Rethinking Lunken

Rethinking Lunken
Expanded runways, less noise and $58.6M in modifications envisioned
over next 20 years

By Kevin Osborne
Post staff reporter

Nine months after Cincinnati City Council approved an ambitious master
plan to guide the future growth of Lunken Airport, there already are
signs of change.

Procter & Gamble is beginning construction of a larger hangar at the
airfield, which will prompt the partial redesign of the adjacent Reeves
Golf Course.

Other changes include renovations at the Airman's Club restaurant and
resurfacing nearby parking lots.

Larger-scale improvements are likely once federal regulators formally
sign off on the master plan and a separate noise study.

The plan calls for a runway expansion, noise reduction measures and a
total of $58.6 million in modifications over a 20-year period.

Major components include increasing the weight-bearing capacity of
Lunken's runways and lengthening one runway by almost 900 feet to
accommodate corporate users like P&G, which want to fly larger jets.

Also, the plan includes more than $1 million for blast deflection
barriers and other noise reducing measures.

"There are a lot of exciting things starting to happen out at Lunken,"
said City Councilman David Crowley, who heads the committee that
oversees the airport.

"Lunken Airport is a valuable asset for the city, and we have to make
sure it is used wisely," he said.

Before the plan can be fully implemented, the city needs approval from
the Federal Aviation Administration, which has been examining the
document since last fall.

The long review process isn't unusual. Lunken's last master plan was
submitted in 1986 and final approval was received in 1989.

This time, it took city staffers about 2=BD years to draft the plan.
They solicited input from residents who live near the airport in an
attempt to address concerns about increased noise from an expanded
Lunken.

Many residents worried that regularly scheduled commuter service to
Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit would be allowed at the airport,
increasing traffic.

Ultimately, City Council was drawn into the debate.

Council approved a policy that stated it must vote on any request to
allow commuter service, taking the decision out of the hands of the
airport manager and City Hall administrators.

James Carroll, a local attorney who heads the Lunken Airport Oversight
Advisory Board, said the plan is reasonable and he expects FAA
approval.

"At this time, we've heard nothing from the FAA that would make us
think they will make significant changes," Carroll said.

"I am satisfied. It was an open process," he added. "There were a lot
of hearings and a lot of modifications made to it."

The plan's first phase, which includes the noise mitigation measures,
is targeted for completion in 2006.

A second phase is scheduled for completion in 2009, with the final
phase completed in 2022.

City officials hope Lunken's improvements will lure more businesses to
Cincinnati, which has struggled with population loss and stagnant tax
revenues during the past decade.

Located in the East End, Lunken serves mostly small recreational
aircraft, corporate jets and flight training schools.

Sixty-eight businesses are located there, including 18 corporate
tenants and 14 charter airlines. The facility has about 132,000
takeoffs and landings annually, city officials said.

Lunken's annual operating budget is about $1.2 million, derived from
leasing fees and aircraft fuel sales.

P&G is spending up to $15 million to build the hangar, as well as
paying $1.3 million to help the city reconfigure the golf course and
driving range, and move a bicycle trail.

The city's aviation and golf funds jointly will provide another $1.3
million to complete the changes.

P&G wants the hangar to handle six new corporate jets. The facility
will encroach on the city-owned golf course and driving range,
requiring them to be redesigned.

Although P&G has indicated it wants to be able to fly larger jets into
Lunken that can travel farther without refueling, city officials said
no changes in the type of aircraft allowed are planned in the next five
years.

Although Lunken currently is restricted to aircraft that weigh less
than 70,000 pounds, waivers are available to allow the takeoffs and
landings of larger planes on a case-by-case basis.

City officials relaxed waiver requirements in 2001, hoping to increase
the airport's usage. Now, it takes 15 minutes or less for most
applicants to get a waiver, which may be used for an entire year.

Less than 1 percent of the airport's total operations require waivers,
city officials are quick to point out.


Sidebar:
The first permanent airfield was established at Lunken in 1925.
The airport was formally dedicated in 1930. Howard Hughes, Jimmy
Doolittle and actress Jean Harlow attended the ceremony.
In 1937, the new terminal is completed.
The facility now occupies 1,148 acres

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