Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport - Assignment Example

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport The region in which the FXE would later be established was populated for over a thousand years by the Tequesta Indians. Despite the fact that the region exchanged between Spain, United Kingdom, the USA, and the Confederated States of America, it continue mostly under-developed until the 20th century. The earliest settlement in this region was the place of carnage at the commencement of the Second Seminole War, an incident which led to the elimination of the settlement and slowing down of progress in the region by more than half a century. The first United States fortification called Fort Lauderdale was constructed in 1838, and later was a place of warfare during the Second Seminole War. The fort was discarded in 1842, after the conclusion of the war, and the area continued almost uninhabited until the 1890s. 1926-1945 The USA did not join the WW II until 1941; however Fort Lauderdale felt the impact of the war quicker than most of the regions of the country. In 1939, a British cruiser pursued the German ship Arauca into Port Everglades, where she stayed until the US detained the ship in 1941, when Germany proclaimed war on the USA (McGoun, 1978). The Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor and the USA's subsequent entry into the warfare had quick impacts on the Lauderdale. Curfews were enforced, and a number of allied ships were attacked by German ships, that include at least one ship within sight of the shore. The first Medal of Honor receiver in WW II was of Fort Lauderdale High School; Second Lieutenant Alexander R. Nininger Jr. was posthumously decorated on 29 January 1942 for his valor on 12 January 1942 in Philippines, in the Japanese attack. In 1942, the US Navy had changed Merle Fogg Field into Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, and built two satellite landing fields, one at West Prospect Field, and the other in Pompano Beach. At the conclusion of WW II, the station trained US Navy pilots. Other facilities at Fort Lauderdale included radar and range finding schools and a base at Port Everglades (George, 1991). In December 1945 the five planes of Flight 19 left on scheduled training trip from Fort Lauderdale and were never seen again (McGreevey, 1995). It was thought that the flight leader became confused and caused the planes to run out of fuel and crash, although no debris were found. The mysterious loss of the planes and the simultaneous blast which damaged Training 49, a plane involved for the lookout of the missing squadron, gave rise to the Bermuda Triangle myth (Rosenberg, 1974). After 1945 In 1946, West Prospect Field became Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, the eleventh-busiest general aviation airport in the country (Florida Aviation Systems Planning Process, June 2007). Airfield Development Then the so-called West Prospect Satellite Field, the FXE Airport was built in 1941 to prepare Naval Aviators, for fighting in World War II. The federal government leased the airport facility to the City in 1947 for making use of a public airport. Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport: An Introduction Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) is situated along Commercial Boulevard precisely west of 1-95 and a few miles north of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport. The year 2008 marks the 61st anniversary of Executive Airport, which is managed and run by the City of Fort Lauderdale. The facility was initially set up in 1941 as a World War II training center for naval aviators. In 1947, the site was turned over to the city for use as a public aviation facility. The airport creates over $5 million in yearly income from land leases and fuel flowage fees and it pays the city government around $450,000 per annum for taxes. The FXE and the 200-acre Industrial Airpark combined comprise the city's third largest taxpayer, with the FXE total economic impact to the local community estimated at just about $330 million. At the moment, Executive Airport is one of USA’s busiest general aviation airports, managing just about 200,000 takeoffs and landings annually. The FXE service is for over 700 planes, which include 115 corporate planes and nearly 40 helicopters. Six full-service, fixed base operators (FBOs) make available fueling, repairs, supervision and specialized services to hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and small companies equally. FXE Airport is totally self-financing, with no local tax dollars going toward its managing, repairs or development. The airport creates over $6 million in yearly proceeds from land contracts and fuel flowage charges. FXE Airport manages a 200-acre Industrial Airpark that presents over 1.5 million square feet of key offices, storehouses and manufacturing areas. In all, the airport and airpark offers as a key job center, taking up over 5,000 workers and producing nearly $400 million in total economic impact for Lauderdale. In the past couple of years, FXE Airport has made more than $10 million in modernization, that include a new airstrip electrical system, access and security improvements, in addition to a complete reconstruction of its airfields. Plans for a new air traffic control tower are in progress, and a $9 million funding was newly acquired to reposition a taxiway. On the other side, Banyan Air Service lately set up a new terminal and administrative building. As well, construction is in progress on the corporate headquarters of Professional Flight Training, and SheltAir Aviation Services has completed 30,000 sq feet of new office and hangar area. FXE is regarded as a general aviation service with the capability to serve all aircraft excluding major airlines and termed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a