Official: C.B. airport improvements

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:20 am

Daily Nonpareil wrote:Spirits continue to fly ever higher as some area airport projects get closer to completion.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has released $25 million in federal grants to 39 Iowa airports, including $2.5 million to the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport to keep its expansion project going.

"This is another allotment of money," said Dan Smith, the airport's executive director. "We're building it in phases."

The actual amount coming to Council Bluffs, which was announced Wednesday from the offices of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is $2,551,118, one of the highest amounts of all the Iowa projects awarded.

The money is part of the $17 million total amount that's coming from the Federal Aviation Administration, Smith said.

The expansion project at the local airport includes a new 5,500-foot runway, among other improvements.

This year, the schedule calls forthe completion of the grading and then the paving of the northern section of the runway that would total 4,400 feet, Smith said. The remainder of the runway should be done next year, he said, though other work would go on after that.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 5:03 pm

Looks like the last of the money to finish this project is soon to be in hand. Hopefully, they'll get their wind erosion problem fixed pretty soon too - I was out by there when we had those awful winds a few Saturdays ago and the dust was thick. Eck.

Bluffs wins $3M airport pledge

It's been a long journey but the final approach to the expansion of the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport is in sight.

Approximately $3 million in a federal appropriations bill has been secured to complete the last 1,500 feet of a new runway that will allow bigger planes to land there, which might open up new business opportunities for the community.

"This money is to complete the project," said Jerry Searle, project manager.

The new runway is to stretch 5,500 feet in length and the first 4,000 feet is almost completed, he said.

All that remains is to paint the markings and install the runway lights along the edges, Searle said.

In fact, that 4,000-foot section may be opened for service on Jan. 1, said Lisa Smith, owner of Advanced Air, Inc.

"The full runway should be completed by the end of 2006," she said.

After the new runway is done, work will begin on renovating the current runway, which should be finished sometime in 2007 or 2008, Searle said.

"The airport will have two paved runways, instead of just one," he said.

The expansion of the airport got going in earnest back in 2000 and has involved over the years land acquisition for the new runway, the closing of McPherson Avenue to make room for the expansion, the paving of county road L43 and all the necessary work to build the runway, Searle said.

There's also work being done on the East Beltway, on the west side of the airport. That will provide a new major road from U.S. Highway 6 down to the South Omaha Bridge Road. A proposed business park by the airport is also planned.

"There's a lot of stuff going on out there," Searle said.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:10 am

Another story, with the obligatory Congressional visit to trumpet the landing of some pork, I mean economic development dollars for the area...

Airport officials hope for smooth landing

On average, the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport sees 106 takeoffs and landings on a daily basis, he said. When the entire expansion project is completed, including renovation of the current runway, Council Bluffs has the potential to be the third-busiest airport in the state, Smith said.

This would be a pretty good feat if it happens, as CB would have to pass some airports with regional jet service to get to 3rd busiest in the state.

And of course, our "wonderful" elected official, you just never know what he'll say or do....

U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-5th District, visited the airport Thursday to make the announcement.

"It's a happy day here at the airport," he said. "It's a nice big piece of the economic development puzzle. It will allow Council Bluffs to compete in a little better way with our friends on the other side of the river."

Whale Shark · Post by **Whale Shark** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 2:15 pm

Do you really think this will open CB up to smaller regonial jets like the CRJ's? Does CB have the demand for 30-70 seat passenger jets? Does CB have a passenger terminal? As you can tell, I know nothing about the CB airport except that it plays second fiddle to Eppley.

If some of these things do happen, congrats and great news for the CB airport.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 3:21 pm

I don't think you would see CB airport open up to regional jets, not in the near future anyway. I think you will see CB airport make a play for some of the Sky Harbor traffic (and if Eppley traffic keeps growing like it is, I think that will happen by default). The CB airport has a GA terminal, and I think a new one is in the works as air traffic increases.

Here's a pic of the current layout, with the new extended runway shown (what's complete and will be completed next year):

Whale Shark · Post by **Whale Shark** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:03 pm

Cool, thanks. Living in Denver, we've got DIA which obviously handles the "big" traffic, and Centennial (it's control tower is awesome!) and JeffCo Airports which handles a lot of private business jets. Some of these business jets are a little smaller than a CRJ. I wonder if the Omaha/Lincoln/CB metro area would ever have a smaller airport dedicated to this. Perhaps located between Omaha and Lincoln???

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:14 am

Looks like the new runway must be open for business - the new approach lights at the north end of the new runway were operational last night. Not sure how long that's been going on, as it's the first time in awhile I'd gotten a look over there in the dark. Hopefully I'll get to see it from the air sometime soon.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:54 am

Update on the airport upgrade:

Airport plans gain altitude

Attitudes remain sky-high for those involved in the expansion of the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport because costs to continue to land lower than expected.

