The City of Driggs, ID, which has provided us a wonderful full-service airport, is proposing, to reduce noise impact and meet FAA regulations, to move the airport runway 2,000 ft. to the North. This will require shortening the available runway for much of this Summer by 2,000 ft., during construction at the North end.

They will then close the airport for 1+ months while they dig up the 'unused' runway at the South end. We feel there is a better way to utilize that portion of the runway than discarding it.

A "Stopway" could be created from the unused runway, (shown below), which would be available for emergency use only in overruns and aborted takeoffs, marked with yellow chevron lines and red lighting at night. The Stopway would be available for testing for several Winters, to see if it prevents aircraft damage from overruns and aborted takeoffs ... and then continued, shortened or removed as necessary.

The major safety concern is due to the fact that when the runway was widened, around 15 years ago, the downhill grade from North to South was required to be leveled at both ends of the runway for a length of approximately 2,000 ft .. which gives North landing aircraft a more level surface to touch down on, and South landing aircraft a more level surface to decelerate and stop on.

With the new proposal that more-level area of the South end of Runway 22 is being removed, so the last 3,000 ft. of runway for aircraft landing from the North will now be all downhill. That may result in problems with runway overruns and aircraft damage especially during the Winter months. The same problem could occur with an aborted takeoff heading to the South.

The preservation of that 2,000 ft. of more-level runway, and conversion to a Stopway, will not change the proposed runway 'shift' project in any way, will not slow its construction, and in fact it should allow it to be completed a month sooner, AND it will remove the requirement to close the airport for 1+ months this Fall, and it will be less expensive .. or at least delay the expense of digging up perfectly good runway until sometime in the future ... if necessary.

We see no reason why the city of Driggs should not consider this proposal for a safer runway 'shift' project, and propose, and endorse, this small Stopway alteration to the FAA. We hope this petition will indicate the support of pilots, especially those flying in and out of Driggs.

SIMPLER, SAFER, QUICKER, AND LESS EXPENSIVE .. WHY NOT?

Thank you Driggs, ID for all you are doing for the general and business aviation community. Let's work together to get this improvement done.