general aviation reliever service for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It owns 447 hangers and its based aircraft comprise 369 single engine, 187 multi-engine, 115 Jets and 37 helicopters. It is situated on about 1,200 acres. "Based on itinerant operations," says Bennett, "the airport is the eighth busiest general aviation airport in the country. We handle close to 250,000 takeoffs and landings per year, making it one of the top five busiest general aviation airports in the United States." FXE is also the centre for the city's Foreign-Trade Zone, comprising just about 1,300 acres and offering businesses cost savings and economic motivations. In addition, the Airport is still developing. The existing projects include a new corporate headquarters totaling about 30,000 sq feet of office and hangar space for certified flight training. Sheltair Aviation Facilities is modernizing and replacing services with the building of about 50,000 sq feet of hangar and office space, in addition to updating several existing services. Crown Center is growing its office site with the building of a new 100,000 sq foot edifice and two four-story parking garages and Alter Group is growing its site at Cypress Concourse with the building of a four-story parking garage to house Kaplan Higher Education, which will create 730 jobs for Fort Lauderdale. Furthermore there is progress in the construction of over 30,000 feet of fencing around the airport's boundary, revamping of vehicle and passenger gates and adding a new access card system. The program offers improved, centralized tracking of all vehicles and individuals entering or exiting the FXE. Just about 95 % of the project is being financed by contribution from the FAA and Florida Department of Transportation. FXE Marketing Activities at the FXE have always signified by the existing environments in the region. When it turned into a public airport, it was in a distant part of Fort Lauderdale, with little or no progress in proximity. In those formative years, the airstrips were employed more for drag racing than for airplanes takeoffs and landings. To assist bringing economic progress into the region and generate job prospects, the City created the Airport Industrial Board and offered for sale FXE land to companies for example Allied Signal Bendix and Harris Computer Corporation. Money from these sources was utilized for airport developments for instance taxiway structure, light systems, and direction signs. The first construction on the FXE, a flight school maintenance hangar built in 1959, is even now in use at present. Consequently the following years and as business expansion developed in FXE, that first hangar expanded to above 450 hangars holding over 840 airplanes, that include about 84 planes and 42 helicopters. At present, six Fixed Base Operators, or (FBOs), supply fuels, repairs, and other services to these planes doing business here and transporting people to the region. Other business, namely charter companies, interior renovation companies, flight schools, and avionics shops, also successfully confirmed themselves at Executive Airport. Inspired by the extraordinary economic growth in South Florida, total aircraft operations advanced appreciably over the decades. At the moment, the Airport manages more than 240,000 yearly takeoffs and landings, making FXE the eighth busiest all-purpose aviation airport in the USA based on itinerant operations. Industrial Airpark Development Other businesses also developed in the Airport's 200 acre Industrial Airpark. This was a direct result of the labors of the City and the Airport Industrial Board, renamed the Aviation Advisory Board, to develop FXE Airport as a business and executive service and reduce its role as a sport and leisure airport. In 1974, as economic progress began to unfurl in Fort Lauderdale and real estate development thrived, the City resolved to discontinue the tradition of selling Airport land and established a lease-only policy, thus ensuring a constant revenue flow for the Airport Enterprise Fund. At present over 125 individual companies call the Industrial Airpark home, including Elite Panel Products, Telematics, Marriott Hotels, Citicorp Latino, Walgreens, Dry Clean USA, Lucent Technologies, and General Electric. These non-aviation companies take up more than 1.3 million sq feet of office and storehouse area and make the FXE Airport Industrial Airpark the 16th largest in the tri-county area. In appreciation of FXE Airport's economic significance in the community, it was made a Division of the Community and Economic Development Department of the City in the mid-1980s. Noise Abatement Program As the Lauderdale airport has developed, so also has the neighboring residential community. Thus, FXE Airport has traditionally been in the forefront of noise reduction. FXE Airport was the first airport in 1991 in the USA to establish and employ the Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring System (ANOMS). Since then, it has continued to improve and develop the system at the same time as working intimately with tenants, pilots and inhabitants to trim down noise. FXE has a noise abatement program that depends upon cooperation between the community, airport users and the city workforce to reduce aircraft noise over adjoining communities. There are at the present six permanent noise monitors placed all over the community that gather data on aircraft noise levels, elevations and flight trajectories over the community. In consequence of data collected, FXE has received authorization from the FAA to put into operation the "I-95 Turn," which obliges turbo-jet aircraft leaving the FXE Airport to fly along I-95 over business and manufacturing areas rather than inhabited areas. North and westbound departures utilize the I-95 turn 24 hours a day whereas south and eastbound