Waves of Appreciation

Left to right, Airport Authority volunteers Naty, Kim, Susie, and Ryan.

On November 11, 2012, Airport Authority employees donated their time and effort toward a volunteer event sponsored by “Waves of Appreciation,” an organization created by Pepperdine University alumni. The paramount goal is to give back and show gratitude to  service men and women as they travel home for the holidays to see their loved-ones.

Approximately 15 Authority employees joined a larger group of volunteers for an afternoon of stuffing 3,500 goody bags of nonperishable food items to be distributed at San Diego International Airport.

Waves of Appreciation partnered with the United Services Organization (USO) at SDIA for the bag distribution, which took place prior to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The bags helped sustain many of the young service members who might have otherwise traveled hungry during the holidays.

And the USO located at SDIA has bragging rights! Ours is the only USO in the United States that distributes these bags of delectable delights ever year. So kudos to the USO and Airport Authority volunteers — way to exhibit that Community Strategy!*

* The Airport Authority’s Community Strategy is “to be a trusted and highly responsive regional agency.”

 

More than just SDIA!

 

Brown Field Municipal Airport in southern San Diego County, near the border with Mexico, is one of ten General Aviation airports in the county.

Have you ever wondered why we’re called a county regional airport authority, instead of, say, the San Diego International Airport Authority?  A lot of people mistakenly believe that we’re an arm of San Diego’s county government because of our name, but that’s not the case. So what’s the reason for our name? It’s been a while since the Ambassablog delved into this, so it seems time for a refresher—and an expanded lesson.

While the Airport Authority operates just one airport, SDIA, we were created by the state with two other mandated functions:  to serve as the regional aviation planning coordinator for the county and to serve as the county airport land use commission.

The latter responsibility is what makes up my job – doing land use compatibility planning for other airports in the county through their adopted Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans( ALUCPs).  I also contributed to the Regional Aviation Strategic Plan (RASP) adopted by the Airport Authority last year.  It evaluated several of these airports for ways to optimize the regional aviation system.

Have you ever seen Fallbrook Community Airpark? Here it is.

So what are those other airports?  There is only one other commercial service airport in the county, McClellan-Palomar in Carlsbad.  Both it and SDIA each also has a general aviation component.  The 10 other public-use airports in the county are strictly for GA:

• Brown Field Municipal Airport and Montgomery Field in San Diego
• Gillespie Field in El Cajon
• Oceanside Municipal Airport
• Fallbrook Community Airpark and Ramona Airport in those respective communities
• Agua Caliente Airstrip, Borrego Valley Airport, Jacumba Airstrip, and Ocotillo Airstrip in the desert

But the question is often asked, “What exactly is general aviation?”

Ever wonder how your GPS gets its mapping data?  Or how our largely rural international border is monitored?  Or even more basic: how do they maintain many of the massive farm fields that produce our food and nursery plants?

All of these functions and more are largely handled through GA airports! Here are just some of the vital roles handled through these facilities:

• Emergency preparedness and response, medical transport, and search & rescue missions
• Aerial firefighting
• Law enforcement, customs, and homeland/border security
• Emergency flight diversion
• Remote community and wilderness access (e.g., islands and reservations)
• Charter passenger services (e.g., tours, sports and music events)
• Mail/package delivery and air cargo
• Corporate transportation
• Flight instruction
• Agricultural crop-dusting support
• Aerial surveying
• Oil and mineral exploration
• Utility/pipeline monitoring and inspection
• Aviation manufacturing, distribution, and maintenance industries
• Aerospace engineering and research
• Low-orbit space launch and landing
• Special public events (e.g., air shows, skydiving)

Ramona Airport.

Whew!  That’s quite a list.  Most people rarely think about GA airports, but they really contribute to our wellbeing.  Life without them would be a lot harder for sure.

So the next time you think about flying, consider that it’s more than just commercial airlines ferrying passengers.  GA airports enhance our daily lives in many ways, so we’re proud to be a County Regional Airport Authority, planning to protect these vital assets in the San Diego region.

San Diego County’s 10 GA airports are part of a network of nearly 3,000 general aviation airports across the country, making their numbers far greater than the commercial service airports with which the flying public is better acquainted.

