York Airport's new runup operations area at south end of new taxiway.

Improved York Airport Taxiway Please click on the images above to see a larger version in a new window.

What do Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Julio Iglesias, Billy Rae Cyrus, Alabama, Bill Cosby and Arthur Godfrey have in common? They, and a growing number of other people, came to York, Pennsylvania in private aircraft that utilized York Airport in Jackson Township.

Home base for approximately 85 single engine general aviation airplanes, the York Airport also bases six twin-engine corporate aircraft and a corporate jet. Conveniently located only 15 minutes from York, it's the airfield of choice for a growing number of corporate visitors to the York area.

The airport, which is privately owned and operated by York Building Products, Inc., consists of a single 5,188 x 100 foot runway. Until 1998, pilots using this facility found a substandard partial parallel taxiway. That configuration forced pilots leaving the terminal to taxi and conduct runup operations upon Runway 35 itself.

That "back-taxiing" resulted in repeated delays for arriving and departing aircraft and it raised safety issues related to sharing the active runway. Pilots concerned about arriving aircraft frequently rushed through runup procedures or arriving aircraft had to remain in the air waiting for a clear runway before landing.

Teaming 25 percent local funding with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the owners of York Airport embarked upon an improvement project involving substantial excavation, removal of existing taxiway and construction of a new parallel taxiway to the end of Runway 35.

The airport's taxiway system had been incomplete due to existing terrain on the southwest side of the airfield where an embankment and small hill made it impractical. It's unlikely the taxiway extension and resulting safety improvements could have been made without the support of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aviation.

Midfield T-hangars and the prospect of additional embankment excavation precluded design for the 240-foot centerline-to-centerline setback required for taxiways for Category BII corporate aircraft. To meet the airport's needs to preserve those facilities, the design relied upon the Federal Aviation Administration's computer design entitled "Airport Design and Airport Data" to determine minimum requirements utilizing the Beech Super King Air (B200) as the design aircraft. That design criteria determined the 30-foot wide taxiway and a 227.5 foot separation would be acceptable.

Excavation revealed three sinkholes in grassy areas. Those holes were excavated to their throats, plugged with concrete and then filled with aggregate and geotextile fabric.

In addition to eliminating the hazards of back-taxiing, the project provided installation of a Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) and Runway Identifier Lights (REILS) at the Runway 35 end of the airfield.

Because the existing runway lighting system lacked capacity for these improvements, the project provided new electrical service to the south end of the runway. That system was trenched underground with conduit beneath pavement areas. In fact, while the taxiway is not lighted, new service under the taxiways will facilitate lighting improvements to those areas in the future.

Erosion and Sediment Control devices provided soil conservation during the project. Jute fabric and netting held soil in place during construction and protected newly-created embankments until vegetation was established to eliminate erosion.

All design and construction work had to be phased while the York Airport remained open. That construction phasing minimized the impact upon ongoing air operations. Contractors were required to adhere to safety standards and procedures established to promote safety during the 240-day construction window.

Actual construction costs of $649,103 were nearly 20 percent under the engineer's estimate of $802,546. The savings resulted from outstanding work by the contractor, Stewart & March (now Stewart & Tate), and from exceptional partnering and teamwork between the contractor, the owner and the design firm.