ACC News and Updates
September 24, 2020
The ACC Annual Conference will take place virtually this November. To accommodate attendees and presenters, the conference will take place over three non-consecutive days — November 10th, 12th, and 17th. Check out the ACC Annual Conference events page for more details as they become available.
September 17, 2020
The Security Manufacturers Coalition (SMC) presented Congressman John Katko (R-NY-24) the inaugural Aviation Security Guardian Award . The award recognizes outstanding leadership in countering terrorism and advancing aviation security. SMC Chair Kevin Schmidt with Smiths Detection and SMC Director T.J. Schulz presented Katko the award on Tuesday on Capitol Hill, discussed his many contributions to improving aviation security and TSA reforms.
September 10, 2020
The ACC Engineering Committee has submitted comments to the FAA on its draft Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5335-5D, Standardized Method of Reporting Pavement Strength — PCR. This updated AC provides guidance on the reporting of runway, taxiway and apron pavement strength in accordance with standardized International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) methods. Changes include the incorporation of ICAO Annex 14 changes to pavement strength reporting, and a provision of background and examples on the revised reporting methodologies. All documents related to the FAA AC draft can be found here. If you are interested in a copy of the ACC comments submitted to FAA, please contact sylviap@acconline.org.
ACC Committee Review of Two FAA Draft Advisory Circulars
September 3, 2020
ACC Engineering and Planning & Environmental Committee members are currently reviewing two FAA draft Advisory Circulars. AC 150/5335-5D: Standardized Method of Reporting Pavement Strength – PCR, released August 12, provides guidance on the reporting of runway, taxiway and apron pavement strength in accordance with standardized International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) methods. All documents related to this AC draft can be found here, and Engineering Committee member comments to this draft are due to ACC on September 4th.
Also out for industry comment is FAA's long awaited Advisory Circular 150/5300-13B: Airport Design. ACC is soliciting comments on this draft from Engineering and Planning & Environmental Committee members, with a September 5th deadline for submission. Comments should be sent to Sylvia Palmer at sylviap@acconline.org, Doug DiCarlo at ddicarlo@esassoc.com and Gen Long at Glong@appliedpavement.com.
ACC Participates in Virginia Aviation Conference
August 27, 2020
ACC President T.J. Schulz provided opening remarks at the Virginia Aviation Conference, held in Hot Springs, Virginia last week. Schulz presented an update on activities taking place in Washington, including progress on Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding and the status of deliberations on the next COVID-19 relief bill and potential funding for airports. Schulz also reviewed the current state of the aviation system and impacts to airlines from the COVID-19 pandemic, and provided thoughts on recovery scenarios. Schulz will be providing a similar update to ACC members on Friday, August 28 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Participants can sign up for the briefing on the ACC Training Hub.
ACI, AAAE Sign Joint Letter with SMC in Support of TSA Funding
August 20, 2020
The Security Manufacturers Coalition (SMC) coordinated a joint letter with AAAE and ACI to congressional leadership, supporting the $208 million in funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) which is included in the Senate HEROES Act. "New technological investments and increased cleaning efforts will provide TSA with the capability to reduce passenger 'touch points' and increase social distancing at security checkpoints," the organizations state in the letter. "Further, investing in and deploying advanced security technologies will make passenger screening operations more effective and efficient by lowering false alarm rates and increasing passenger throughput."
ACC Review of Draft Airport Design Advisory Circular 150/5300-13B
August 14, 2020
FAA has released its long awaited updated AC draft of airport design
Advisory Circular 150/5300-13B, Airport Design. The letter to industry announcing its release, as well as various documents relevant to the draft, are available on the FAA website. ACC is soliciting comments on the draft from Engineering and Planning and Environmental Committee members, with a September 5th deadline for submission. A joint committee call will be held on Monday August 17 to discuss an approach for tackling the draft in a coordinated manner which would include assigning individual chapters and appendices of the draft AC to those willing to volunteer their assistance. If you are interested in participating in this venture, please contact Sylvia Palmer at
sylviap@acconline.org or Doug DiCarlo at
ddicarlo@esassoc.com.
