Montana Airport Wants To Be Alternative To SEA, ANC For Asia Trips

The Federal Aviation Administration has certified for use the first and only Category III instrument landing system in Montana at Great Falls International Airport (GTF).

The new system, certified last week, electronically guides CAT-III-equipped aircraft in for low-visibility landings on runway 3. "This is significant for the Airport Authority because it gives us a whole new market of companies to pursue, the international freight market," said Airport Director Cynthia Schultz to the Great Falls Tribune.

"Great Falls is well located as the first inland airport with all-weather instrument landing for companies flying freight over the North Pole from Asia," Schultz said. "Companies such as Fed Ex and UPS like a spot to make "technical stops," in which they can split their freight to ship in different directions."

"Commercial pilots will be able to land here now even when there is very low visibility and a low weather ceiling," added Jim Hantz, FAA air traffic control manager in Great Falls. "Since the Great Falls airport is one of the few airports in the western United States with this enhanced navigation system, it will inevitably make it a more attractive spot for commercial pilots with ILS equipment to land during extremely low visibility or mechanical problems."

"The airport already is a tremendous asset for the entire region, and the ultra modern instrument landing system gives us another economic development tool to attract companies," said Great Falls Development Authority President Brett Doney.

Work completed on a $42 million runway upgrade last October, after six months of work, Schultz said. The project corrected a severe line-of-sight condition, caused by a dip in the runway. The airport also installed Category III equipment for $8 million.

The FAA had separate contracts to provide and check precise equipment, and a series of tests to verify instrument accuracy, according to Schultz.

"Commercial planes flying in low visibility are dependent on these instruments so they have to be precise," Schultz added.

The CAT III ILS relies on two separate systems, Hantz said. A sophisticated set of navigation instruments placed in the ground will help pilots of instrument-equipped planes guide their course and glide slope.

FAA air traffic controllers are the "critical human element," Schultz said, because they activate the systems during low visibility and help guide pilots.

Hantz said 20 local FAA controllers got extra training on how to monitor weather and set Cat III lighting and navigation systems to appropriate levels dictated by weather conditions.

The airport is a key FedEx hub and has undeveloped land with utilities, and can now be accessed in minimal weather 365-days a year, Doney said.

"And Great Falls is well located to compete with business and suppliers from Asia that want to avoid congestion, higher costs in busier places like Seattle and Anchorage," Doney said.

FMI: www.gtfairport.com/home_page.html