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Dancing at the New York Crystal Dance Studio

Dancing at the New York Crystal Dance Studio

As boys growing up in West Islip, our favorite sport was baseball. We walked and talked baseball and often took our heroes names while playing. I remember my mother saying, “If you want to make the double play like Pee Wee Reese, you should learn to tap dance. That’s what Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges did!” I inquired, “Mom, what do you mean?” And mom said, “You have to have great foot work to make the double play at second base and to receive the throws at first base. They took dancing lessons to become better fielders.”

To my amazement, I learned mom knew what a double play was and thus knew the secret of my heroes’ success. This solidified in my mind for time eternal that mothers know everything! But I never took dance lessons and never learned to dance.

*****
Our friends Joan, Rich, Pam and Dennis love to go to dinner and dancing. As beautiful dancers, they know the subtleties of leading and following. My wife, Joni, always wanted to dance but I was a stick in the mud and preferred to sit out. After attending enough gatherings and weddings where you sit with people you don’t know, can’t hear, and watching our friends have so much fun, Joni put her foot down and said we were taking dance lessons. And as a dutifully “trained” husband I uttered the words all husbands know, “yes, dear.” There are three things you learn when you get married and they are, “Yes dear, anything you say dear and it is for the children dear.” Once you learn all three, you’ll have a happy wife and a happy life!

*****

The New York Crystal Dance Studio is located in West Islip at the intersection of Higbie Lane and Udall Road. Every conceivable dance instruction is available. Joni and I enrolled in ballroom dancing. At my age I figured I wasn’t going to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers and what the hell, they moved to LA anyway.

New York Crystal is a wonderful studio to learn ballroom dancing especially for someone who has absolutely no clue where to begin. The owner of the studio is Rosalie and our instructor’s name is Joe. Marjorie and Phyllis instruct group and individual lessons as well. And I need all their help. One is continually amazed with their patience, teaching ability, cajoling and sense of humor. You quickly conclude they love to dance and they impart their knowledge excellently.

I think Joe must have experience as a diplomat and could be the US representative to the United Nations. I am sure it has been very difficult for him, as he has had to teach me that I have to move both my left and right feet. Once you learn a step, store it in memory, Joe might say something like, “by the way Hank, you have to lead.” Oh, oh! To prevent utter panic from setting in, you must think like a chess player. You have to decide your next step ahead of time in order to lead it correctly. Two people should dance as one.

There are many people who take lessons at Rosalie’s dance studio. The more experienced dancers assure you that they too started not knowing how to dance when they joined. That is difficult to believe when you see how gracefully they glide around the dance floor whether doing foxtrot, Viennese waltz or tango at the Friday evening dance parties. It was at one of these events, we encountered my former West Islip high school world studies and economics teacher, Mr. William Angelos.

I reintroduced myself to Mr. Angelos and then introduced him to Joni. When we were in school, some classmates called Mr. Angelos, the big A. I always called him, Uncle Bill. He remembered me as one of his erstwhile students from many years ago. My favorite classroom lesson was when he explained the “Law of Supply and Demand”. His words were, “If there is a shortage of baseballs, what happens to the cost of a ticket to see a game?” Uncle Bill knew how to make me think. On this particular Friday evening, Uncle Bill explained he had been dancing for four years and said he wished he had started sooner. He then explained to Joni about being a kid growing up and that it was more important to play baseball than to learn to dance. Joni couldn’t believe hearing the same story that I had subscribed to for so many years, reconfirmed by Mr. Angelos.

This was the culture of our time. Both teacher and student never learned to dance because it was more important to play ball. The attitude transcended generations. I know I never gave dancing a thought but I should have. The teenage girls I would have wanted to impress would have preferred to dance rather than watch a baseball game. That attitude transcended generations as well, because wives are the same. Given the choice of attending a major league baseball game or going dancing, most wives will opt for dancing.

*****

Everyone who takes ballroom dancing starts by learning the basic Foxtrot steps. To maintain marital bliss, one tries to avoid stepping on your partner’s toes. You try to take two steps forward, two to the side and then and two steps back. I didn’t catch on to this very quickly. About twenty minutes into our first lesson, Joe said, “Hank, there is a pattern.” A light went off in my head. These words mean there is a plan! As an engineer I have the innate ability to count to four and because there is a plan, there is hope. Joni is elated because she knows that if there is a plan, I’ll figure it out. With Joe’s tactful instruction, and Rosalie acting as marriage counselor, we came back for another lesson. After a few lessons, Joni decided to place her toes way back so I wouldn’t step on them and that we better purchase dance shoes.

New York Crystal Dance Studio offers beginner’s group lessons on Saturday. Thus, we entered Marjorie’s world. It is not exactly the Eagles’ “Hotel California” or the rigors of basic training in the Army but more like tough love administered with the aim to make you as good a dancer as you want to be. Knowing she is dealing with an elementary school child’s mentality, Marjorie may use an expression like, “Simon says watch”! You may watch all you like but then you have to do what you were observing. It wasn’t long before I was in Marjorie’s doghouse.

