It's been 13 years since Friedman Memorial Airport began talks with the Federal Aviation Administration about installing a Transponder Landing System and several years since the $1 million system -- at FAA expense -- was installed but not yet certified for operation.
So, perhaps at no surprise, airport manager Rick Baird told the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority Tuesday night at its regular meeting that the FAA once again has delayed TLS use by disapproving plans of SkyWest Airlines to use the system when inclement weather sets in at Friedman.
The FAA said SkyWest's equipment is not approved.
That means, Baird told the board, another winter will come and go without TLS, and thereby the predictable cancellation of flights to and from Hailey and the busing of passengers to and from Twin Falls airport.
In other actions, the authority:
- Approved sale of an old, large front loader machine for $11,000 to the Albion Highway District in southern Idaho. The airport will lease a smaller one for removing snow in the parking lot.
- Approved purchasing a new snow removal machine, estimated to cost $400,000. and modifying the equipment storage building at an estimated cost of $300,000 to accommodate the new machine. The funds come from a Federal Aviation Administration grant.
- Approved calling for bids from companies to manage the airport parking lot, which generates about $12,000 to $17,000 per month for the airport as its share of parking lot charges. The current operator, The Car Park, has been on a month-to-month arrangement with the airport for several years.
- Heard a glowing report from FAA northwest region official Bill Watson about meetings in the area during the week with the public and officials of local, state and federal agency about the study for a new airport site.
