Sedona, AZ — The SOCAA Board, at its 2 December Regular Meeting, voted unanimously in favor of two measures that
will significantly impact the long-term success of the Sedona Airport.
The first item directs measurement of the current runway pavement strength and condition of the
runway, as built. The 5,132 ft long runway was last rehabilitated in 2005 when it was widened from 75 to
100 ft. Since then, both the number of daily takeoffs and landings have increased as well as the size and
weight of the jets operating into and out of Sedona.
The purpose of the project is to enter Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 armed with numbers and data to determine
what it will take to make the runway one that will handle the larger jets that are now regularly using the
airport. This will allow design and environmental impact studies to be done and funding acquired in
advance of a FY 28 design of the project. 2030 is the end of the design life of the runway as currently
built.
The second measure approved initiation of the $173,000 design phase of a fire suppression water storage
tank and pump system. This improvement will increase the current fire suppression water capacity from
88,000 gallons to 338,000 gallons and add a 12” distribution pipe allowing further development of the
Airport Mesa. This will unlock the ability to expand the Sky Ranch Lodge as well as develop new hangars
and other aviation-related structures by 2026.
Sedona Airport General Manager, Ed Rose stated:
“In the last 5 years, use of the Sedona Airport has changed markedly. The fleet mix continues to evolve.
There are more jet aircraft utilizing Sedona. The facility’s design standards that were once sufficient to
handle the traffic no longer are and we must plan, prudently, for a future where facility standards meet
the traffic demand.
This means adapting the facility to ensure the safety of future operations by withstanding the weights and
performance characteristics of the modern aircraft that are visiting and equipping the facility with enough
fire suppression water storage capacity to support commercial development of both aviation and nonaviation
facilities, per the Airport Master Plan.
Funding for these projects is generated by the Authority’s ’s sales of aviation fuels and lease revenue.
There are no other sources (tax dollars) contributing to these critical safety projects.”
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7 Comments
The state would be much better served if there were air suppression aircraft permanently stationed here rather than farming it out to CAL Fire and Halliburton units coming in from out of state. Trump wants States Rights and Independence, a good start would be with the ability to at least pre-empt wildfire’s before the expand beyond control.
No issue with their goals, as stated here-but ” no tax money” ? False-over 90% of their budget is paid for by the Feds/state, i.e., tax money….that has always been the case.
Why pump money into a business that degrades the quality of life in Sedona? Neither locals nor visitors appreciate loud low flights over our National Forest trails, homes or accommodations. The concept of an airport between Sedona and Cottonwood should be pursued instead.
We track and document all flights in the area through an automated virtual tower system, which tracks aircraft flight path and their height over ground. That documentation is available for anyone to access.
Fixed wing pattern altitude is 1000 ft above the airport, turboprop and Jet 1500 ft, plus 500 as the airport is 500 ft above city, a plus for Sedona.
Jet traffic uses straight in and out to the runways, very seldom use patterns. There are little or new houses over the ends of the runways. The loudest a jet gets is during takeoff. They are under full power. During landing they are very quiet as power is almost at idle. On takeoff they climb very quickly. Typically they are quieter than a fixed prop single engine plane.
Helicopter tour operators through meetings with staff and the public have developed non evasive standard flight patterns.
Nobody is buzzing homes or trails in the forest. Sedona is a land grant airport, and that was done before Sedona became a city. The airport is not going anywhere.
The truth is that activity is strictly forbidden by military rules and regulations concerning flight over populated areas. This you may note has ceased since formal complaints were made to their Commanders and our Congressional representatives.
I resided 50+ miles away from the San Diego Airport and you could very very clearly hear every single jet both take off and land as they either accelerated for take off or reversed engines and flapped to slow their speed upon landing. To say jets don’t make disruptive noise during either is absurd horse crap!
Sedona ran the helicopter tour companies out of town for numerous reasons. Their numbers were too great to sustain reasonable noise levels, they were disruptive to humans and wildlife and many of the pilots were caught red handed landing at or flying too close to archaeological sites such as Tuzigoot and caused them irreparable permanent damage.
The MAGA party wants you to believe misinformation and outright lies. Don’t believe me google every aspect of what I just stated for yourself and you’ll find my words 100% factual not MAGA Alternative Facts.
The airport isn’t the problem. Using it to ignorantly practice Aircraft Carrier landings is! Absolutely zero need for any form of tactical flight training any were near Sedona. There are plenty of real aircraft carriers off the coast of Texas and CA for them to do the real thing with real world conditions. Military aircraft utilizing Sedona for fire suppression, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue are welcome. There’s zero need for fighter jets and attack helicopters squadrons to be landing here except during in flight emergencies or national security real world missions. Anything else needs to be reported and forbidden.
As usual Mr. SulLivan does not understand aviation finance. Money funding the airport comes from the profits generated from the airport, and the federal and state money comes from matching funds generated by airplane fuel tax, ticket tax and funds that support the national infrastructure. Additional local taxes are not needed, and the airport generates millions in local economic impact.