Bend Municipal Airport Helicopter Operations Area

Bend, OR

Details

140,000

Annual airport Operations

40%

percent of airport operations by helicopters

3,460'

Airport altitude

Project

Century West serves as the City of Bend’s airport planning and engineering consultant responsible for a wide variety of technical project assignments. Bend Municipal Airport has seen a dramatic increase in helicopter operations over the past ten years, with helicopter traffic now accounting for half of the airport’s current 140,000 annual operations. The significant increase in activity and the unique mix of aircraft has created operational challenges at the airport to maintain safety for all users. Our previous assignments included a full airport master plan update and an environmental assessment for the airport’s new helicopter landing area.

The 2012 Airport Master Plan evaluated the issue and recommended physically separating fixed wing and rotor air traffic by developing a dedicated helicopter operations area with helipads, helicopter parking, hangars, fueling and other associated developments. The Helicopter Operations Area (HOA) was the first major project programmed from the master plan. The 2015 FAA Environmental Assessment (EA) for the helicopter facilities project, which included updated air traffic analysis, noise analysis, and a 30 percent design was required to quantify site characteristics and impacts. Century West is currently tasked with construction inspection for the project. In the process, our engineers are also extending the existing water, sewer, and storm facilities over 3,000-feet each to accommodate the new facility. As part of a large, multi-year program, the HOA project includes a combination of funding from three FAA grants, two ConnectOregon grants, and a share of City funding.
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