Narrative:

I wish to report the approach end of runway 28 was a safety disaster waiting to happen because of a non FAA approved turn around blister being used as a run-up area for small aircraft. The blister is not large enough to produce a 125 ft hold line from the center of the runway. Furthermore, at that time, the blister and first 300 ft of runway 28 were marked with yellow chevrons which made the blister and 300 ft a non-taxi area. At that time aircraft were still taxiing into the non-taxi area sitting in the rpz/clear zone doing run-ups and waiting for landing traffic to land directly over them. In response to my concern, the FAA demanded a fix and the current consulting engineer came up with a ridiculous fix to establish a 125 ft hold line on the grass parallel taxiway just off of the blister area. To make things worse they engineered taxiway lights blocking the entrance to runway 28. Then the chevrons were not removed in accordance with AC 150/5340-1H which requires chemical or sandblasting removal and very specifically not painted over. The chevrons were painted over with black paint over a white runway and a yellow taxi for takeoff line was installed. These black markings have now completely distorted the approach end of runway 28 giving the illusions of aircraft sitting on the active runway and completely blocking the numbers 28. Now, with a yellow taxi-for-takeoff line on the over-run blister. Even pilots who knew what yellow chevrons depicted don't realize they cannot stop and situation in the blister area waiting for traffic to land over top of them completely eliminating the landing acfts rpz/clear zone. The non-FAA approved blister area gives the uninformed pilots the idea this is a hold for takeoff area when in fact they are in violation and causing a safety problem if windshear should render a short landing of the many jets trying to land on our short runway. The last straw was recently when I was on the GPS 28 approach with 1 mi visibility and low ceiling and late caught the runway visually only to find 2 airplanes sitting in the taxi for takeoff blister. I could not determine what they were going to do so I went missed and when I came back they were gone. The very least solution to this problem is to have the non-FAA approved blister removed as soon as possible. So it will not encourage non-informed pilots to operate in the hold position in the rpz/clear zone. The correct way to do away with all these problems is to construct a new short taxiway between the present turn around area located at the 3500 ft area of runway 10 and the non FAA approved blister at the 4700 ft area of runway 10. Position this new short taxiway the correct distance parallel to the runway and create proper designated hold lines 125 ft from runway centerline. This would provide 1200 ft of taxiway and hold area for departing aircraft and bring the rpz/clear zone back into the system. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter claims the only taxiway on the airport is grass and pointed out that it becomes unusable during inclement WX and during the winter months. He also relayed that his aircraft could not use the subject taxiway under any circumstances. The reporter contends the only legally separated area for aircraft to hold, while awaiting departure, is the grass taxiway which does have some type of hold line depictions. He relayed that aircraft routinely hold on the blister area at the approach end of runway 28 which is not clear of landing traffic. The reporter alleges that he recently landed in marginal WX conditions and had to overfly two other aircraft awaiting release in the blister area. He expressed extreme frustration with airport management personnel, their management of available funding and application of FAA required taxiway/runway separation standards.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING RUN UP AREA CLRNC FROM RWY AT C65.

