RCAA Homepage Users' and Contributors' Toolbox

This segment of our homepage is designed to give our readers a chance to contribute to the pool of knowledge in the airport communities. It includes a listof subjects of interest to RCAA (other suggestions are welcome). We also have made links to web search engines and to web pageswhich might provide useful jumping off points for research in cyberspace. Because we publish our web page in HTML, we have a section on HTML resources, along with suggestions about submitting your contribution.

We are especially, but not exclusively, interested in information on the topics listed below. If you wish to make a contribution anonymously, please mail it (snail mail) to the RCAA Office. (If possible, please submit clean copies of original documents or provide some identifiable source, so we can check it out.)

LITIGATION:Information from other airport communities concerning airport noise litigation, including claims of intrusive aircraft operations, class action litigation, etc. Please leave names of attorneys, case numbers, telephone numbers, etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE: Information on unreported environmental damage at Sea-Tac including unreported fuel spills, unreported hazardous waste, leaking fuel tanks, activities conducted with environmental impact statements or permits, etc.

LIES, DAMNED LIES, & STATISTICS: Benjamin Disraeli said that there were three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. We are interested in all three, both connected with Sea-Tac and with the FAA and airports generally. We have found that the lies are like viruses: once told effectively in one airport community they rapidly spread to others. Forewarned is forearmed.

INM MODELING ABUSE: The INM Model is used to produce noise maps near airports. However, it is highly subject to "garbage in-garbage out" syndrome, and the FAA and the Port has a strong incentive to minimize the expected noise impacts. In Sea-Tac's case, incorrect flight profiles were used. Examples of manipulating the model from Sea-Tac or elsewhere are welcome.

AIR QUALITY INVENTORY MODELING ABUSE: In the Sea-Tac EIS, idle and taxi times were arbitrarily reduced to an unlikely 10 minutes apiece in order to reduce the projected air pollution levels. (Note: no actual measurements were used to verify the model.)

TRUE BENEFITS, COSTS, DAMAGES: Information on the true costs, actual benefits, and damages of the expansion of Sea-Tac as proposed in the master plan. OTHER:

Web Crawlers, Indexes, and Search Engines

This a handy collection of a few links to programs that crawl across the internet searching for key words or concepts. To learn more about searching the internet try the Internet Tutorials by the University at Albany or the Search Engine Page from the Seattle Public Library which has a comprehensive listing of current search engines with a brief description of each.

Yahoo People Finder,

Websites for Research

If you find other potentially useful sites, please let us know.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substance Release/Health Effects Database
American Association of Airport Executives AirportNet Home Page
AAAE Airport Net 1995 Federal Affairs Report - Clean Water Reauthorization
Air Transport Association of America
Air Transport Association Press Releases
Aviation Digest
Boeing: Airports With Noise Level Limits Listed by Country (78)
Endangered Species Program
FAQ on National Wetlands Inventory
The Federal Web Locator provided by the Villanova Center for Information Law and Policy
The French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research
Global Positioning System (GPS)from the Australian Surveying & Land Information Group
Global Positioning System (GPS) Measurements from USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington
The Global Positioning System (GPS) by Peter H. Dana Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin
International Air Transport Association Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Port of Seattle
A Practical Guide to Getting the Government to Work for You from the Municipal League
Russian Aviation Page
Sea-Tac International Airport (Seattle-Tacoma Washington, U.S.A.)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
U.S. Congress Web Page
U.S.D.O.T. Office of Airline Information Home Page
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration World Wide Web Server
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Northwest Mountain Region Office
U.S. Government Printing Office
U.S. House of Representatives - Internet Law Library - Code of Federal Regulations (searchable)
Washington State DOT, Public Transportation and Rail Division
Washington State Legislature Homepage

• A Beginner's Guide to HTML A basic guide to HTML formatting.
• Jumbo Shareware Inexpensive software that you can download from the internet. Includes descriptions of the program and documentation that you can read before you download.

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