Board chairman voices concerns over fuel system
Group considers hosting fundraiser to bring awareness to regional facility
Problems with the Jet A fuel system at the Delta Regional Airport have brought the project to a standstill.
During a meeting of the airport’s board Monday night, members discussed issues with the Jet A system as well as the potential to host a fly-in fundraiser later this year.
Shannon Hobbs, chairman of the DRAA, said the project, which began last summer, has yet to be completed.
"Titan came and did a walkthrough on our new fuel tank and they left us about a three-page list of things that were not completed," said Hobbs. "Things were completely out of whack, such as using PVC fittings on the Jet A fuel system. Spatco is a very, very reputable company. I do not know what has happened or why it has taken so long. We started this project back in June or July and now it is January and we are still not done. They got sent a nasty letter from the engineering firm, Garver, and they are almost past their deadline."
Hobbs said that not only are there issues with the current fuel system setup, but also with how business is being conducted with Spatco.
"They have until the seventh or eighth of February to have everything on that list finished, and if not, they will begin assessing damages on them," said Hobbs. "We have picked trash up off the ground, we have picked screws up off of the runway. I can take you all out there and show you all what I am talking about. The fuel box wasn't even bolted to the ground. They used PVC fittings on the Jet A system, which is completely against code. Danny (McCollum) had a really good meeting with the Titan inspector that day and he is going to go over that information."
Airport Manager Danny McCollum discussed with board members the meeting he had with the inspector from the Titan Fuel Company.
"We were here all day just about when the inspector came," said McCollum. "They have done a lot, but they still like a lot to do. There is no dead man switch or nozzle adapter for different fueling capabilities. The meter has to be calibrated. We are supposed to drain out two gallons of fuel each day. That is what Titan says. The sump is at the bottom and you have to pump all the fuel out of the line to ensure you are pumping fresh fuel every day. That includes Saturday and Sunday. As you pump out those two gallons, you have to keep a log of it every day. If an incident occurs, they will go back and look at every place that pilot fueled up and check those logs."
(Continued from Page 1) According to Hobbs, the company has a few days left to complete the project before any action can be taken against the company.
"They are entitled to, per their contract, a certain amount of days to complete the project," said Hobbs. "If they do not have it up and completed by the seventh or eighth of February, even down to the fuel, their feet will be held to the fire. I have picked up handfuls of screws up off of the tarmac. It is not rocket science to pick up your screws and tools behind you. One day they were out there threading lines on the asphalt and left a solid puddle of oil out there. Until they make these corrections, there is not much we can do until we get to the seventh or eighth. We should have been pumping fuel on November 1. There were a few things that were more preference rather than code that were listed in the final inspection. I don't think we can do much at this time, but in a few days, Garver is going to let loose on them."
Board member Kendall Owens said he had been in contact with a pilot from St. Francis County who has shown interest in the airport and getting youth involved.
"In the meetings I had with Ellis Bell, a farmer in St. Francis County who has taken an interest to some extent in the airport, he was more interested in getting more kids and youth involved in aviation,” said Owens. “He has come to me with the idea of a fly-in. For a first year, I don't want to overshoot. We have to realize that probably 70% of St. Francis County – and I would roughly say the same for Cross County – don't even know where this airport is. We have to do something to put ourselves on the map. We don't want to conflict with other fly-ins in the state. If we have something and have the warbirds in, and even if we don't do the show, just have them sitting on the tarmac at least people get to see what it is all about. We can use it as a fundraiser as well as a way to generate traffic at the airport. We have to do something to bring more interest to the airport rather than just people reading about it in the newspaper."