aircraft use it for night departures. Community Facilities at the Airport As well as supporting economic progress, FXE also became home to many varied community-based activities. The U.S. Army Reserve Center's 841st Engineering Battalion is placed on the field. The Center is named for Sandy Nininger, a Fort Lauderdale resident and the first beneficiary of the Congressional Medal of Honor in W.W.II. The City of Fort Lauderdale Police Department owns Substation and a hangar at the FXE Airport. The Broward County Sheriff's Department manages its special operations, namely the aviation unit, marine patrol, bomb squad, and canine units at FXE Airport. FXE also houses two fire stations. One is committed to aircraft salvage and runs a modern 1500-gallon pump and roll vehicle however can also fight structural fires in the Uptown area. The other is situated in the Industrial Airpark and is utilized to fight building fires. Buehler Aviation Research, a subsidiary of a nationally recognized establishment, renovates airplanes for the Smithsonian foundation. The group refurbished the Howard Hughes Grumman Goose at present on exhibition at the Smithsonian and of late built a model of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra. Moreover, Florida Atlantic University and Barry University impart educational programs from the services placed on the property. FXE Environmental Program FXE is also abode of two of Florida's rare species. Gopher tortoises are mostly placed in a sheltered area on the north side of the FXE. The area is comprised of rare indigenous plants and serves as a refuge and nesting base for the rare animals. The other species is the Florida Burrowing Owl, which has nests spread all over the field. PVC pipes twisted "Ts" mark their nests in order that they are noticeable to the FXE Airport's maintenance crews and also provide as a place for the owls to settle on in the breeding season. A new statewide population study of the Florida Burrowing Owl performed by the University of Central Florida and the Audubon Society in which 79 resident nestled owls and 49 active nests were counted at the FXE Airport. In an attempt to reduce disturbance to the owls, FXE Airport plans its building projects so as not to impede with the owls' breeding or nesting seasons. FXE Airport's future prospects look bright as Wartsila, an international services company, newly became the first operator in the FXE airport's Foreign-Trade Zone. Improvements have also been made to the Downtown Fort Lauderdale John Fuhrer Helistop. FXE Airport all over its history continues to build upon its standing as the favorite choice for corporate and jet travel. FXE Summary Location City:  Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States Name: Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport ICAO / IATA: KFXE / FXE FAA: FXE FXE Administration The FXE Airport is a part of the Business Enterprises Department of the City of Fort Lauderdale. The division charters, acquires controls, maintains, and supports FXE Airport and Industrial Airpark to present the greatest advantage to the community and the highest return of revenue with leftover revenue used for capital improvements. This division also renovates, control and support the Downtown Helistop. FXE Funding FXE Airport is a City-owned and administered service; nevertheless, no local taxpayer dollars are utilized in its operation. Profits are accrued by land leases and fuel flowage fees. Additional income is used for capital improvement projects or placed in the Airport Enterprise Fund. No taxes finance the operations, repairs, or improvements of the airport. FXE Economic Impact FXE businesses provide work for over 2,100 local people and create just about $149 million in economic impact in the community per annum. Office and manufacturing businesses in the FXE Industrial Airpark produces $155 million annually in economic activity and provide work for and further 2,200 people. Taxes FXE Airport tenants pay $2.8 million yearly in taxes. Nearly 22 % of these taxes are paid to the City of Fort Lauderdale. In addition, the airport pays more than $1 million per annum to the City for taxes. Noise Reduction Hotline People can call a 24-hour Noise Abatement Hotline (954-828-6666) to report extremely loud airplane. Number of Passengers About 2 million people arrive into the area through FXE Airport yearly. Number of Operations About 2 million annually Hours of Operation The FXE airport is open round the year with a 24-hour FAA Air Traffic Control Tower. Runways Two asphalt landing strips with a maximum gross landing weight of 60,000 pounds. Landing strip 8/26 measures 6,000 feet by 100 feet and has an Instrument Landing System. Airstrip 13/31 measures 4,000 by 100 feet. Total Based Aircrafts Single-engine: 369 Multi-engine: 187 Jet: 115 Helicopter: 37 Total: 708 Number of Hangars: 447 Hotels near Fort Lauderdale Executive (FXE) Following are some of the well-known Hotels near FXE: 1. Courtyard By Marriott North/Cypress Creek 0.5 miles from FXE 2. University Inn 0.8 miles from FXE 3. El Palacio Hotel 1.2 miles from FXE 4. Red Roof Inn Fort Lauderdale 1.2 miles from FXE 5. Marriott Fort Lauderdale North 1.9 miles from FXE References Florida Community Airports: Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (PDF). Continuing Florida Aviation Systems Planning Process (June 2007). George, Paul S. (1991). “Submarines and Soldiers: Fort Lauderdale in World War II” Broward Legacy. Broward County Historical Commission) 14 (1 and 2): 2-14. McGoun, Bill. (1978). “A History of Broward County”, Broward Legacy. Broward County Historical Commission. 2: 15-22. McGreevey, Mary. (1995). “Missing Flight 19: An Enigma” Broward Legacy, Broward County Historical Commission 18 (1 and 2): 2-10. Rosenberg, Howard L. (June 1974). “Exorcizing the Devil's Triangle” Sealift (no. 6): 11-15.  Read More