HighLight Heading
June 2003
AirTAP training priorities, toolkit are topics at Airport Symposium
Attendees of the 2003 Minnesota Airport Symposium not only had an opportunity to give input on future directions for the AirTAP Program, they also were treated to the latest AirTAP product Flying High: A Marketing Toolkit for Minnesota Airports.
The Airport Technical Assistance Program, or AirTAP, is a statewide program launched in 2000 through the joint efforts of Mn/DOT, the Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA), and CTS. The program seeks to help both public- and private-sector airport professionals improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of airport operations and increase the use of new materials, practices, and technology.
Two AirTAP sessions were part of the April 15-17 symposium. The first, a general AirTAP update, began with an introduction by Peter Buchen of Mn/DOT's Aeronautics Office, who is also the chair of the AirTAP Steering Committee. Cheri Marti, CTS assistant director, then reviewed the growing list of AirTAP activities, such as the ongoing workshop series, targeted publications, and a best practices compilation. The session then broke into small groups to explore priority training topics and gain a better understanding of how AirTAP can evolve to meet its users' needs.
At the second session, Jim Grothaus, CTS technology transfer engineer, provided an overview of Flying High: A Marketing Toolkit for Minnesota Airports, and Ann Johnson, AirTAP consultant, walked attendees through the toolkit components. The toolkit includes:
- results of a study that shows the impact of Minnesota airports and airfields
- easy-to-implement ideas that will help airports build support for their operations
- a ready-to-use presentation in PowerPoint and a ready-to-distribute fact sheet, as well as a script with talking points
- other information and resources
All the materials in the toolkit are included on an accompanying CD-ROM and will be posted on the AirTAP Web site (www.airtap.umn.edu) later this summer.
To obtain a copy of the toolkit or get on the mailing list to receive AirTAP training information and publications, contact CTS at 612-626-1077. To receive more information about AirTAP, contact Grothaus at 612-625-8373, jgrothaus@cts.umn.edu.