Course News
OLLI Class Goes Behind the Scenes at RDU
Duke OLLI participants were privileged to get a first-hand look at airport plans and operations at our Raleigh-Durham International Airport as part of the “History of Aviation and Airports” course. Twenty-four participants from current and past classes joined instructor Jack Gartner for a briefing and behind-the-scenes tour on October 7 th . The group was met at the Airport Authority Conference Room by Bill Sandifer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. Mr. Sandifer gave a comprehensive presentation on the airport, covering its history, the scope of air service provided at RDU, strategic planning in the airport’s Vision 2040 document, and the financial challenges facing the airport over the coming years.
The RDU airport had its beginning in the years leading up to World War II and has grown to offer service from ten airlines and serve nearly 13 million passengers a year. This number, a 40% increase since 2010, is driving the need to implement the Vision 2040 plan even faster than anticipated. The number of actual enplanements in 2019 wasn’t projected until 2031, so Airport Authority board and staff are rapidly updating the plan. This acceleration is driving funding challenges for the airport. Requirements have grown from $2.7B to $3.7B and include such projects as maintenance/repair of current runways and taxiways, expansion of passenger terminals, building of a rental car/parking facility between the current terminals, and construction of a new, longer runway to accommodate increased traffic and longer routes.
Mr. Sandifer and his team brought home the practical impact of these issues in a bus tour of the airport environment. The group was able to see the security measures that protect the airport ramp, taxiway, and runway areas; facilities that airlines use to service their aircraft; the cargo terminal area—a part of airport operations largely unseen by the passenger population but one that affects them every day, as they wait on that Amazon package to arrive at their door; and ongoing runway repair activity on one of the major runways.
The tour was capped off by a group picture “on the numbers” at the approach end of Runway 23R, RDU’s longest runway—for now. The trip was a great opportunity to get an inside look at the ups and downs of daily airport operations and learn how airport leaders and staff balance the demands of today’s work activity with the critical need to plan and prepare for operations
that will be demanded ten years from now.
Michael Crane
Duke OLLI participants were privileged to get a first-hand look at airport plans and operations at our Raleigh-Durham International Airport as part of the “History of Aviation and Airports” course. Twenty-four participants from current and past classes joined instructor Jack Gartner for a briefing and behind-the-scenes tour on October 7 th . The group was met at the Airport Authority Conference Room by Bill Sandifer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. Mr. Sandifer gave a comprehensive presentation on the airport, covering its history, the scope of air service provided at RDU, strategic planning in the airport’s Vision 2040 document, and the financial challenges facing the airport over the coming years.
The RDU airport had its beginning in the years leading up to World War II and has grown to offer service from ten airlines and serve nearly 13 million passengers a year. This number, a 40% increase since 2010, is driving the need to implement the Vision 2040 plan even faster than anticipated. The number of actual enplanements in 2019 wasn’t projected until 2031, so Airport Authority board and staff are rapidly updating the plan. This acceleration is driving funding challenges for the airport. Requirements have grown from $2.7B to $3.7B and include such projects as maintenance/repair of current runways and taxiways, expansion of passenger terminals, building of a rental car/parking facility between the current terminals, and construction of a new, longer runway to accommodate increased traffic and longer routes.
Mr. Sandifer and his team brought home the practical impact of these issues in a bus tour of the airport environment. The group was able to see the security measures that protect the airport ramp, taxiway, and runway areas; facilities that airlines use to service their aircraft; the cargo terminal area—a part of airport operations largely unseen by the passenger population but one that affects them every day, as they wait on that Amazon package to arrive at their door; and ongoing runway repair activity on one of the major runways.
The tour was capped off by a group picture “on the numbers” at the approach end of Runway 23R, RDU’s longest runway—for now. The trip was a great opportunity to get an inside look at the ups and downs of daily airport operations and learn how airport leaders and staff balance the demands of today’s work activity with the critical need to plan and prepare for operations
that will be demanded ten years from now.
Michael Crane