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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER December 22, 2005 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 SPECIAL TWO - WEEK EDITION Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION ADVANCED INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM FULLY OPERATIONAL AT EUGENE AIRPORT NEW YEAR, NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS AND ADULTS AT LIBRARY REPLACEMENT POLICE MOTORCYCLES DESIGNED TO REDUCE OPERATING COSTS AROUND THE CITY Advanced Instrument Landing System Fully Operational At Eugene Airport Eugene Airport will go to a fully operational, category III instrument landing system (CAT III ILS) on Thursday, December 22. With the upgrade, Eugene joins an exclusive group of only three airports in the Pacific Northwest that are similarly advanced. The other airports – Seattle/Tacoma, Spokane and Portland – serve much larger populations and are all international airports. CAT III ILS allows properly equipped planes to land in Eugene with a zero ceiling and forward visibility of only 600 feet. By comparison, the best landing conditions previously available at Eugene under Category II required a 100-foot ceiling and forward visibility of 1,200 feet. For travelers flying into Eugene during inclement weather, the advanced landing system significantly diminishes the chances of planes being diverted and passengers having to take a long bus ride from Portland to get to their Eugene destination. Not only will it make service into Eugene more reliable, but it will also improve outbound service because a plane must first arrive in Eugene before it can depart. To fully activate CAT III ILS, the airport and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have invested several million dollars over the past decade to acquire and install equipment and navigational aids that provide the appropriate data to pilots. Protocols have been written that pilots follow to ensure the system is operated safely. Additionally, some airlines have installed equipment on their planes and trained their pilots in the use of advanced instrument landing systems. For example, Horizon Air will benefit greatly from the CAT III system because Horizon airplanes are equipped with a state-of-the-art, head-up display (HUD). This system allows the captain to see vital flight information such as aircraft attitude, altitude, heading and airspeed displayed on a glass screen that is mounted at eye level inside the windshield. As part of their continuing education, Horizon Air pilots are trained and tested on the HUD system every year. “For an airport the size of Eugene’s Mahlon Sweet Field to be upgraded to Category III status is indeed a real accomplishment and a credit to this community,” says Airport Manager Bob Noble. “CAT III ILS is another example of how we at the Eugene Airport are doing all we can to continually improve the customer’s travel experience and access to the national transportation system.” For more information, contact Bob Noble at 682-5430. New Year, New Opportunities for Teens and Adults at Library Teens are invited to apply for the first six-week session of the 2006 Teen Teamat Eugene Public Library. Teen Team helps Downtown Library staff keep books in order and correctly identified, prepare crafts projects for kids’ programs, clean books, and more. This service learning project is a great way to support the Library, meet new friends, and contribute ideas and opinions as well as earn community service credit for school. Teen Team meets Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., starting January 10. Teens must apply by January 3. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 December 23, 2005