John misjudged the drone’s aerial position and as it descended, it clipped the edge of the FBO awning, lost one of the rotor blades, flew into the window and then fell a short distance to the ground. No one was injured, no property was damaged, and the drone incurred only minor damage, which is repairable.

Oct 12 – Dawn Harper, COD Chief Building Official, emailed me the latest Mortenson request for erecting a communications tower. I provided her with the FAA website where they need to submit a review request.

Oct 15 – One of the owners of Quiet Light Solutions, a ComEd Energy Efficiency vendor, arrived and evaluated the lighting in 2100 Pleasant St. hangar, then did the same in the T-hangars, E-5, E-4, E-1 and E-2. He will provide us with an estimate for LED replacement fixtures.

Oct 17 - The DeKalb County Health Department Electronics Recycling Event was staged on the West Ramp and was deemed a success.

Andy Raih, Facilities Director, has begun the process of bringing local vendors through the FBO to provide estimates for rehabilitating our facilities. We will complete window replacements and possibly ceiling/lighting rehabilitation by year end. Other projects that we will General Contract in FY2021 will include bathroom remodeling, flooring, paint/wallcovering, line service station and lobby upgrades.

Oct 22 - I received a call from a DeKalb business owner who said they are looking at purchasing a Phenom 300 or Cessna Citation CJ4 turbojet aircraft before the end of the year and inquired about hangar possibilities. I told him that we might have a Community hangar available, depending on another corporate flight department considering 2200 Pleasant St. hangar.

I then had a conversation with the ComEd helicopter department manager, inquiring as to their intentions on moving from JOT to DKB. He said that discussions with a couple of VPs have been positive, Rogers Helicopter is fine with moving locations, and he would push the Safety/Environment group to come for a site visit. I reiterated that we would love to have them, but since the space is now back to rentable status, I need to give positive report that they want to move here, otherwise I will be looking to rent it as a Community space. He requested that I give him until Oct. 28, and I agreed.

Bob Owens made phone calls to connect with the Frontier Communications Real Estate department to start conversations on purchasing 2120 Pleasant St. property as a replacement airport maintenance facility.

b. Flight and Ground Operations

Airport Manager’s Summary: September fuel sales as recorded:

We have been working all month with WorldFuel, our aviation fuel supplier, to establish the DeKalb Flight Center as a Contract Fuel supplier. We will officially start on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and be promoted to their 3000+ Contract Fuel customers. This program costs nothing to DeKalb Flight Center, and the Contract Fuel customer payments are processed without a credit card processing fee, and the funds are directly deposited into the City’s bank account.

We have been working diligently with vendors to repair and maintain our aged equipment:

o Deice Truck – On Oct. 13, the deice truck boom inspection was attempted buy unable to be completed by the IL Material Handling technician due to the hydraulic system was found to be inop when the technician came to inspect it. He located a wiring diagram to troubleshoot the hydraulic system, returned on Oct. 21, spent the morning and into the afternoon with Kevin and a Filtration Corp technician, and was able to rectify the issue. He then inspected the boom and found a couple of discrepancies for which Filtration Corp will be able to procure replacement parts for him to perform the repairs. Filtration Corp will also replace inop gauges and service the #2 deice burner. IL Material Handling will perform maintenance on the diesel engine for the boom. We then moved the deice truck into the West Community hangar and plugged it in to test the deice fluid heater operation, which was functional. Once the parts for the discrepancies arrive, the IL Material Handling technician will return to perform the repairs and approve the boom inspection.

o JetA fuel farm fuel filter vessel lid epoxy repair - Repair will be done in Elgin. We will deliver the lid to the company to expedite repairs. JetA fuel farm sample piping re-piping with John Baxter, Mechanical Inc, and confirmation of water defense system operation will be coordinated at the same time with Gordon and Mike, Filtration Corp and Kevin.

o 100LL fuel farm electric motor – On Oct. 20, a Hartmann Electric technician installed two new heaters in the contactor for the fuel pump electric motor. The previous heaters were undersized for the amp draw on the motor, which caused the motor to periodically trip and required resetting. With hope that the repairs will suffice, I removed the “RESET” instructions at the self-serve stand.

o Floor scrubber - Floor scrubber technician from Unique Products, St. Charles, was scheduled for Oct. 9 to evaluate and troubleshoot. Kevin attempted to prepare for their site visit by plugging the scrubber into the battery charger and the charger would not turn on. In consultation with the technician, Kevin has serviced the six 120-pound batteries, which had significant corrosion on the terminals and were bone dry, and recharged them using a car battery charger in hopes that they will come back to life; otherwise, replacement batteries will cost approximately $275 each.

o Filtration Corp has provided a comprehensive fuel farm and truck and deice truck maintenance list for us to use for tracking maintenance and repairs as they are accomplished.

Sep 30 – A Silverhawk Aviation charter services Cessna Citation 560XL arrived, dropped off two passengers who rented an Enterprise car to drive to Lake in the Hills and then to the Quad Cities, and then departed after paying our Ramp Fee, but did not purchase any fuel.

Another medivac helicopter landed at DKB due to low clouds preventing a landing at Northwestern Medical Kishwaukee Hospital.