Marjorie also teaches the Wednesday evening intermediate group. I told one of the fellows in that group that I’ve been in Marjorie’s doghouse for a while. With a smile in his eye he said, “We all are. Once you’re in, you never get out!” When summer arrives Marge takes vacation. Phyllis takes over her classes and uses another approach that doesn’t employ a doghouse. She’ll ask you to dance and she’ll follow your lead. If you lead well, all is fine. If you don’t, Phyllis will follow you just the same and very quickly you realize, “Oops, I should have done something!” If Rosalie is teaching you to lead a step, she’ll use an ample supply of abrupt exaggeration and/or imitation to make sure she gets her point across about what you did and what you should have done.

It is fun to observe the interplay between instructors. Rosalie holds court and gives as well as she gets. Sometimes Joe will needle Marjorie a bit and get her going. He easily makes Phyllis laugh and he does it all the time. Their laughter is light and contagious. The spirit and the enjoyment is all in fun and the result is fun for all!!! So if you want to have some fun and learn to dance, try New York Crystal Dance Studio.

Veterans’ Day 2005

Veterans’ Day 2005
Henry W. Hessing

In autumn when leaves change colors and begin to fall, raking becomes a full time occupation. Football season is in full stride. Temperatures become brisk. Children and adults celebrate Halloween. Many look forward to Thanksgiving and warm holiday meals shared with family and friends. And between these holidays are muted days that inspire contemplation.

Veterans’ Day is one of those days. It is very deliberate in terms of historical fact - the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – the time specified to remember those who have died for our freedom.

Who were they? Who were those who gave their lives?

They were the young. During a ceremony in 1985, our President said, “In a sense they gave up two lives, the one they lived and the one they never had the chance to live - the opportunity to be husbands, parents or grandparents.” Sometimes the remembered are honored with parades, ceremonies and speeches.

Maya Ying Lin’s concept for the Viet Nam Memorial was to create a quiet place within the Constitution Gardens. It has been described as, “Polished black granite reflecting the images of the surrounding trees, lawns, monuments and visitors. The walls seem to stretch into the distance towards the Washington Monument to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.”

Some visitors trace the names of their loved ones from the polished walls. Others place flowers at the base. Silently we read the names and dates. Our mind creates images of their faces and smiles. On these ebony walls, we see their reflections. We remember their earnestness, dedication, sense of honor, and their valor. Through quiet radiance emanating from solemn experience, those of us who served in Viet Nam, sense an enormous grief. On the cheeks of the living, we see tears of sorrow.

We remember 58,178 gentle heroes. We shall always remember.

Public Service or Politics?

Public Service or Politics?


It seems to me most elected officials have it backwards. Did our founding fathers have in mind making a career out of public office? Did they intend for our civil servants to ensconce themselves in a position, build power bases and parlay that support into higher, more powerful office? Did they intend for our leaders, at any level, to spend their time in office ensuring their own reelection rather than serving the constituency? I think not, on all three counts.

For those who believe in the electoral process and yet support the political games played by incumbents and challengers alike (a “necessary evil”), the following alternative may have appeal. What if we did away with the description of our government as a “democracy” and replaced it with what it truly is, “power politics”? What if we advertised for leaders the way major corporations advertise for CEOs? What if political office was qualification based rather than influence based? Imagine.

Major universities would offer degrees in public service. Just as an MBA or other advanced degree is now necessary for consideration to corporate leadership positions, our government positions would require doctoral equivalents. We would identify our future political leaders at an early age, train them for maximum effectiveness throughout the educational process, and pit them against one another in a manner that would allow the candidates to spell out exactly what they would do to improve our quality of life if elected. Then, we would hold them to their promises, exactly. There would be no tolerance for even minor deviation, as this would be considered just cause for dismissal.

The citizenry would cast their votes for the candidate who offers the most benefit for the lowest price. Much the same way we purchase goods and services in the private sector, we would be able to purchase the public services we desire by simply casting our ballot. Efficiency would be rewarded, while waste would be punished. Zap! Gone would be those $750 ball peen hammers the pentagon is so fond of ordering. Gone, too, would be pork barrel legislation and inefficient tactics such as filibustering, posturing and grandstanding. Our elected officials would have no need of these time-wasters. Budgets at every level would be drawn prior to election, and be voted in as a mandate along with the winning candidate. Taxes would be paid in accordance with the wishes of the majority of voters, and would cover the budget dollars, exactly. There would be no deficits, and no surpluses, no need for “creative accounting”, lying and cooking the books. We would get what we pay for.
From the standpoint of the citizen, if the power to rule were to be turned over to the voting public, politicians would become public servants. Their power would be diminished while the common man's power would be increased. If agreements were proposed prior to election, and those agreements were supported by a majority of the electorate, then we would be able to enforce the agreements as if they were binding contracts. The contracts would carry a provision whereby the terms must be adhered to exactly, or the "leader" (administrator) would be terminated. His whole function in office would be to carry out the terms of his agreement with the electorate. Failing this, someone else would be hired to complete it.
True leaders are people who recognize the need for free market mechanics. The problem with this is-where is the man or woman who will set aside his/her own ego and allow the forces of the market to act? We have had so many promising politicians who have attempted to tweak the system in order to get it to do what they think it should be doing, rather than recognizing the perfection of the system, non-interruptus. Alan Greenspan is a perfect example. He fiddles with interest rates many times a year, only to meddle instead of steer. Steering is impossible if the system is to work. Guiding is ego-driven, and will only stall, or prevent, the success we would enjoy were the market to fluctuate in its own way, in its own time.

