NRMA NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 11th, 2001

Welcome to the 43rd issue of NRMA News - an almost weekly, sometimes monthly, summary of events at New Richmond Municipal Airport. This newsletter is sent to approximately 165 individuals associated with NRMA.

WEB SITE ADDRESS . . . Check out the airport website at: http://www.nrairport.com

AIRPORT SECURITY AND THE STATE OF AVIATION
I attended the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics sponsored Airport Management Seminar held last week in Wisconsin Rapids. A main focus of the seminar pertained to airport security. There are no earth-shattering security mandates for general aviation airports from the FAA yet, but they could be coming soon. In the mean time, the Wisconsin BOA's on-staff security specialists are encouraging everyone to be observant, keep airplanes secured while parked on aprons, and keep your hangar locked while unattended. NRMA also has random day and night security patrols by airport personnel, motion activated digital security cameras, and increased police protection. If you witness any unusual activity, report it to me or to the St. Croix County Emergency Communications Center.

During the seminar, I was able to meet with other airport managers from around Wisconsin. We had small breakout sessions to discuss how the events of the 11th have impacted our airports. Most of the managers I spoke with complained of low fuel sales, empty hangars, and low student activity. At NRMA, things are much different. Hangar lots at NRMA are moving at an incredible speed. Three new hangar leases have been issued during the past two weeks, in addition to the 21 issued in the past year. Activity at the airport is also increasing. Last Sunday was a very busy day at the airport. I haven't confirmed this with Jay Griggs of Griggs Aviation yet, but I'm willing to bet Sunday was a record-breaking day for fuel sales. At one point on Sunday, we had four airplanes in the traffic pattern and four more waiting for departure. It's amazing what a combination of beautiful November weather, cheap fuel, available hangar space, and lack of flight restrictions will do for the local economy. 

PROJECT COMPLETED
The 120 foot addition to the parallel taxiway to runway 4-22 is now completed. Personnel from the New Richmond Street Department prepared the area and installed storm sewer while Monarch Paving paved the area last week. The new taxiway is located in front of the Baumann Floats hangar in row 10. The extended taxiway will serve a new addition to the Baumann Floats facility, which is now under construction. 

GOT HANGAR SPACE?
I routinely get calls from individuals interested in renting existing hangar space at NRMA. If any hangar owners have space for rent, or if you own an airplane and are looking for space, please let me know. E-mail me at mike@nrairport.com or call me at 715-246-7735. 

CTAF
I noticed an increase in the number of aircraft using the wrong common traffic advisory frequency at NRMA lately. NRMA changed to 122.975 last December 28th, yet I counted at least 6 people using our old frequency of 122.9 this past weekend. I highly encourage everyone to monitor 122.9 while flying near NRMA. If you hear someone using the wrong frequency, politely correct him or her. One individual pointed out the state issued Wisconsin Aeronautical chart still lists our frequency as 122.9, but the FAA VFR and IFR charts list our frequency as 122.975. Please help spread the word about our frequency change. 

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
I attended the local Planning Commission meeting held on Tuesday the 6th. A small residential housing development is planned for 1.25 miles south of NRMA. The airport was successful in placing building code and other aviation friendly restrictions on the development. The proposal will probably come before the city council in December for final approval. 

NDB INSPECTION
The Southern Avionics non-directional beacon (http://www.nrairport.com/equipment.htm) located on the eastern side of the airport underwent its six-month inspection last week. The unit was plagued by several outages last summer, but has operated continuously since early September without any problems. The summertime outages were blamed on a poor antenna connection. 

FUEL PRICES @ NRMA
100 Low Lead is $1.94 per gallon and Jet A is $1.69 per gallon. A special thanks to Jay Griggs of Griggs Aviation for keeping the fuel prices low. 

Don't forget, the common traffic advisory frequency at NRMA is now 122.975 and the AWOS frequency is 120.0.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Airport Commission Meeting - November 27th @ 6:30 PM in the Civic Center 


Changes to nrairport.com - 

The north hangar layout is updated as of November 14th! http://www.nrairport.com/new%20hangars.htm


Comments? I'd love to hear your comments/suggestions http://www.nrairport.com/comments.htm


Thanks!

Mike Demulling
NRMA Manager
mike@nrairport.com