Airport of the Month - Jackson Municipal, MJQ

At the Federal Aviation Administration, they have a long term love affair with acronyms. TORA is not the shortened version of a movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, nor is TODA a slightly dyslexic attempt at the same thing. The two are FAA acronyms which along with LDA define useable runway lengths. They mean "Take Off Runway Available," "Take Off Distance Available," and "Landing Distance Available." On a normal (fully useable) runway the numbers are all the same, but if there are displace thresholds "declared distances" apply which are the TORA, TODA and LDA. As usual the FAA clearly explains their standards, in this case see Appendix H of Advisory Circular 150/5300-13.

Jackson Municipal Airport needed a new runway, but the city had a good relationship with the airport's neighbors and was shy about using eminent domain or "condemnation" to acquire land, so they used declared distances to get the pavement length needed while minimizing the property required. The total length of the new runway is 4145 feet, but the thresholds are displaced 541 feet so the airport has TORA, TODA and LDA of 3601 feet in both directions without any aggravated people next door. Of course, all the pavement could be used for an aborted takeoff due to an emergency for which the FAA also has an acronym, ASDA or Accelerate-Stop Distance Available.

The old runway was parallel to the new one and 240 feet to the southwest. It might have complied with the FAA requirements at the time it was built, but in the 21st century there were enough issues to justify the new one. Rebuilding it in place would have required removing some precious apron space. There were also issues with access to the runway and roads in the Runway Protection Zones (or RPZ in FAA speak). Recycled, repaved, and extended; the earlier runway became a parallel taxiway that greatly enhances the safety of operations at Jackson.

Another unique feature of Jackson's new runway is the Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavement. Usually, airports like Jackson have Asphalt Cement Concrete pavement because initial construction is less expensive. Jackson was able to show that over the life of the pavement concrete cost less than asphalt even though the initial price was $250,000 more. Simply put, PCC lasts longer and requires less maintenance. Again, the FAA provides enlightenment in AC 150/5320-6 with a process called "life cycle cost analysis."

Of course, the idea that FAA guidelines are easy to understand is "tongue in cheek" talk. People like Eric Hanson are a key ingredient for a successful airport project and understand the FAA directives. Mr. Hanson is a Senior Aviation Project Manager at HDR. Henningson, Durham and Richardson are three guys who were originally partners in the design firm that is now 100% employee owned.

Jackson was once very much a railroad town. Appropriately the city's claim to aviation fame was once a locomotive engineer. Harold Kelsey drove trains for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. He worked his way up from telegraph operator and fireman, but for some reason felt compelled to join the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1915 where he learned to fly. Aviation lured Kelsey to California in 1920 where he flew as a barnstormer later joining Standard Airlines and eventually flying Ford Trimotors for American Airlines. Harold Kelsey died trying to reach Burbank enroute from Pheonix in difficult weather. His demise rated a mention in Ernest Gann's book "Fate is the Hunter" as an example of the hazards faced by early airline pilots.

Modern Jackson is a successful town with a thriving industrial park housing some businesses that depend on the airport for their success. Besides the new runway, the airport also maintains a 2200 foot turf runway. The arrival departure building has all the required amenities and there's a heated hangar for short- or long-term storage that's big enough for Beech King Airs or similar business aircraft. Paul Sanders is the airport manager and owns the full service FBO, PS Aviation. A courtesy car is available for ground transportation. Both jet fuel and aviation gasoline can be purchased 24/7 unless you're the last person in aviation without a credit card.

Officially the FAA acknowledges using over 6000 acronyms and the agency website has a full list with the appropriate meaning and references. Unofficial counts indicate that's only 10% of the total.