2020 ACC Virtual Airports Technical Workshop — A Rousing Success!
August 6, 2020
The first ACC Virtual Airports Technical Workshop (ATW) has ended. This year's workshop was a grand success, with over 200 participants and a wide range of topics covered including Impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic on Airport Funding/Planning and Development, CARES ACT funding and FAA's apportioning of funds as well as the impacts on industry. We are very happy to have heard from Kirk Shaffer, the Associate Administrator for Airports, several members of FAA's Engineering and Planning staff, as well as industry subject matter experts from the consultant community, on many topics critical to the aviation industry. While the industry's response to COVID-19 and its impact was a core focus, other sessions discussed airport design, environmental topics, upcoming FAA research and much more. Thank you to all the panelists, session moderators and attendees for making this a very successful workshop! Please continue to visit the ATW microsite on the ACC training hub to receive updated information on accreditation as well as speaker presentations that will be provided in the resource page to all conference attendees. We look forward to seeing you all next year.
ACC 2020 Annual Conference Goes Virtual
July 23, 2020
After much deliberation with the ACC Executive Committee and Board of Directors, ACC has decided to not hold an in-person meeting in Florida this November, and instead hold a virtual program. While ACC is disappointed that the meeting will not be held in person, the Annual Conference committee is planning an incredibly informative virtual program. Topics will include the future outlook for airports and airlines; a review of the November election results and impacts on airport development; how COVID-19 will change the way development companies conduct business; and how to foster a diverse and inclusive workforce. ACC will also identify unique opportunities for networking and fun. Stay tuned for more information.
ACC Embarks on Draft Airport Design Advisory Circular Review
July 23, 2020
- An overview of the draft,
- Key changes from 13A,
- Expected timeline for the issuance of a final AC
- Applying changes (current vs future projects)
ACC is soliciting comments on the draft from Engineering and Planning and Environmental Committee members, with a September 5th deadline for submission to
sylviap@acconline.org.
SMC Calls on Congress to Provide TSA Funding in Response to COVID
July 17, 2020
The Security Manufacturers Coalition (SMC) this week released a new report that details the need for investments in next generation technologies as a key part of efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Titled "Enhancing Security Effectiveness in a COVID-19 Contactless Environment," the report includes recommendations for enhancing security operations and instituting measures to protect TSA officers and the travelling public from COVID-19 exposure. "Security equipment plays a critical role in keeping our airports and the traveling public safe and secure. As we counter terrorist threats with cutting edge technology, now those same innovations can be used to protect the health and safety of TSA professionals and passengers." said Kevin Schmidt, Chairman of the SMC.
ACC Urges Funding for Airports in Letter to Congressional Leadership
July 9, 2020
ACC sent a letter to the top four House and Senate transportation appropriations leaders last week urging Congress to provide additional funding to airports in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Aviation and airports will play a critical role in the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we ask for your continued leadership in providing funding…as part of the FY 2021 DOT, FAA spending bill or future relief and recovery legislation," said T.J. Schulz, ACC President. In the letter, Schulz stated ACC's support for fully funding AIP and providing supplemental appropriations in the FY 2021 spending bill; providing 100 percent federal funding share for projects; fixing the anticipated negative balance in the Airport and Airways Trust Fund; and providing additional funding to shore up airport operations and continue capital improvement programs.
ACC Alerts Members on Details of House Infrastructure Bill
July 2, 2020
On June 23, the FAA released
Draft AC 150/5320-6G and is requesting the of industry. This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance on the
design and evaluation of pavements used by aircraft at civil airports. FAA’s comment submission Deadline is
Saturday, August 1, 2020 for inclusion in the finalized AC. In response, the ACC Engineering Committee is soliciting comments from committee members for submission to the FAA. An Engineering committee meeting to discuss the committee’s overall review and submission of comments has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
ACC Alerts Members on Details of House Infrastructure Bill
June 26, 2020
Kirk Shaffer, the FAA Associate Administrator for Airports will deliver the opening remarks for ACC's 2020 Virtual Airport Technical Workshop (ATW) to be held August 4-6. Shaffer will discuss FAA’s implementation of the CARES Act and the various ways in which the agency has adapted operations in response to COVID-19. Various FAA officials and other subject matter experts from the consultant community will also be on hand at the workshop, to advise on guidelines, regulations and legislation, and collectively help shape future airport planning and development directives. Registration will soon be open. Please check the
program website for additional details including a preliminary agenda and sponsorship opportunities.
