Kansas Department of Transportation unveils aviation information site • Tells people if their building plans require Federal Aviation Administration approval

People looking to build near an airport in Kansas have a new tool to tell them if they need approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Tiffany Brown, acting director of aviation for the Kansas Department of Transportation, said KDOT unveiled a new aviation information “portal” on Friday. It mostly will be useful to consultants and aviation planners, though the general public also can use it, she said.

The site uses mapping software so people can locate their property and put in the type of structure they want to build and how high it will be, Brown said. If the structure is more than 200 feet tall or located within five miles of an airport, the person building it will have to file with the FAA to make sure it won’t interfere with air traffic, she said.

A message will come up almost instantly in red if the proposed structure requires a filing and in green if it doesn’t, Brown said.

The portal also allows people to look up the pavement conditions of Kansas airports and their economic impacts on the city and county level, Brown said. It also has other three-dimensional mapping features useful for people who work with airports and need to know about specific space regulations, she said.

To try out the portal, visit ksaviationportal.ksdot.org.

Source:   http://cjonline.com