People Over Planes, Inc.  
of Contra Costa County, California
An information group providing the community with information on the operation of Buchanan Field airport from the perspective of the community.
 
 
Then and Now....   
A comparison of conditions at Buchanan Field Airport  
at the time the current plan was formulated and now.
 
Condition Then  
(current plan adopted in 1980, 
revised in 1984, and  
based on data in 1978 )		 Now 
(most recently available data have been used)
Fixed-wing operations at B.F. 
Helicopter operations ....... 
Total Operations..............		   350,000 per year (1978) 
  insignificant  
  350,000 per year		     134,500 (1998 est.) 
  ~  82,000 (1998 est. *) 
  ~216,500 per year (1998) 
   (38% decrease)
Total Hours hours flown by General Aviation aircraft nationwide as estimated  
by AOPA**.		   39.4 million hours (1978) 
 		    26.1 million hours (1996) 
    (34% decrease)
     
NTSB Nationwide  
accident data. 
(As provided by  AOPA**) 		   12.08 accidents per  
100,000 hours flown. (1978) 
 		   7.51 accidents per  
100,000 hours flows (1997) 
  (38% decrease)
    4.46  fatalities per per 100,000 hours flown. (1978) 
 		   2.62 fatalities per per 100,000 hours flown. (1978) 
  (41% decrease)
Estimated Accident risk 
at Buchanan Field: 

This number is equal to the 
Operations at B.F. multiplied by the Nationwide accident rate, and divided by 100,000.

   42.28 (fixed-wing&helicptr) 
  42.28 (fixed-wing only)** 

  ** this number is provided  
for the Bisso and Syufy properties, which do not have significant helicopter overflights from the  hcptr training loop.

   16.25  (61.6% decrease) 
  10.06  (76.2% decrease) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=> if one assumes that the nationwide accident rate is reflective of the accident rate at Buchanan Field, and if one assumes that the operations at Buchanan Field is proportional to the number of hours flown by aircraft associated with Buchanan Field, then one can estimate that safety has increased by a factor of 2.5 (corresponding to 61.6% decrease in estimated accident risk). 
     
Total aircraft @ Buchanan 
   Fixed-wing planes 
   Helicopters		 > 634 (1990 number) 
  > 632 (1990 estimate) 
      ~2  (1990 estimate)		 580 (at least an 8% decrease) 
  548 (at least a 13% decrease) 
    32 (1,500% increase)
Nationwide Active General Aviation Aircraft as estimated by  AOPA**.  For year 1978  
198,778-total 
183,821-piston fixed-wing 
    5,314-rotocraft 
    5,608-turbo prop & jet		 For year 1995 (most recent) 
181,341 total (9% decrease) 
145,454 piston(21% decr.) 
     5,117 rotocraft( 4% decr.) 
     9,107 turbo (62% increase)
Active aircraft, nationwide,  
   per 100,000 people		 88.1 aircraft (1978) 
 
 
 
 
 
 		 69.3 aircraft (1995) 
  (21% decrease) 

Buchanan Field currently has 129 aircraft per 100,000 people in central County.  
(central county pop. 450,000)
     
Nationwide General Aviation Aircraft Shipments (i.e., new aircraft sold per year) (data provided by  AOPA**) 17,811 G.A. planes (1978) 
 		   1,569 G.A. planes (1997) 
  (93% decrease)
Cost of the least- 
expensive Cessna plane... 
 
 

(Click Here to  
 Visit Cessna) 
 
 

  Our best estimate for 1978 comes from Arnold Petersen's best recollection: 

    $30,000   (airframe only) 
   (add $30,000 for avionics) 

E-MAIL us if you have a better estimate.  

   
$137,600   (airframe only) 
   (add $13,700 for avionics)
     
Nationwide Active Pilot Certifications Held as estimated by  AOPA**.   798,833 (1978)   616,340 (1997) 
  (23% decrease)
Nationwide Student Pilot Certifications held as estimated by  AOPA**   204,874 (1978)    96,101 (1997) 
  (53% decrease)
U.S. Population 
 		  225.6 million (1978) 
 		  271.1 million (1998) 
 
Percentage of the population who are pilots.   0.35%   0.23%
     
 
* The estimate of Helicopter operations was stated by the consultant for the update plan, Shutt-Moen Associates.  The control tower only keeps a count of total operations; it does not keep separate counts for helicopter and fixed-wing operations.  The number of total operations for 1998 (216,500) is a reported number, and not an estimate.
** AOPA -- is the acronym for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.  This is how  AOPA describes itself:  
"With a membership base of more than 340,000, or half of all pilots in the United States, AOPA is the largest, most influential aviation association in the world.  AOPA has achieved its prominent position through effective advocacy, enlightened leadership, technical competence, and hard work.  Providing member services that range from representation at the federal, state, and local levels to legal services, advice, and other assistance, AOPA has built a service organization that far exceeds any other in the aviation community. "
 
While the economy has been expanding in the 1990's, operations at Buchanan field have been declining.  Operations at Buchanan Field were down roughly 5% for 1998 over 1997.  While a portion of this decline has been attributed to El Nino by Airport Management, activity has been down by roughly 4% during the past summer months, when there was clear weather.  

According the the Airport Manager, 2/3rds of the airport's income now comes from non-aviation sources, such as Sam's Club, Sports Mart , the Golf Course, and the Sheraton Hotel.  Aviation generated income to the airport is now less than $660,000 per year. 
 
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