According to Searle, the improvements to the L43 road came in $900,000 under estimate, while the initial grading for the first 4,000 feet of the new runway carried a price tag $1 million under estimate. The paving and lighting for the 4,000-foot stretch came in at the estimated cost, while the work to extend the remaining runway to 5,500 feet was $1 million under budget, he said.

The next big project has the initial go-ahead for $1 million in additional federal money, which would be used to reconstruct the existing runway. The $1 million was part of an appropriations bill recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Senate still needs to vote on that bill.

Bids for the reconstruction work are expected to arrive in the next couple of weeks or so, Searle said.

It's hoped that the current runway reconstruction, with the possible $1 million in additional money to fund it, would be completed by the end of next year, he said.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:42 am

Some more improvements on tap for the airport (pending, of course, passage of this next year's Fed budget):

C.B. projects to receive $2.7 million

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations committee, announced this week that $2.7 million in housing and transportation improvements for Council Bluffs have been included in the Fiscal Year 2007 Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations measure.

The Council Bluffs Airport was targeted to receive $2.4 million for an instrument landing system that will improve airport safety.

Dan Smith, executive director of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority, said the money would contribute to the airport's continuing renovation project.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:31 pm

C.B. airport receives $3.2 million grant

There's one place in Council Bluffs that has a long line of traffic, and that's good news for the city's economic growth.

It's the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport, which is becoming a popular home for Midwest air travelers. . .

The offices of Iowa's two U.S. senators, Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley, announced Tuesday that the airport has been awarded a $3,201,474 grant from the FAA to reconstruct the original runway that was built in 1967. . .

The pavement on the 40-year-old runway is starting to crack and needs replacement, he said. The entire runway will also be leveled for safety reasons. Currently, there's a 12-foot-high section in the center of the runway. This means aircraft taking off at both ends of the 4,100-foot-long runway would not see each other until it might be too late. There's never been a disaster like that here, Smith said, but it has occurred elsewhere under similar situations.

The reconstruction will actually reduce that runway to 3,650 feet because there's not enough room to install 500-foot "overruns" as required by the FAA for runways over a certain length.

Work on the runway is expected to be completed this year, Smith said.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 4:34 pm

Bluffs airport given equipment grant

Landing an airplane at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport during gloomy weather may soon become a whole lot brighter for pilots.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, of which Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is a member, has announced that $4.2 million for an instrument landing system for the airport is part of a fiscal year 2008 transportations and housing bill.

"This is something the Council Bluffs airport never had before," said Jerry Searle, an engineering consultant for the airport. "This will give the airport the capability of having planes land there when weather conditions are poor. It's just one of the continuing improvement projects for the airport." . . .

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:47 am

and in today's OWH:

Funds advance to upgrade Bluffs airport landing system

A new instrument landing system, which might be installed next year at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport, would help pilots land during stormy weather.

The money for the system, $2.45 million, is included in the fiscal year 2008 Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations measure approved by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. . . .

Dan Smith, executive director of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority, said there is a waiting list of 68 airplane owners who want to park at the Council Bluffs airport.

"That's contingent on getting the ILS," Smith said, referring to the instrument landing system. . . .

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:37 pm

Wow. Â Are all these aircraft owners coming from Eppley then? Â Millard?

It's phenomenal all the federal dollars the CB airport has managed to pull down.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:52 pm

Some are currently at Eppley or Millard, but quite a few are elsewhere as well. Â I couldn't tell you the exact numbers.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 4:07 pm

Here's a recent aerial, taken from south of the airport, showing the new runway. The old runway, running diagonal in this pic, is currently being rebuilt.

Below is a view from the north:

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 12:16 pm

Airport expansion fuels interest

The airport has just received news that a $1,268,650 grant has been approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete the necessary funding toupdate the facility's original runway.

Dirt work should be completed next week for the construction of a new terminal that will be more than five times larger than the current facility, according to Dan Smith, executive director of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority. . .

The new terminal, being built adjacent to the airport's main building, will provide 7,000 square feet of space, compared to the current 1,200-square-foot facility, Smith said.

When completed next spring, weather permitting, the new terminal will offer a meeting room for up to 50 people with lots of space for press conferences when important political people arrive, he said. Currently, press conferences are usually held in the small lobby area.

There will also be office space for officials of the airport authority, plus more room for "federal testing," including when Iowa Western Community College students take required tests to get licenses to work as aircraft mechanics. There will be a more spacious lobby area where people can sit in greater comfort to await arriving planes, Smith said. . .

The original runway will get a makeover, now that all funds are available. Earlier this year, a $3.2 million federal grant was announced for the project, but construction bids come in higher. The FAA, therefore, had to go back to Congress to ask for the remaining amount. The office of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, announced the $1,268,650 grant needed to fully fund the runway renovation this week. . .