ACC and AAAE Issue a Call for Topics for 2021 Symposium
June 19, 2020
The
ACC/AAAE 2020 Airport Planning, Design and Construction Symposium Committee is soliciting input from airport professionals on Plenary Sessions and Workshop topics in addition to suggestions for potential moderators and panelists. To participate, please complete the
Potential Topics and Moderators survey. The Symposium will feature Plenary Sessions for all participants and concurrent workshops including the following technical tracks: Planning; Terminal/Landside; Engineering/Airside; Project Management/Construction Management; and mini-tracks on both Airline and International Issues. The submission deadline for potential topics is Friday July 17.
Board of Directors and Committee Leadership Advance ACC Strategic Plan
June 11, 2020
The House of Representatives is readying its comprehensive $1.5 trillion dollar infrastructure package for floor consideration next week. The bill, H.R. 2, the
Moving Forward Act, incorporates the comprehensive surface transportation bill that was recently passed by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and a number of additional provisions for other infrastructure. The bill includes a total of $37 billion in authorized funding for airports, which ACC detailed in a legislative update sent to members this week.
June 1, 2020
The ACC Board of Directors has revisited the Council’s strategic plan to prioritize the Future of Airports theme in the post-COVID world. ACC as a result, has proposed a process for ACC committees to take leadership and engage in educating and informing ACC members and industry stakeholders on the post-COVID airport, as passengers begin to return to airports. The Terminal and Facilities committee, under the leadership of Scott Tumolo (C&S Companies) and Amy Sonbuchner (Alliiance), have recently formed three subcommittees: Arrival, Departure and Post-Security, to take on this initiative and identify and prioritize topics for virtual panels discussions, and possible written summaries.
ACC COVID-19 Discussion Forums are Open for Your Participation!
May 21, 2020
ACC has created
discussion forums on the ACC Training Hub to encourage members to exchange ideas, discuss COVID-19 challenges, share business and operational strategies, and learn about COVID-19 impacts on the aviation industry. The forums are divided by company size – Large, Medium, Small and Sole Proprietor to encourage participation and discussions that are unique to each size category.
A big thank you to the forum facilitators: Large Firms –
Geoffrey Ax (Populous), Medium Firms –
Greg Heaton (Crawford, Murphy and Tilly), Small Firms –
Belinda Hargrove (TransSolutions) and Sole Proprietor Firms –
Susan Winslow (Tela Vuota) who hosted very successful forum meetings this week! Please join the discussions and give us your insights on the Future of Airports and what air travel will be like after we return to normalcy. We look forward to your insights.
ACC Rolls out Post COVID Airport Strategic Plan Direction
May 7, 2020
In 2019, ACC launched the implementation of its updated strategic plan taking into account an aviation industry that was experiencing significant growth and severe congestion in airport facilities. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ACC has shifted its focus on the short and long-term implications of the pandemic to the aviation industry and airport design. The ACC Board of Directors has revisited the strategic plan to now prioritize the
Future of Airports theme in the post-COVID world. ACC committee leaders held a call on May 5 to discuss the 'COVID-19 pivot' and a proposed process for ACC committees to lead in educating and informing ACC members and industry stakeholders. The focus will be on the post-COVID airport as the economy begins to open up again; how the travel experience will change; and implications on the future design and operations at airports.
April 1, 2020
As the impacts and ramifications of the coronavirus event continue to unfold, the aviation industry is seeking aid from Congress and the Trump Administration to offset unprecedented losses incurred by the massive COVID-19 related travel disruptions. ACC will be covering industry proposals for inclusion in government’s plans to stimulate the economy and provide aid to affected industries. Members will have the opportunity to review
recent and past updates here. For assistance in setting up member login credentials, please contact
admin@acconline.org.