SDIA has done a good job spreading the word about the economic benefits of our airport, summed up in the slogan “Airports Fuel Regional Economies.”   But GA airports are also critically important to the economic vitality of the regions they serve—far beyond just the recreational pilots and passengers who use them.

 

Mastering the Art of Legos: A Lesson on Airport Strategy

Summer 2012 Airport Authority interns: navigating their way to bright futures.  Left aisle (front to back): Philip Yttermalm, Daniel Schoenberg, Shan Sebastian, and Stephanie Nowinski. Right aisle (front to back): Kyle Teague, Lauren Wakham, Carolina Mohrlock, and Nicole Frost. See what departments they’re working in below.

Special Guest Post by Carolina, Public Relations Intern

When was the last time you were able to plunge both arms into a bucket of Legos?

For many of us, it’s far more likely that we step on the lone Lego that resisted playtime cleanup—coincidentally, the sharpest piece known to Legoland. So it may have been a while since we’ve trudged through half-dismantled spaceships strewn into bins for the perfect piece to top off our control tower.

But the Airport Authority’s 2012 Summer Interns did just that during orientation last month. (By the way, you can check out all the interns — and information about the Airport Authority’s internship program — on a special new Facebook page we created: https://www.facebook.com/SDCRAAInternships).

After spending a morning learning about the Airport Authority’s vision, mission, strategies and goals, and returning from the Terminals to Tarmac tour led by Ambassablogger Ryan of the AIrport Planning Department, we were divided into teams and charged with creating Lego sculptures depicting one or more strategies.

Ready, set, sculpt!

Team Environmental and Finance: Striking a Balance

Lauren from Environmental paired up with Finance’s Philip to create a piece that incorporated both the Customer and Operational strategies.

“We were trying to highlight the sometimes-conflicting relationship between our strategies here at the airport, as well as how they all come to together to achieve our mission,” said Lauren.

The trees and bay on their Lego sculpture represent the environment, with houses for the community. There is also a nod to public safety with a security checkpoint, a parking garage representing development, and ground service equipment, baggage and an airplane for operations. Their goal was to show how the strategies are all linked and dependent upon each other to achieve the Airport Authority’s mission:

We will plan for and provide air transportation services to the region with safe, effective facilities that exceed customer expectations. We are committed to operating San Diego’s air transportation gateways in a manner that promotes the region’s prosperity and protects its quality of life.

Team Marketing and Planning: The Greener, the Better

Marketing intern Nicole and Daniel from Planning focused on the Sustainability, Customer and Community strategies, using their fair share of green Legos to communicate how these strategies support The Green Build.

“We added a living roof to the building in order to catch rain water and recycle it. We also included an electric car to help with emissions from all the vehicles on the tarmac. The idea was to make the airport as environmentally friendly and cost-effective as possible,” said Nicole.

Daniel added, “The greener SAN can be, the better the environment for the surrounding community can be.”

Team Marketing and IT: Be Kind to Your Neighbors

Marketing intern Stephanie and IT’s Shan took a look at the Community strategy.

“The main concept of our piece was to display the physical proximity of the airport to its community stakeholders, in order to emphasize the variety of resulting issues for which the Airport Authority takes responsive action,” explained Stephanie.

The model shows the nearby communities of Old Town, Banker’s Hill and Downtown, as well as the San Diego harbor. The pair hoped to emphasize the importance of remaining responsive to the community, and gave examples of ways in which the Airport Authority is putting this strategy into action, such as through its Quieter Home Program and the flight curfew.

Team PR and HR: “Lego Viral!”

HR’s Kyle and I, from Public Relations, tied the Customer and Community strategies into our Lego sculpture.

“Social media serves as a key vehicle in the distribution of information to the public and employees,” said Kyle. We employed the Facebook logo as a symbol of being social, and as for us—we’re wired in.

The Ambassablog, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and now Pinterest— these are great examples of how the Airport Authority is facilitating two-way communication with our publics, and it all comes back to our strategies.

Melissa from the Airport Authority’s Art Program judged the Lego contest, naming Shan and Stephanie of Team Marketing and IT the big winners for their Community strategy sculpture.

The activity was a blast—and a blast from the past—for the interns. It allowed us to apply the Airport Authority’s strategies in creative and memorable ways.

Remember, it’s never too late to dig into a bucket of Legos—it’s, er, strategic!

