DeKalb County Airport Authority, Runway 9-27 NAVAIDS

Burns led designs for relocating runway navigational aids (NAVAIDS), enabling the airport to accommodate larger aircraft.

DeKalb County Airport extended the Northeast Indiana airport’s 5,000-foot runway to 7,100 feet long, increasing capacity for the public airport. The $9-million project expanded Runway 9-27’s pavement, safety zones, and airfield infrastructure.

Butler, Fairman & Seufert Civil Engineering (BF&S) partnered with Burns to accommodate the runway relocation. Burns’ role involved:

Evaluation of the reconfiguration’s impact on NAVAIDS performance
Design of new ground lighting and navigational systems
Coordination of existing infrastructure decommissioning
Oversight of facility relocation and infrastructure installation

Burns led the electrical design and coordinated with Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for the following system reconfigurations:

Instrument Landing System (ILS), relocating the Glide Slope antenna array tower with a new shelter
Medium Intensity Approach Light System with Runway Alignment Indicator Lights (MALSR), relocating all light stations, power, and control rack with a new shelter
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) and Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL) visual guidance approach system

Runway construction completed in 2023. NAVAIDS reconfiguration is scheduled to complete in 2024.

Location

Auburn, IN

Client

DeKalb County Airport Authority

Industry

Aviation

Expertise

Airfield Systems

Key Team Members