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Show r Mot iff tos Irewfe 1 By MARK D. MICKELSEN BOUNTIFUL Crowded air space conditions along the northern half of the Wasatch Front have discouraged the states aviation planners from considering the sector for future fu-ture airport sites. IN A public hearing last Wednesday in Salt Lake City to solicit comments about the future of general and commercial commer-cial avaiation, members of the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the Mountainland Association of Governments shyed away from any alternative alterna-tive pointing towards new airport air-port facilities in Ogden or Salt Lake City. The two groups, over a one year period, have collected information in-formation about the existing potential of 13 airports along the Wasatch Front and nearby sectors. Out of the study, four alternatives were derived, ranging from the construction of two general aviation airports air-ports to the expansion of several sev-eral existing airports. THE FOUR alternatives are: Expansion of existing publicly and privately owned airports as presently planned, plus two new airports. EXPANSION of exisiting publicly owned airports beyond presently planned improvements im-provements and no new airports. air-ports. Expansion of existing publicly owned airports beyond presently planned improvements im-provements with an additional runway at Tooele Valley Air port and now new airports. This overall airport systems plan, as described by the two governmental bodies, was developed de-veloped to understand the possibilities pos-sibilities for growth up until the year 2000. At the culmination of their study, the WFRC and MAG contracted a San Francisco Fran-cisco firm. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. , to look at the alternatives and recommend the best of the four. FIRM representatives John Sanders and Phillip Lindberg explained, at Wednesday's public hearing, that the alternatives alter-natives were evaluated on the basis of: Their ability to satisfy forecast demand and market characteristics. Efficient use of airspace. Consistency with regional plans. Displacements required by land acquisition. Environmental impacts. Accessibility and costs of airport-related access systems. sys-tems. Approximate costs of airport air-port development. Airport financing considerations. con-siderations. THE TWO men carefully discouraged the building of new airports from Ogden to Salt Lake International, their concern based on the fact that airspace along the Wasatch Front is channeled through a narrow gap between the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains. Mr. Lindberg warned that there is only a four-mile distance dis-tance between Ogden Muni cipal Airport and Hill Field and that 95 percent of the traffic at the air force base passes over Ogden's airport only 1 ,000 feet above the surface. SKYPARK Airport, near Bountiful, he said posses a potential danger for Salt Lake International pilots. Aircraft departing from the north or landing in the southern sector at the Salt Lake station must deal with interference from Skypark, whose perimeter lies in the protected airspace of Salt Lake International. At Salt Lake's No. 2 Airport, Air-port, a problem exists as many planes have the same arrival pattern as those landing at Salt Lake International. And at the Provo-Springfield airports, planes landing and departing aften use the same protected airspace. THERE IS a possibility of re-routing air traffic on the other side of the Wasatch Front. Pilots would then enter from the southern sector rather than crowd together in entrance patterns fro Ogden to Salt Lake. Mr. Lindberg added, however, that areas directly behind the Wasatch Mountains Moun-tains and west of the Oquirrh Mountains interfere with proper prop-er radio and radar reception. He suggested relocating the radar towers, but said the cost would be more. He emphasized, empha-sized, however, that the job will eventually have to be done to handle upcoming growth along the sector. IN AN earlier presentation before the Wasatch Front Regional Re-gional Council, Mr. Lindberg and Mr. Sanders explained that several of the areas being studied for possible new airports air-ports would only cause additional addi-tional problems for existing facility owners. One of the areas considered lies to the west of Ogden. Mr. the locaiionV tonnanai,. . flc Point of v: ! according x m the general i that narrow' i Ogden and Si ,: Wasatch Front desirable action ac-tion of new &p -. In their flni . ; " -and Li, , the best pos.J airport constrv' " ln ,h.e wesitr, , southern sector j The Tooele, nti. Goshen Vallevn ' as prime tarjeus . growth, maink are out of the traffic. Access only problem, ; : Sanders, whos;' 1 based only on jt' air traffic point ir? THE T0TAD 'ty of the 13 air from Brighamc't, Fork, is now v pected to beast the year 2000 1 Wilbur Jeff,,, director. It was noted k-at k-at an earlier Tut that the construe airport in Tooele . ciently cut backfe traffic being route' Wasatch Front V. said, however, tL facility would attractive alterta pie in order to jt: rather than to Hi International act AS A result oft! evaluation of Hi four al'ernaiw Francisco firm fc: lowing deficient airport operation j Inadequate l-tional l-tional capability basing capacititc tions of the regti j INSL'FFKJ; coverage in cert... region. j Lackofack. in the busy north-dor north-dor along Ik fa:; ENCR0AC1H some candidate at urban development barters that consfe airfield and ternii pansion. A decision will be one of the four air the next couple according to Mr. J;' said there isapr two alternatives e binedfor the belt |