DATE: Friday, June 6, 1997                  TAG: 9706060607

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   59 lines

UPGRADE TO RUNWAY LIGHTS WILL MEAN FEWER CANCELED FLIGHTS $7.5 MILLION PROJECT WILL MAKE AIRPORT MORE RELIABLE DURING POOR WEATHER.

Norfolk International Airport will spend $7.5 million to upgrade its landing and navigational equipment on the main runway to provide better visibility in foggy conditions.

As a result, fewer flights will have to be delayed or canceled because of weather.

About 100 flights are impacted each year at Norfolk International due to fog, with an average delay of 60 minutes, said Wayne Shank, airport deputy director.

Those delays cost airlines up to $200,000 in Norfolk and $600,000 systemwide in missed connections and canceled flights.

``We'll be able to better accommodate the local traveling public and increase our ability to accommodate activity during fog,'' Shank said. ``It's part money, and part convenience. This project will address both of those.''

Norfolk International's current landing and navigation system is classified by the Federal Aviation Administration as Category 1. The new system would bring Norfolk up to Category 2. Major hub airports are Category 3.

``Many airports the size of Norfolk, and especially airports close to the coast, have been looking at upgrading their instrument landing systems for use in inclement weather,'' Shank said.

Norfolk's primary visibility problem is fog in the early morning or late evening hours caused by temperature differences between the air and the ground.

With the current system, the runways are closed when visibility drops below half a mile. With the new system, airplanes could continue to land with only 1,200 feet of visibility.

``We would almost cut in half our visibility requirements,'' Shank said.

That means the majority of flights now impacted by weather delays would be able to operate on schedule, he said.

``Although, this won't guarantee your flight will always go,'' Shank added.

An association that represents air carriers lobbied Norfolk International for the upgrade.

``Anything that increases the flight performance, safety or capacity, the airlines generally support,'' said Dave Fuscus, spokesman for the Air Transport Association.

The move up to the next category basically requires installing more and better lights.

Existing runways lights will be upgraded to higher intensity. New lights will be added down the center line and in the touchdown zone. The electrical system will be modified to handle the increased load.

``The enhanced lighting makes it easier for the pilot to get a clearer picture of where he needs to land,'' Shank said.

Federal airport improvement funds will cover 90 percent of the $7.5 million project. The remainder will be financed with state funds.

Construction will begin in the late fall and continue for about a year. The work will be done in the middle of the night, from 12:30 to 6 a.m. when there are no scheduled commercial flights. ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC

[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]

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