HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 12/22/05
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
Make Your Own Moviesis an extraordinary chance to get hands-on training with video professionals at
the Downtown Library. Learn to plan, storyboard, script, shoot, and edit with Apple iMovie. Metro TV
teaches two six-week workshops starting in January – one for teens, and one for adults. Cameras and
computers are provided for class use. Make Your Own Movies is free of charge, but space is limited, so
apply now.
For more information or to obtain an application for teen programs, visit the Downtown Library Young
Adult Desk or call 682-8316. Adults may visit the Downtown Library's 2nd floor Reference Desk, or call
682-5450.
Replacement Police Motorcycles Designed to Reduce Operating Costs
Over the last year, the Police Department, in
conjunction with Fleet Services, has been evaluating
the replacement of police motorcycles because the
current model used by Police, the Harley Davidson
“Dyna,” is being discontinued by the manufacturer.
On December 14, the Police Department took delivery
of 11 new BMW R1150 RT-P police motorcycles,
which will replace the Dyna series.
The new BMW R1150 RT-P bikes are a great
improvement over the Dyna model. The motorcycles
have lower operating noise levels, extend the
preventative maintenance intervals by almost three
times, triple the length of warranty, include ABS
brakes, are easily customizable to the operator, and have a guaranteed buy-back option, thus reducing
the overall cost to the City. For more information, contact Fleet Manager Carlos Davis at 682-4808.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
December 23, 2005