b'GROUND SUPPORTDSM 21record for annual passenger traffic thanks to an impressive post- Torp says his team likes the electric drive with solar array, and COVID recovery.the fully enclosed tunnel that shields passengers from inclement Now thriving, the Iowa airport is ready to expand. So the projectweather.team had to figure out how to effectively serve a growing numberBeing up north, we get everything from rain to snow, ice, sleet of aircraft and passengers while the terminal was hampered duringand all that good stuff, he says. We also appreciate that the construction.operation of the unit appeared to be simple enough for our airline Prior to the start of the terminal project, we had 12 physicalpartners to be able to utilize without significant training. That was jet bridges with 20 parking spaces around the terminal, Torpdefinitely a selling point. All in all, we got exactly what we were says. We had some dual-service gates that served two differentlooking for. spots, which added a complexity of its own. But now, we have 13Foth Infrastructure and Environment, which led design, dedicated spots, period. construction administration and observation for the project, helped That prompted the project team to assess the availableDSM determine how to incorportate the Continental Aviramp infrastructure and evaluate its options. Operations personnelinto its airfield layout. The project team added the portable ramp determined that the airport could convert a vehicle parking lotafter the remote parking design was already finished, and Foth just south of the terminal into additional apron space for overnightdetermined how it would fit, how to store it between flights and aircraft parking. Ultimately, that yielded five additional spacesfourwhere to anchor the tie-downs. for narrow-body aircraft and one for regional airliners.Being a mid-construction change, we As were working through that, we start to discuss contingencydouble-checked the parking locations to operations and how we would potentially deal with a constrainedmake sure the realignment of the Aviramp was terminal facility and the potential for diversions on top of any otherminimized, says Andrew Gettler, a Foth project irregular events, Torp says.manager who has been working with DSM for 10 years. In two of the positions there is not Torp and his team knew that two of DSMs major constraintsenough room to move up and back; based on would be overnight parking and adjusting its passenger handlingthe layout we had to implement, one of theANDREW GETTLERprocesses accordingly. What are we going to do if we have a diversion come in, or if we need to deplane passengers at one of those remote spots? Torp wondered. The airport had an existing set of mobile boarding stairs, but it wouldnt be acceptable for passengers who cant traverse stairs. Project planners determined that the airport needed to procure additional equipment and modify the fence line to add remote positions for boarding and deplaning. Between engaging Aviramp in 2022 and awarding it the bid in 2023, DSM project personnel homed in on one of the companys ramps that can be moved between remote parking positions to board and deplane passengers from narrow body aircraft.Ramping UpLee Burrows, Aviramps installation, parts and customer service manager, says one of the reasons DSM chose the companys Continental model for narrow body aircraft is because oneProud to partner person can operate it via full remote control. Inwith DSM in addition, the ramps hydraulic drive system canLEE BURROWS providing a better be powered by a solar-powered electric motor.passenger experience.The ramp can also be outfitted with a small diesel motor, but DSM preferred the more environmentally friendly solar option. WWW.FOTH.COM/MARKETS/AIRPORTSRamp components are designed and manufactured at Aviramps facility in the Midlands, U.K., and then loaded into 40-foot-highENGINEERING SOLUTIONSshipping containers like giant Erector sets. A contracted team inTHAT ELEVATE PROJECT SUCCESSIowa received the shipment and assembled the pieces.We train the local team on how to use the ramp safely, Burrows emphasizes. Once thats completed, we sign off the ISOAirside & Landside EngineeringProgram Managementcertification. Essentially, we do the whole thing from start to finish. AirportImprovement.comOctober 2024'