"We have plans to build 14 new hangers," Smith said. . .

Post by **Brad** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 12:38 pm

Also, Iowa Helicopter is in the process of purchasing another helicopter and having a new office in Council Bluffs to go along with their current location in Ankeny.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:00 pm

Funded entirely by revenue from one client? Â :)

Post by **Brad** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:07 pm

Stargazer wrote:Funded entirely by revenue from one client? :)

I WISH! Â I think they do a lot of pilot training also.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:50 am

Bluffs airport gets funds to upgrade landing system

Work on a new instrument landing system at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport could begin this year after the airport received $1.6 million in federal funding.

The project is estimated to cost $2.45 million and will probably be done in phases while the airport continues to look for funding for the remainder of the cost, said Dan Smith, executive director of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority. . . .

The instrument landing system will include a glide slope, which gives pilots vertical guidance to the end of the runway; a localizer, which gives horizontal guidance; distance-measuring equipment, which tells the distance from the end of the runaway on radio frequency; and runway lighting.

Smith said the first portion of the project would probably be the localizer, with lighting being the last component. . . .

This fall, the airport received $4.5 million in federal funding to make improvements to its second runway. The airport's shorter runway needs new paving and lighting. It also needs to be lowered to match the longer primary runway, which was upgraded early last year. That work should be done in June or July.

Work has also begun on a new $1.2 million terminal that will provide better access. That should be finished in June or July. . . .

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:35 pm

Bluffs airport recieves federal funding

The Council Bluffs Municipal Airport has received $263,366 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve infrastructure, the offices of Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Tuesday.

Specifically, these funds will be used to rehabilitate the taxiway to extend its life. . . .

Post by **Brad** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:38 pm

Wow, The CB airport just keeps getting more and more money. Â I was over there last summer, nice place!

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:17 pm

C.B. Municipal Airport soaring as progress continues

Spirits - and construction - are really soaring at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport these days.

"We're building 10 new hangars and a new concrete entryway," said Don Zimmerle, facilities maintenance employee at the airport. "Construction should start in a month." . . .

A new terminal building is under construction, also.

"Most of the footings are poured, and we should start the steel work soon," Zimmerle said. "All of our offices in the current building will be moving there."

The new terminal, being built adjacent to the airport's main building, will provide 7,000 square feet of space, compared to the current 1,200-square-foot-facility. When completed this year, it will offer a meeting room for up to 50 people with lots of space for press conferences when important political people arrive. Currently, press conferences are usually held in the small lobby area.

There will also be office space for officials of the airport authority, plus more room when Iowa Western Community College students take a required test to get licenses to work as aircraft mechanics. There will also be a more spacious lobby area where people can sit in greater comfort to await arriving planes. . . .

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:18 am

Are there that many "important political people" arriving in CB on a regular basis?

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:46 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Are there that many "important political people" arriving in CB on a regular basis?

That depends on who you ask...ask a politician and you'll quickly discover political=important.

Seriously though, in the runup to the caucuses, most, if not all, of the candidates flew into CB at least once. Â I believe that Grassley and Harkin staffers are in here on a regular basis, and they're probably considering staffers/heads of agencies/bureaucrats as all being political related, so yeah, I think there's a pretty fair number who have and will be coming in.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:17 pm

How do Millard's facilities compare? ... which I believe houses and handles twice as many aircraft and traffic as Council Bluffs.

It is interesting that there is so much money being invested in the CB airport. Is this all in an effort to draw more use? or is actually in response to an increase in demand?

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:57 pm

I'm completely taking a shot it the dark here, as I don't fly, but just from looking at the two facilities, Millard is much more advanced.... Â CB airport wasn't much more than a concrete strip with a couple of hangars with a handful of planes, where as Millard was a fairly well used general aviation airport that has had things like ILS (Instrument Landing System) for years....

I'd assume Millard airport is fairly self sustaining from landing fees, hangar rentals, etc, while CB needs the federal subsidies for any improvements/upkeep.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:33 pm

Do any of you recall the time that a United Airlines pilot (destined to be a former UAL pilot) actually landed a 727 passenger jet at the CB airport, thinking it was Eppley? Â True story. Â They had a devil of a time getting the plane off the ground due to the short runway...they had to gut the plane to lose weight, as I recall. Â This was back maybe in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:02 am

Seriously, Bill! Â That's CRAZY!

