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Board explores third‑party GPS approach for airport as FAA work slows
Summary
Board members say the FAA is unlikely to develop a new GPS approach for the small airport; consultants from a Texas firm (Hughes/Capital/Hughes out of Texas referenced) have offered a design and maintenance package with a roughly six‑month development timeline and ongoing annual maintenance fees.
Board members discussed options to improve instrument approaches at the airport after concluding the FAA has limited staff capacity to develop new approaches for smaller airports.
A consultant the board contacted (described in the record as a specialist firm out of Texas) offered to develop a GPS-based instrument approach and estimated a completion timeline of about six months for the initial development. The consultant noted that for many smaller airports the industry practice is that third-party firms design approaches and then provide ongoing maintenance for those approaches; that ongoing annual fee is an additional cost beyond the upfront design and survey work.
Board members said the firm also flagged potential interactions with decommissioning VOR-based approaches and that third‑party approaches could require ongoing payments for maintenance rather than the FAA performing that service. Staff said they can pursue use of FAA funds to finance the study, but final funding and procedural details need confirmation.
No formal action was taken at the meeting. Staff said it would continue outreach to the third‑party firm and aim to bring a detailed proposal, cost estimate and a recommended next step back to the board at the next meeting.
