Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Flight Engineer
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 12700
Other Unwanted situation
General None Reported / Taken
Airport; Company Policy
For 30 plus years many of us pilots have complained about no taxi lighting on the West Ramp of Tucson International Airport. The Runway Safety Group is familiar and aware of this issue. Nothing is done. The airports answer is the same...it is noted in the Master Plan update of 5; 10; 15; 20; 30 years. No change has been made yet. There are many private hangars; an FBO; and a Community College. There have been considerable developments on other parts of the airport. It is just a pattern of poor procrastination. In any event; Safety on the West Ramp is an unused and lost word.
The reporter advised that the area involved is the 'West Ramp' located in the northwest corner of the airport complex. It is accessible by the western extension of Taxiway A1 on which there are no taxi lights or via Taxiway B off of Runway 3/21 which has two taxiway lights. There are no taxiway lights or hard surface edge lights on the West Ramp complex itself. The complex contains multiple large to small structures including an aviation related college building; rows of T-hangars; an FBO; the historically significant original terminal and a very large narrow body aircraft maintenance facility accommodating a significant number of such jets on site; surrounded by a movable fence that is put in place at night. That fence is not lighted.There is no general illumination lighting of the area either via lamp towers or atop the various buildings. There is no edge lighting to the ramp which is surrounded by desert typical land and vegetation and only a single yellow taxi line along the outer edges; which must be illuminated by the aircraft to be seen; is available for guidance.Notwithstanding the resulting visibility limitations; night operations are routinely conducted from the West Ramp.
A small aircraft instructor reports that despite many years of futile advocacy from users; the TUS airport has failed to improve the West Ramp area commensurately with the rest of the airport. The user's primary complaints are lack of area illumination and surface edge/taxiway lighting appropriate to the ongoing use of the area for night time operations.