June 19, 1999, Louis Pike McCasland Jr. States
The AIP grant project has been completed. The TxDOT, Division of Aviation under the direction of Mr. David Fulton completed the project to shorten the runway 400 feet from 5000 feet to 4600 feet, cut the width in half from 150 feet to 75 feet, reduced the taxiway widths from 50 feet to 35 feet, and reduced the weight limit to 12,500 pounds maximum gross weight for this airport.
The TxDOT did not realize or ask if any jet aircraft was using this airport, and assumed that no jet or corporate aircraft used this facility. They had no public hearings to reduce the value of this airport by 85 percent. We are only 15 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, the eighth largest city in the U.S. and the second largest city in Texas. Mr. David Fulton and his jerks did not realize that DAL/FTW area had 13 reliever airports, Houston had 8 reliever airports, and Austin with one-third the population of San Antonio had two relievers.
They claimed that they did not have enough money to keep the same length and width, but did have enough money to shorten and narrow the facility. They hauled off all of the existing base materials and put it on the roads around the county, and then filled in the space where we had base materials with black dirt and applied a lime application to replace the removed base materials.
What is really ironical is that the Texas Department of Transportation, Division of Aviation personnel estimated their reconstruction we did not need or want was estimated at 2.7 million dollars. The contractor bid 1.3 million dollars for a small mistake of only 1.4 million dollars. They claimed that they could not go back and rebid or redesign the construction project because it was already bid out. A massive ripoff of the Aviation Trust Fund, and misapplication of our tax dollars. In addition there has been a massive diversion of airport revenues here at this facility. They have filed a law suit against me because they do not want to hear the truth or let anyone else know about their screw-ups. We will fight them to the end!!!!
Also: runway lights on low from SS to SR, 3 click for low, 5 clicks or medium, and 7 clicks for high. Recommend 7 click to locate the airport and pattern work and lower the intensity to low (3 clicks on final, the lights are too bright for landing on high and voids the aircraft landing light pattern). Marking condition: excellent. Distance from threshold R/W 15, 600 feet from dirt road, R/W 33, 305 feet from new 10 foot deep ditch dug by contractor and fence as designed by TXDOT, Div of Aviation.
If anyone wants or needs a group of aviation experts in your state, we here in Texas have a few we would like to get rid of!!
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