Narrative: I WISH TO REPORT THE APCH END OF RWY 28 WAS A SAFETY DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF A NON FAA APPROVED TURN AROUND BLISTER BEING USED AS A RUN-UP AREA FOR SMALL ACFT. THE BLISTER IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO PRODUCE A 125 FT HOLD LINE FROM THE CENTER OF THE RWY. FURTHERMORE, AT THAT TIME, THE BLISTER AND FIRST 300 FT OF RWY 28 WERE MARKED WITH YELLOW CHEVRONS WHICH MADE THE BLISTER AND 300 FT A NON-TAXI AREA. AT THAT TIME ACFT WERE STILL TAXIING INTO THE NON-TAXI AREA SITTING IN THE RPZ/CLR ZONE DOING RUN-UPS AND WAITING FOR LNDG TFC TO LAND DIRECTLY OVER THEM. IN RESPONSE TO MY CONCERN, THE FAA DEMANDED A FIX AND THE CURRENT CONSULTING ENGINEER CAME UP WITH A RIDICULOUS FIX TO ESTABLISH A 125 FT HOLD LINE ON THE GRASS PARALLEL TXWY JUST OFF OF THE BLISTER AREA. TO MAKE THINGS WORSE THEY ENGINEERED TXWY LIGHTS BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE TO RWY 28. THEN THE CHEVRONS WERE NOT REMOVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AC 150/5340-1H WHICH REQUIRES CHEMICAL OR SANDBLASTING REMOVAL AND VERY SPECIFICALLY NOT PAINTED OVER. THE CHEVRONS WERE PAINTED OVER WITH BLACK PAINT OVER A WHITE RWY AND A YELLOW TAXI FOR TKOF LINE WAS INSTALLED. THESE BLACK MARKINGS HAVE NOW COMPLETELY DISTORTED THE APCH END OF RWY 28 GIVING THE ILLUSIONS OF ACFT SITTING ON THE ACTIVE RWY AND COMPLETELY BLOCKING THE NUMBERS 28. NOW, WITH A YELLOW TAXI-FOR-TKOF LINE ON THE OVER-RUN BLISTER. EVEN PLTS WHO KNEW WHAT YELLOW CHEVRONS DEPICTED DON'T REALIZE THEY CANNOT STOP AND SIT IN THE BLISTER AREA WAITING FOR TFC TO LAND OVER TOP OF THEM COMPLETELY ELIMINATING THE LNDG ACFTS RPZ/CLR ZONE. THE NON-FAA APPROVED BLISTER AREA GIVES THE UNINFORMED PLTS THE IDEA THIS IS A HOLD FOR TKOF AREA WHEN IN FACT THEY ARE IN VIOLATION AND CAUSING A SAFETY PROB IF WINDSHEAR SHOULD RENDER A SHORT LNDG OF THE MANY JETS TRYING TO LAND ON OUR SHORT RWY. THE LAST STRAW WAS RECENTLY WHEN I WAS ON THE GPS 28 APCH WITH 1 MI VIS AND LOW CEILING AND LATE CAUGHT THE RWY VISUALLY ONLY TO FIND 2 AIRPLANES SITTING IN THE TAXI FOR TKOF BLISTER. I COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO SO I WENT MISSED AND WHEN I CAME BACK THEY WERE GONE. THE VERY LEAST SOLUTION TO THIS PROB IS TO HAVE THE NON-FAA APPROVED BLISTER REMOVED ASAP. SO IT WILL NOT ENCOURAGE NON-INFORMED PLTS TO OPERATE IN THE HOLD POS IN THE RPZ/CLR ZONE. THE CORRECT WAY TO DO AWAY WITH ALL THESE PROBS IS TO CONSTRUCT A NEW SHORT TXWY BTWN THE PRESENT TURN AROUND AREA LOCATED AT THE 3500 FT AREA OF RWY 10 AND THE NON FAA APPROVED BLISTER AT THE 4700 FT AREA OF RWY 10. POS THIS NEW SHORT TXWY THE CORRECT DISTANCE PARALLEL TO THE RWY AND CREATE PROPER DESIGNATED HOLD LINES 125 FT FROM RWY CENTERLINE. THIS WOULD PROVIDE 1200 FT OF TXWY AND HOLD AREA FOR DEPARTING ACFT AND BRING THE RPZ/CLEAR ZONE BACK INTO THE SYSTEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR CLAIMS THE ONLY TXWY ON THE ARPT IS GRASS AND POINTED OUT THAT IT BECOMES UNUSABLE DURING INCLEMENT WX AND DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. HE ALSO RELAYED THAT HIS ACFT COULD NOT USE THE SUBJECT TXWY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THE RPTR CONTENDS THE ONLY LEGALLY SEPARATED AREA FOR ACFT TO HOLD, WHILE AWAITING DEP, IS THE GRASS TXWY WHICH DOES HAVE SOME TYPE OF HOLD LINE DEPICTIONS. HE RELAYED THAT ACFT ROUTINELY HOLD ON THE BLISTER AREA AT THE APCH END OF RWY 28 WHICH IS NOT CLR OF LNDG TFC. THE RPTR ALLEGES THAT HE RECENTLY LANDED IN MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS AND HAD TO OVERFLY TWO OTHER ACFT AWAITING RELEASE IN THE BLISTER AREA. HE EXPRESSED EXTREME FRUSTRATION WITH ARPT MGMNT PERSONNEL, THEIR MGMNT OF AVAILABLE FUNDING AND APPLICATION OF FAA REQUIRED TXWY/RWY SEPARATION STANDARDS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.