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu May 01, 2008 6:00 am

nativeomahan wrote:Do any of you recall the time that a United Airlines pilot (destined to be a former UAL pilot) actually landed a 727 passenger jet at the CB airport, thinking it was Eppley? True story. They had a devil of a time getting the plane off the ground due to the short runway...they had to gut the plane to lose weight, as I recall. This was back maybe in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

True story, but I'm thinking mid-late 60s, this happened at the old CB airport, which was at the eastern I-80/29 junction location prior to the interstate construction.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu May 01, 2008 6:07 am

Ben wrote:I'm completely taking a shot it the dark here, as I don't fly, but just from looking at the two facilities, Millard is much more advanced.... CB airport wasn't much more than a concrete strip with a couple of hangars with a handful of planes, where as Millard was a fairly well used general aviation airport that has had things like ILS (Instrument Landing System) for years....

I'd assume Millard airport is fairly self sustaining from landing fees, hangar rentals, etc, while CB needs the federal subsidies for any improvements/upkeep.

The Millard airport does have more traffic, but the CB airport does have the demand for the upgrades they are experiencing. Â I would assume the Millard airport received these Federal 'subsidies' as well as their airport grew. Â Biggest difference between the two airports - Millard has no room to expand, CB did, and now their main runway is nearly twice the length, so you'll see more and more traffic coming into CB.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed May 07, 2008 12:41 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Are there that many "important political people" arriving in CB on a regular basis?

And Example #1:

Gov. Chet Culver waves to local residents as he prepares to speak about a new legislation involving funding for school infrastructure as well as property tax relief during a visit to the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport Tuesday morning.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:12 pm

C.B. Airport receives state grants

Improvements to the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport just keep taking off.

The Iowa Transportation Commission on Tuesday awarded $270,000 to the airport to help construct two box hangers and $59,232 toward construction of an approach and taxiway to those hangers.

"There is a need for additional aircraft storage," said Jerry Searle of the engineering consulting firm of Snyder and Associates. "They have quite a number of planes on a waiting list." . . .

There are 31 single-engine planes and 12 corporate jets on a waiting list for hanger space, said Dan Smith, airport director. Each of these two hangers will hold a corporate jet, he said.

The new hangers and the approach and taxiway to them will be built north of the original t-hangers, he said. Hopefully, they can be built this year yet, he added. With so many planes on the waiting list, both Smith and Searle believe the airport could use 30,000 square feet of additional hanger space. . . .

edit - also, in other news related to the airport, IDOT finally placed a new sign for Exit 8 complete with the C.B. Airport shown on the sign...moving up in the world!

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:57 pm

I think they should change their name to Council Bluffs International.

Mr.Nuke · Post by **Mr.Nuke** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:25 pm

icejammer wrote:
Ben wrote:I'm completely taking a shot it the dark here, as I don't fly, but just from looking at the two facilities, Millard is much more advanced.... CB airport wasn't much more than a concrete strip with a couple of hangars with a handful of planes, where as Millard was a fairly well used general aviation airport that has had things like ILS (Instrument Landing System) for years....

I'd assume Millard airport is fairly self sustaining from landing fees, hangar rentals, etc, while CB needs the federal subsidies for any improvements/upkeep.
The Millard airport does have more traffic, but the CB airport does have the demand for the upgrades they are experiencing. I would assume the Millard airport received these Federal 'subsidies' as well as their airport grew. Biggest difference between the two airports - Millard has no room to expand, CB did, and now their main runway is nearly twice the length, so you'll see more and more traffic coming into CB.

The runway expansion doesn't necessarily mean more traffic, especially from Millard. Â Millard has always been too short for most corporate jet aircraft. Â Before the runway expansion CBF had a longer runway than Millard.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:42 pm

Mr.Nuke wrote:The runway expansion doesn't necessarily mean more traffic, especially from Millard.

I don't think I was proposing that traffic would be necessarily coming from Millard, but the expansion project should lead to an increase in traffic at CBF - once the 2nd runway work is done, I think we'll see a fair increase in numbers there, particularly for the larger small aircraft. Â The only other thing limiting growth in traffic right now is a shortage in hanger space.

Millard has always been too short for most corporate jet aircraft. Before the runway expansion CBF had a longer runway than Millard.

True, but no ILS at CBF previously.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:44 pm

Federal funding expected for C.B. airport parking

Expansion plans continue at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport.

Officials there expect to receive federal money any day now to improve the area where planes that bring in people for special events are parked, according to Dan Smith, director of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority. . .

The money will be used to improve the pavement in this area located in front of the airport’s main hangar, plus expand it to hold more planes, he said.

Money is also coming in for overall pavement inspection. The airport is among 22 Iowa airports receiving $72,371 for inspections of pavement conditions for recommendations for federal money for future rehabilitation projects. . . .

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:47 pm

I should get aerial update shot when I go back up in the chopper in a few weeks.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:55 pm

Brad wrote:I should get aerial update shot when I go back up in the chopper in a few weeks.

Is there a new outfit in town?!...or are you bringing one in from Des Moines?

Post by **Brad** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:14 pm

Bringing one in.