Why should the Weaverville Airport be relocated?

The present airport is 3,380 feet in length. The runway has a slope of 3.5%--the FAA maximum runway slope is 2%) The ground rises to the north of the airport so that airplanes cannot take off to the north. There are residences located to the north of the airport. The existing runway cannot be extended in either direction because State Highway 3 crosses the end of the runway to the south. The steepness of the runway precludes most light planes from landing to the south because it requires a very steep approach to get down over the trees at the end of the runway, and then the fall off the runway is steeper than the touchdown glide slope of most aircraft.

Would it help to level the existing runway and cut the trees at the north end of the runway?

No. Leveling the runway would require shortening the length, and the runway is already too short. It would still be impossible to takeoff to the north because Musser Hill rises too quickly to the north.

Are any of the Trinity County Board of Supervisors active pilots?

No.

Do any of the Supervisors own land affected by the decisions on the airport?

No. None of the Supervisors own land that would be affected by the decision on the airport. None has a financial interest in the outcome of the decision.

Is the present airport unsafe?

This is a complex question. Certainly the airport is unsafe for other than light aircraft. Certainly it is unsafe for night operations because once a plane starts a descent to land, the pilot cannot safely abort the landing. The existing airport is in a box canyon, although it doesn't appear that way to the casual observer. Light aircraft that descend for a touchdown and then attempt a go-around have a high probability to crash. The aircraft cannot out-climb the topography to the north, nor can most planes turn tight enough to the left or right to avoid the bracketing ridges.

Many local pilots operated at night for years, but the FAA closed Weaverville Airport to night operations, except for emergencies. The FAA must ensure that pilots of average skill and with general training can operate from permitted fields. The Weaverville Airport is only safe if all posted and noticed procedures are followed 1) take off to the south, 2) land to the north, 3) no night operations, 4) no operations except in visual meteorological conditions (non-instrument conditions.)

During most recent aircraft accident at Weaverville Airport, the pilot attempted to takeoff to the north, resulting in one fatality. (There is a pending claim against the County.) The previous accident was a recently licensed pilot who attempted to execute a missed approach and go-around. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in this accident. Other accidents include another wave of go-arounds resulting in fatalities and a low approach clipping power lines at the approach end of the runway.

The most critical portion of a flight is takeoff and landing. If a plane loses power on takeoff from Weaverville Airport, there is a high probability of a catastrophic crash. In whole, this is not the formula for a safe airport.

Where is the new airport to be located?

There are three sites that have been proposed. The preferred site is Musser Hill. This site was studied in the greatest detail. Musser Hill is a ridge to the west of Little Browi's Creek.

Is this project connected to the Eastside Connector?

The Eastside Connector is a proposed route starting by the Highway Patrol Office on Highway 299 and connecting to Highway 3 at Five Cent Gulch. This road project would be paid for with road transportation funds that are not available to the airport or the hospital.

This project has been proposed to relieve some of the traffic in the downtown area. There are three proposals for access to the new airport in the "preferred alternative" route. One would be from the top of Musser Hill to the new airport and would be completely separate form the Eastside Connector proposal. The other two proposals have access points that would connect the Eastside Connector, if that project were built.

The "preferred airport access" would be to extend Brown's Ranch Road up to the new airport. This route could occur whether or not the Eastside Connector is built, with only limited additional impacts if the Eastside Connector is not built.
The third alternative would link the Eastside Connector to the new airport just touching the Martin Road at its end, north of Pioneer Land.

If the Eastside Connector were not built at least from Glen Road to the end of Martin Road, then all of the traffic from the airport would have to pass along Martin Road with a great increase in traffic impacts.

The new airport can be approved with or without the Eastside Connector.

Where will the money come from to build and maintain this airport?

The funding for airport construction and improvement is a complex mix of federal, state, and local money. Please see How airports are funded for complete details. The majority of all airport funding comes from aviation taxes, including fuel taxes, and bond income.

In summary, the anticipated cost of the new airport in the preferred location of Musser Hill is twenty million dollars ($20,000,000). Federal funds will pay 90%--from landscaping to painting the runway. The State of California should fund 4.5% and Trinity County is obligated to fund 5.5%. The funds used for the new airport are not General Fund dollars and cannot be spent on projects other than aviation.

The County is presently planning on borrowing that match from the state and paying it back out of airport revenues, the anticipated term is 20 years with an annual payment of $50,000 plus interest. The anticipated break-even cash flow for the airport is five years.

Trinity County is able to maintain all five of county airports with maintenance funds that are allocated form the state for that purpose. The county has been deferring as much maintenance as possible at Weaverville Airport in anticipation of being able to build a new facility. The county presently has more than $40,000 in that fund. Very few general fund dollars go into airport maintenance, and even then, the County only pays a 10% match.

If the FAA were to redesignate the existing Weaverville Airport to a restricted use facility, the County would not be eligible for maintenance funding. No capital improvement projects at other airports are being delayed for the Weaverville airport.

Is this expenditure for a few rich aircraft owners?

Rural community airports are a benefit for everyone. Please see Why Airports are important and Airport Economic for complete details.

During construction, most of the airport construction funds will be spent on equipment time and labor. Labor is the biggest cost, and those workers must support their families locally. This will be good for the economy during construction.

The airport will generate revenue for the County general fund that can be spent on public project.

How will the airport impact the hospital and Lewiston golf course?

The funds used for the new airport are not General Fund dollars and cannot be spent on projects other than aviation.

The Lewiston Park that has been suggested as an alternative place to spend funds is not a County property. However, the Community Services District that owns the park is eligible for recreation funding from proposition 40.

The hospital, like County roads, can not use any aviation fund dollars. Likewise, the hospital can use funds from road funds.

Will the airport be another project like the industrial park?

Let's hope so. The Industrial park was an investment made by the Board of Supervisors hoping to attract new businesses to Trinity County and to address some bad infrastructure limitations. Prior to the Industrial Park, there was no sewer availability in the straight stretch and there was a moratorium on water hook-ups in the Martin Road area. Since the Industrial Park went in the County was able to meet some space limitations by having a private developer build the buildings at the park and lease them back to the County. New owners pay property tax on the value of both the land and buildings. Private parties have bought other lots. All loans have been repaid. The Victorian Inn was developed based on the new sewer lift station at the Industrial Park.