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Ivanpah
Valley Airport More Than A Pipe Dream
By Robert L. Candiotti
As an indication that a totally new international
airport near the California/Nevada border is more than a pipe dream, the Simulation Laboratories - or "SimLabs"
- at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, have already studied the layout of Ivanpah Valley Airport, which
is projected to open in 2018.
In the spring of 2007, SimLabs conducted a series of real-time simulations
to evaluate two layout alternatives.
Says an article in the July 2007 issue of NASA SimLabs News,
"The real-time simulation provided a unique preview of the efficiency and safety of the designs. Simulations experiments
were conducted under anticipated opening day traffic volume, and two future levels up to that forecast for 2025. Experiments
stressed the two airfield configurations to determine which will more efficiently accommodate a future continuous and
high demand flow of traffic."
| Ivanpah Valley Airport site as it looks today |
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| Photo courtesy Simulation Laboratories (SimLabs) |
| Simulated Ivanpah Valley Airport, to open in 2018 |
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| Photo courtesy Simulation Laboratories (SimLabs) |
| Closely-spaced runway plan |
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| Two parallel runways 1,200 feet apart (SimLabs) |
| Widely-spaced runway plan |
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| Two parallel runways 4,800 feet apart (SimLabs) |
Data
from the simulations suggest that - though capacity differences between closely-spaced runways and widely-spaced runways are
minimal when the airport first opens in 2018 - the Widely-Spaced Runway Plan will be much more efficient as traffic levels
increase over the years. In fact, notes SimLabs, the widely-spaced runways would accommodate 15 more departures per hour than
closely-spaced runways, as well as being significantly more efficient with aircraft arrivals. The Ivanpah Valley Airport Alternative Analysis (IVAAAN) closely-spaced
runway simulation has two parallel runways 1,200 feet apart, located on the west side of the terminal buildings.
The simulated widely-spaced runways are 4,800 feet apart, with terminals and facilities between the two runways. In the study,
air traffic controller participants supported the data that the Widely-Spaced Runway Plan is more efficient, easier
to manage, and safer.
The simulations
for Ivanpah Valley Airport were conducted by NASA Future Flight Central, a national Air Traffic Control/Air Traffic Management
(ATC/ATM) test facility, which works on problems facing U.S. airports. NASA Future Flight Central is able to produce
a 3-D, 360-degree simulated airport view.
SimLabs says Ivanpah Valley Airport "will
be operated virtually before any ground is broken."
To quote the Home Page of IvanpahValley.com:
The winds of change are unsettling the sands of Ivanpah Valley...
| Courtesy U.S. Department of the Interior |
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| Proposed Ivanpah Valley Airport, located between Primm and Jean, Nevada, along Interstate 15. |
The Federal Aviation Administration and Bureau of
Land Management stated at the Public Scoping Meetings in 2006, the purpose of the Ivanpah project is "to provide sufficient airfield capacity to accommodate long-term aviation passenger demand in the Las Vegas
metropolitan area."
As I have said on the Background
Info page of this website, I have read about, and thought about, the proposal for Ivanpah Valley supplemental
airport for almost a full year.
I do not claim to be an expert, but I am confident in my conclusion
that the completion of Ivanpah Valley International Airport by 2018 is essential for the handling of aviation demand
in Southern Nevada, adjacent California areas and possibly even nearby portions of Utah.
It is
evident to me the Joint Lead Agencies (FAA and BLM), and Clark County Department of Aviation, have looked thoroughly
at other options, but the only truly workable and feasible way to proceed is the construction of a new, major supplemental
airport between Jean and Primm. The land is level and is close to Las Vegas. In the realm of reality, there is no better available
property around.
Of course, harboring the same conclusion leads those agreeing to an interesting
and exciting beginning.The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) needs to be analyzed and presented to the public by 2010.
Certainly, there will be issues that will arise in the EIS that need to be discussed, considered and decided upon. This will
be a big and challenging undertaking.
If Ivanpah Valley Airport is, as I think, inevitable, then it
should be designed and built in the best and most thoughtful manner.
Ivanpah Airport will not
begin operations until 2018. Technology for solar power, wind power, appropriate and thoughtful architecture, airplane technology,
water usage, carbon emissions, public ground transport, residential and tourist buildings certainly will evolve
significantly as that time approaches. The best and most sustainable of the energy technologies will need to be
wisely integrated into the Ivanpah project.
The best and most intelligent decisions will need to be
made over the next several years to ensure that Ivanpah International Airport is the most perfect it can be for its time.
It should be, and can be, a breathtaking success.
Ivanpah Airport will open around 2018, and then
operate for many decades after that. It is one of the very few new United States airport projects being currently considered by
the Federal Aviation Administration.
Again, my conclusion is Ivanpah Valley International Airport
is essential and inevitable.
Respect for the land it will cover - home
of the Southern Paiutes for hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of years - is important. Environmental awareness for this project
is a must. Aesthetic considerations are essential. Originality is imperative. Highly intelligent fun should be the rule.
As Ivanpah Airport combines additional airfield capacity with intelligent and creative design, its long-term
success can bring enhanced prestige to Southern Nevada, as well as praise and satisfaction from the travelers who fly
in and out of Ivanpah Valley.
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