Oct 1 - Runway 2/20 was closed 0700-1400 for mowing. I was able to record the NOTAM on the end of the AWOS weather recording from my cell phone and cancel it from my desk phone!

We received a positive comment on AirNav website for Ronda’s excellent customer service on the weekend: From Don Blackley MD on 30-Sep-2020, "We stopped for fuel in our Mu-2 on the way from Concord, NC to Rapid City, and were extremely pleased with the service, politeness, and prices for jet A+. Rhonda was a pleasure and very helpful."

Oct 7 - Banner Up Signs arrived at 9am and hung a banner on our FBO windows prior to the arrival of Barbara Bowman, former DeKalb resident who flew in with her son and daughter-in-law to celebrate her 88th birthday and visited places of her youth and grave sites of relatives. I went to the Dollar Tree and purchased a birthday card and small balloon for Barbara and had numerous people sign the card and added a green City of DeKalb straw cup to her balloon and card. She was surprised and most appreciative of the efforts put forth on her behalf! In talking with her after pictures, we found out that her mother had worked in the Wurlitzer factory during WWII, but she never knew what her mother did. We were excited to show her the Drone in the West Community hangar, and she was amazed by it, as were her family members. They stayed in the area until Oct 9 when their pilot returned in their Saratoga and flew them back to Howell, MI. Then, on Oct. 15, we received a very nice thank you card from Barbara’s daughter-in-law who complemented our staff on our hospitality.

The local representative for Door Master Garage Door, Leo, stopped in. I asked Jeff how his hangar door has been operating, and he said that a couple of the cables are beginning to fray. I had Leo inspect both FBO hangar door cables and he found that several are beginning to fray. He will provide an estimate. I will also contact our previous door service for a competitive quote.

A Casey’s Beechcraft King Air C90 arrived with passengers, and a planned minimal fuel load so they could fill up here before departing back to Ankeny, IA.

Kevin and I evaluated regional JetA prices, and, based on the price per gallon on our last fuel load, had Dave effect a price adjustment from $2.90 to $2.65 for a month’s trial. We will closely watch fuel sales and regional competitor prices. Our 100LL AvGas pricing is still competitive and self-serve sales continue to be steady.

Oct 8 - A Fix-a-Lift technician arrived to change the Lectro aircraft tug batteries. He found a loose connection in one of the headlights and repaired it. He will send detailed instructions for properly maintaining the 6 150-lb batteries, which cost approximately $300 each.

Oct 9 - A Cessna 501 Citation I landed and dropped off one passenger who lives in DeKalb. The pilot paid the $75.00 landing fee before departing for Springfield, IL.

Oct 11 - A Cirrus Vision Jet landed and parked on the South Ramp, purchased 236 gallons of JetA fuel, and departed on Oct. 19.

Oct 14 - John Deere’s Gulfstream 550 arrived from Moline at 10:45am and parked on the Jet Ramp. A local JD representative met the four passengers who rented an Enterprise SUV. They did not purchase any fuel but did pay ramp and handling fees, then departed at 2:15pm. The pilots were appreciative of our hospitality.

Oct 15 - I took Rich to the Water Department to pick up the new-to-us courtesy SUV, which needed a thorough cleaning and was accomplished by Rich and Dave the same week. We will remove the Water Department door decals and replace them with Airport decals.

Oct 19 – A Compagnie Daher TBM 700 single-engine turboprop landed at 10am and the three passengers from Park Pharmacy borrowed our new courtesy SUV to drive to a local business meeting. The pilot purchased 238 gallons of JetA fuel.

Oct 21 - Bell Bank’s single-engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12 arrived around noon, purchased 262 gallons of JetA and departed at 1:30pm.

I received a call from an NIU drone pilot requesting a flight in the late afternoon over the Quad and Lagoon for autumn aerial shots.

Oct 22 - Just before 9am one of Scotts Miracle-Gro Embraer Praetors arrived from Marco Island with one passenger, and their Cessna Citation CJ4 arrived around 9:30am from Columbus, OH, with one passenger. Both passengers were driven by a private car service SUV to the Sycamore Industrial Park. The Praetor pilots purchased 1,505 gallons of JetA fuel and the CJ pilots purchased 492 gallons of JetA fuel and utilized our Ground Power Unit (GPU). Both aircraft departed around 1pm.

A ComEd helicopter landed late in the afternoon and purchased 30 gallons of JetA fuel.

Oct 23 - I received a maintenance request from T-hangar tenant in E6-7 for a recurring roof vent leak, which I forwarded to Mark Pumphrey who said he would try to look at it. The tenant would also like to move to a hangar with a concrete floor.

c. Budget

Airport Manager’s Summary: FY2021 budget process is in final stages of completion in anticipation of its presentation to the City Council in November. Bill Nicklas and Josh Boldt have reviewed the FY2020 expenditures and established the most accurate budget numbers possible considering the present budgetary constraints.

d. HangarRentals

Airport Manager’s Summary: On Oct. 9, our newest tie-down tenant arrived after-hours with his single- engine Cessna 172 which now parks on the North Ramp.

On Oct. 20, our newest T-hangar tenant signed a lease for E6-9 and is moved in his Cessna 150 single- engine piston aircraft.

H. Adjournment

https://www.cityofdekalb.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10272020-1910