Snow berms make airport dangerous for low wing planes

Buildup of snow plow berms along runways at the Colfax Airport has become a concern, particularly for airplanes with low wings.

Plowing of the runways has been somewhat restricted because of landing lights which run along the sides of the runways. Operators have to take care not to damage the lights.

At last Thursday's Port of Whitman meeting, Port Attorney Bruce Ensley asked Linda Fender, owner of Fender Air Service with her husband Darrell, if anyone was trying to use the airport. She said they have not seen any landings.

Fender Air manages the airport, formally known as the Port of Whitman Business Air Center.

"It's been a challenge," said Linda, "Right now, with the amount of snow that is at the airport, the snow's gotten on the side of the runway."

"We almost would have been better off not to have plowed, because a low-wing airplane will hit their wings," she commented.

Darrell Fender has contacted the Federal Aviation Administration every day while the snow is built-up to renew the NOTAM notice they have at the airport.

A NOTAM is "a notice to airmen containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other means," according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Fender debated whether the snow would melt fast enough or if he had to take a tractor out to knock down some of the berms to allow planes in. In the end, while they were able to knock some of the berms down, others could not because of possible damage to runway lights.

"It's just been so much snow this year, we've never had it happen like that before," Linda Fender told the port.

Like on many roadways throughout the county, drifts are what have caused a lot of the problems.

In some places at the airport, berms are low enough not to cause a problem. In other places, drifting is high enough to be a danger to low-wing aircraft.

"It's not a continuous problem," noted Darrell, who said that high drifts are the cause of the dangerous areas.

Where the snow berms are now, a low-wing plane could hit the snow berms and be damaged if they didn't stay in the exact middle the runway.

Most ag planes are low wing, which are noted to be more maneuverable in the air than the more controlled high wing airplanes.

High wing airplanes shouldn't have any difficulty landing, even with the snow berms.

"The runway is bare. It's the sides," commented Linda at the meeting.

She added she hasn't seen anyone attempting to land at the airport.

Darrell said no one has landed on the runway while he has been posting the NOTAM advisory.

"We've done our responsibility of making sure that they know, that it's very difficult right now to land," Linda said.

They have kept the runway plowed and clear enough that a low wing airplane could potentially be safe if they stayed in the exact middle of the runway. However, staying that steady is not a common ability.

The edges of the runway are so deep in places that taxiing a low wing plane through would be more akin to going through a tunnel than down a runway.