Recent changes in FAA policy have made it more difficult than ever to successfully extend a runway and obtain timely flight procedures in time for the runway opening. Careful planning is required between the FAA, Consultants, and Airport to make sure multi-year delays are not experienced. The worst-case scenario may result in a brand-new runway being paved and ready, but not useable, due to lack of coordination between all shareholders.

Background:

The FAA’s 2022 AGIS Policy Guidance Memorandum states:

“An AGIS Safety-Critical Data Collection project, including Design survey, is required for all runways with established or planned instrument flight procedures where a runway threshold or displaced threshold changes by more than:

±1-foot longitudinally (along the runway centerline)

±1-foot transversely (left or right of centerline) or

±6-inches vertically

from its existing/published position. “

The reason for this change is due entirely to FAA’s shortage in Flight Procedure Development resources. Their current staffing shortages are in direct opposition to the massive numbers of procedure design request they receive and has resulted in a three-year backlog to obtain new procedures.

The Solution:

The FAA has introduced a workflow through their Airport Data Information Portal (ADIP) called the “Safety Critical Data Project, Including Design” to solve this very issue. The workflow requires an AC-18B complaint survey. The obstacles are mapped based on the future location of the runway, and delivered to the FAA through the ADIP website at least two years before the planned runway construction is completed. In this way, the flight procedures are developed while the runway is built, and both are ready for the runway opening.

Geopro has been providing Airport Geospatial services since 2010 with expert focus on helping consulting engineers deliver accurate data to the FAA and avoid lengthy delays.