 

The Day a Dream Came True at SDIA

By Guest Ambassablogger Cynthia of the Airport Authority’s Marketing & Communications Division 

You may have heard the news or been one of the eager watchers here at the airport on March 12 when the new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flew into town. Boeing brought the aircraft in for a personal visit with those folks who helped build her. If you were not one of those special few, you will have a chance to see the Dreamliner beginning in December, when Japan Airlines starts nonstop flights between San Diego and Tokyo, Japan. Initial service will be four times a week, with daily service scheduled to begin in March 2013.

I watched the 787’s approach from the airports’ Operations Duty Managers Office. Her approach reminded me of watching a graceful ballerina during her final movements of a performance. The pilot touched down with a gentle landing and was rewarded with a round of applause — which I’m sure he was oblivious to. It was truly a treat to watch this aircraft maneuver across the runway and park in her overnight spot at Landmark Aviation.

The 787′s got big windows!

Here are a few specs on the new Dreamliner so you can impress your friends or be prepared for your next round of trivia:

• The 787-8 will use 20% less fuel than the Boeing 767 it is designed to replace.
• It has a base passenger configuration of 224 seats, but airlines are configuring the aircraft with as few as 186 seats and as many as 240 seats, depending on the type of service they are providing.
• Its range is from 5,500 – 7,200 nautical miles, depending on the amount of passengers and cargo carried.
• It is 186 feet long and 56 feet high with a wingspan of 197’3” and has a cruise speed of Mach 0.85.
• The 787-8 has a larger sister that will be available in 2015. She has similar fuel economy, is 20 feet longer, seats 259 passengers in a standard configuration and can carry a greater payload over the same distances as the 787-8.

If you’re like me and always wanted to visit Asia, a nonstop flight to Tokyo’s Narita Airport, with its hub operations connecting to many Asian destinations, could be the first step in getting there. It’s time to start saving for the trip. Now where did I put that piggy bank?

Spring has sprung — get out the hoe!

Kelly 'killing' the lawn.

Organic edibles.

The Airport Authority has its share of home gardeners, from sunflowers to heirloom tomatoes to jalapeño peppers.  But one of our own does it in a big way—and it’s hit the local press.

Rainwater collection system.

One of our technology gurus not only has all of his gears turning but actually has two green thumbs.  Kelly in the Airport Authority’s Information Technology Department and his wife, Janet, decided to convert their yard into an edible garden two years ago, and they haven’t looked back. Together they spent the better part of 2009 organically “killing” their lawn by depriving it of water, spraying it with vinegar, and cutting it super short.  They then covered it with cardboard, water and 14 cubic yards of mulch, letting it compost for the organic edibles to follow.

Janet admits that “it looked like the dark side of the moon for nine months or so.”    Kelly says that Janet brings the passion for saving the planet but that he seems to have a natural affinity for plants.

Nature's bounty.

Now, arugula, carrots, chives, green rhubarb, lima beans, radishes, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, celery, asparagus, squash and tomatoes all tumble out of raised beds or climb stakes and trellises.  Passion fruit drops off vines that run along the garden’s edge (vines that are 20 feet long and 5 feet high).  Blueberries and lemons flourish on bushes and trees.

Compost is amended with worm castings and rain gutters have been added to collect water from those rare San Diego rain showers.   The latest addition is a fortified trellis engineered by Kelly (it’s that geek thing coming through again…) that can support all of the weight of the tomatoes.

A yard transformed.

Kelly and Janet share ideas with other local enthusiasts through such organizations as San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project and Victory Gardens San Diego.  If you are interested in learning more about Kelly’s gardening  feats,  check out the cover story in the Sep 2011 issue of the San Diego Reader.

Meanwhile, bring on those tomatoes, Kelly!

Talk about teamwork …

Nyle, the Airport Authority's Manager of Concession Development.

There are great team players everywhere.  Here is the story of one of our own….

Nyle, the Airport Authority’s Manager of Concession Development, was recently tasked with heading the selection process for San Diego International Airport’s new Concessions Development Program (CDP). Nyle was charged with engaging all stakeholders, acting as staff liaison to the CDP evaluation panel, and working with the Airport Authority’s Procurement Department to ensure an impartial and transparent selection process.

