2021 ACC Airports Technical Workshop
Virtual | August 3 and 5, 2021
Please join the Airport Consultants Council for our 2021 Virtual Airports Technical Workshop to be held August 3 and 5. The 2021 ACC Virtual Airports Technical Workshop to be held August 3 and 5 will provide aviation professionals with online general and technical sessions featuring industry subject matter experts and FAA decision makers, as well as opportunities for networking. The workshop technical sessions will cover the latest in airport design, engineering, planning, and environmental related topics. One general session will feature the FAA Associate Administrator for Airports in an open discussion about the latest on FAA’s response to the COVID-19 disruptions to aviation, the impact of the various stimulus funding packages in the last year, the potential for infrastructure funding for airport capital development, and the outlook for the aviation industry under the new Administration.
Regular Registration (July 9 – August 2):
- $289 – ACC members, Airports/airlines, Local/state/federal government agencies, Academia, Military
- $319 – Non-members
About the Program – Engineering Sessions
FAA Advisory Circular Updates
Prepare yourself for an action-packed session. Various Advisory Circular (AC) updates from the ground (pavements) to the sky (heliports and vertiports) and the latest word on other updates on the horizon will be discussed. This includes the latest on anticipated publication dates for outstanding draft ACs as well as a preview of planned updates over the next couple of years. This session has something for both the engineer and planner in each of us.
The session will begin with a high-level overview of upcoming updates. We a deep dive into the latest on heliport design and anticipated vertiport design guidance, including the latest from an Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) vertiport study. The session will conclude with a refresher on recent pavement design and anticipated Pavement Classification Rating (PCR) updates, circling back on the FAA’s response to some of the more significant ACC member comments on the draft ACs.
Process and Documents Best Practices
Our industry is at a critical juncture in which quality of product has appeared to suffer in order to satisfy increasingly aggressive deadlines for planning, environmental, and design documents. This discussion intends to provide guidance regarding expectations from the FAA as well as potential strategies and best practices to assist with quality control in documentation for design, planning and NEPA documentation. This session aims to address what conversations need to be had with owners, consultants and the FAA at the inception of a project and to be clear on meeting the expectations of all parties.
About the Program – Planning & Environmental Sessions
At this year’s ATW, we are looking forward to some very insightful sessions with FAA and industry subject matter experts, virtual exchanges with peers, and networking with aviation industry leaders. Attendees interested in planning and environmental related issues have plenty to hear and learn about regarding the latest developments in the industry. The program will feature FAA guidance in the form of Advisory Circulars, NEPA guidance, Resiliency and Sustainability, Innovative technologies and more.
Section 163 Implementation
In 2020, FAA issued internal guidance on Section 163 of the 2018 FAA reauthorization law, which significantly reduced FAA’s role in approving non-aeronautical development projects at airports. FAA is no longer required to approve every building or project that occurs on airport land and this deregulation of airport land use will be a game changer for capital development that does not directly affect the airfield. This session will discuss the available FAA guidance regarding 163, when it applies to airport projects and lessons learned from FAA’s review of past and existing projects.
Build Back Stronger: Rethinking Airport Resiliency in the Aftermath of COVID-19
The pandemic has illustrated the dire importance of resilience planning. While airports continue to adjust their strategies to remain operational in the wake of this disruption, it is necessary that lessons learned inform a better approach to weather the next disaster. For airports to survive, and to thrive in the future, resiliency must be integrated in every aspect of the aviation industry. This session will continue the discussion initiated by the Planning & Environmental Committee of ACC in March 2021 with the release of the white paper Rethinking Airport Resiliency in the Aftermath of COVID-19.
Aviation Forecasting During Extreme Events
Throughout 2020 there was a wide range of uncertainty in previous, on-going, and certainly the newer aviation projections. While the impacts and trends during the COVID-19 pandemic were not unique to the industry, it highlighted again various issues related to the overall development, approval, and application of aviation forecasts. This session aims to address some of the challenges and best practices to consider when preparing forecasts before, during, and after a pandemic or other industry shock events.