In preparation for the airport’s old master concessionaire arrangement coming to an end at the end of 2012 due to lease expiration, 16 Request for Proposal (RFP) packages for new food and retail concessions were already on the street, and responses were coming in. Interest from both local and national concessionaires was intense, and the timeline was tight.

Click the image above to see larger images of where all the great new shops and restaurants are going to be located at San Diego International Airport, starting in December 2012.

With a keen understanding of the Airport Authority’s collaborative culture, Nyle starting knocking on doors. He believes, as does the Airport Authority, in an “inclusive” approach to teamwork.

As he identified and engaged stakeholders, Nyle took the time to talk with each of them on the importance of their role in the effort. Where he felt he needed extraordinary support, he worked hard to obtain it. Through an ongoing, two-way dialogue, he was able to establish a trust level among stakeholders that extended all the way to the President/CEO’s office.As a result, everyone knew their role and what they could expect from Nyle.

As the effort gained momentum, Nyle made multiple presentations to the Airport Authority Board (which he identified as one of his key stakeholders).  These presentations were crafted to provide a clear and consistent message across all 16 concession packages.

Nyle kept on point as he disseminated information about the program, both within the Airport Authority and externally to concessionaires and the San Diego community.

Stakeholders came away proud to be part of a very successful effort and with a great appreciation for the collaborative skills of Nyle.The selection process concluded on time and won Board approval of staff’s recommendation for all 16 concession packages. As a result, SDIA will offer more than 80 great new food and retail concessions beginning in December, 2012.

Give us five, Nyle!

KIPP students visit SDIA and its Quieter Home Program

At right, Quieter Home Program Inspector Jack explains to KIPP students how the program is making homes quieter at the Point Loma Tennis Club condos.

Recently, students from the San Diego charter KIPP: Adelante Preparatory Academy school toured San Diego International Airport and its Quieter Home Program (QHP). Six middle school ‘KIPPsters’ received quite a treat: a Terminals to Tarmac tour lead by Ambassablogger Ryan of the airport’s Strategic Planning Department and Sandra of Airport Planning. After lunch (which included a teambuilding activity of constructing a new airport out of Legos), they met yours truly (I’m the airport’s QHP Coordinator) for a tour of the new QHP showroom and a few homes in construction.

Students from this charter middle school have had the opportunity to visit the airport for the last few years as a result of Ryan’s community involvement with San Diego LEAD; KIPP Adelante was his community project. KIPP Adelante’s slogan is: Work Hard. Be Nice. Dream Big.

KIPPsters learning about the airport.

Students were very interested in the QHP and that it was free to eligible homeowners in defined areas near the airport. The showroom tour included an explanation of the QHP’s acoustic reduction goals, lead by Ambassablogger Sjohnna, who is the QHP Manager.

KIPPsters got to view the products, and experience the acoustic kiosk, giving them a sound understanding of a five-decibel reduction, the goal for any residence. They then boarded a bus — along with Craig, the QHP Construction Manager, and me to tour Point Loma Tennis Club condominium complex, one of the current QHP projects.

Jack and Brandon, Construction Inspectors for QHP, walked the students through the entire construction process. KIPPsters visited homes the contractor opened that day, including one in mid-construction, and one in its final day of construction. Jack and Brandon explained how new acoustic windows are retrofitted and how electrical panels are upgraded for new furnaces and air conditioning. Jack was impressed with the KIPPsters, calling them “attentive, inquisitive and very polite.” Reflect back to the academy’s slogan.

KIPP students enjoying a guided tour of the airport.

KIPPsters then met Whitney, the QHP Homeowner Liaison for the Point Loma Tennis Club. Whitney and I talked about our positions and how continuous communication and great customer service are vital with homeowners throughout the Quieter Home Program process.

On the bus ride back to the Airport, the students talked about the tour; they could not believe the amount of construction that occurs in the 15 days allotted for a project. One student felt it should take longer, perhaps even a year! Ryan, Sandra, Craig and I then quizzed the students about what they had learned that day; the KIPPsters enthusiastically had some great answers.

Freda, the Director of Development at KIPP, thanked the airport staff and the Quieter Home Program for “opening our students’ eyes and feeding their curiosity.”

It was a great day for all!

Work Hard. Be Nice. Dream Big.

Guest Blogger:

Catherine, Program Coordinator for the Quieter Home Program