The current disease in US politics is caused by the concept of "public interest." For example, an honest idealistic person is elected to congress. Day one, he is accosted by four lobbyists. The first demands a tariff increase on certain imports to protect his group's industry - which he claims serves the public. The second lobbyist asserts it will benefit the public if his group gets a subsidy to help its members survive "brutal competition." The third insists that it will help the public if members of his group are given license to be the exclusive providers of a certain service. The fourth says the public will be better off if unions are made illegal in his industry. The next day a new group of lobbyists asks for favors. These requests conflict with those of the first group, but are presented fervently as being in the "public interest."

How does the idealistic congressman decide between lower prices or more jobs for the public? There is no way. Anyone can claim to be public on any issue. "The public interest" has no meaning. It is empty rhetoric. Philosophical reform is required. Discard "public interest" and replace it with individual rights, which mean the freedom of each individual to pursue his own interests as long as he does not coerce or defraud others. This means real capitalism - no tariffs, no subsidies, no protection from competition, no favors. All of this can be eliminated if a true leader would say, "what buyers and sellers do is none of the government's business and I will take no part in interfering with the free market." Free market means the end of lobbying end of favor seeking, end of “guiding,” end of politics as usual.

When politicians have no power to offer other men's property - and their own souls - for sale in the name of "the public interest" will we have true philosophical reform.

Individual Achievement or Reparations?

Individual Achievement or Reparations?

Think of all the amazing efficiencies that have been produced by innovators in the computer business. Production through creativity by software engineers enhances the lives of millions. Similarly, producing food, automobiles, houses, medicines, etc. – not giving them away- is what our economy and our very lives depend upon. We must learn the value of productivity.

Back in March, a cabal of lawyers formed the Reparations Assessment Group and filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government and any corporation that was in existence prior to 1865. The lawsuit seeks damages to compensate today’s Black citizens for the wages lost by slaves. The idea is to punish one part of society in favor of another while denying the fact that the Civil War abolished slavery 137 years ago.

This action ignores fact. None of the victims of slavery are still alive after 137 years. None of the slave owners are alive. Individual and corporate fortunes have changed. It is impossible to trace any particular loss suffered by an individual to any gain enjoyed by another. So the demand for reparations takes the form of a blanket payment to all of today’s blacks at the expense of all of today’s taxpayers. Unfortunately, there is precedent for blanket lawsuits of this type. The United States Government paid $480 million to the displaced Seminole Indians who agreed to move from Florida to Oklahoma. Those Seminoles who chose to stay do not share in this windfall.

Liability law is meant to compensate specific individuals for specific wrongs. The Reparations Group wants to stretch that beyond the limits of absurdity. The cabal is not concerned with punishing or compensating individuals. Their focus is on a racial group. They rely on the view that Americans today are responsible for what some individuals (whites) did 137 years ago and that blacks today are owed compensation for whatever happened to other blacks in 1865, when most landowners practiced slavery. Racial collectives, not individuals, are the real parties in this lawsuit. The consequences are a series of battles. One group exacts endless revenge against the other for ancient wrongs. To use slavery as an excuse to exact wealth from members of one race and hand it to another disregards the responsibility of the individual. They want this to be done through the courts with abstruse legal arguments. This is dangerous to Americans both black and white.

The result of these efforts is not racial harmony or a colorblind society, but, rather, racial warfare. The idea of punishing white individuals who are not guilty of slavery, and rewarding black individuals who never endured slavery, is pure racism. Slavery reparations will not produce one computer, railroad, plane or building. They will not generate long-term growth. Americans should reject the notion of a collective guilt for slavery and uphold the idea of a colorblind society, based on individualism, with productive achievement as man’s noblest activity.

Infrared Aircraft Deicing System

Infrared Aircraft Deicing System


Henry W. Hessing, PE
September 2005


Abstract

This paper describes planning required for construction and installation of an infrared aircraft deicing facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport.


Introduction

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA) is located on the shoreline of Jamaica Bay. During significant winter storms, the airport encounters heavy, wet snows.
Some airlines perform deicing at remote pads within the apron area of the terminal: other airlines perform deicing at their gates. Cargo carriers deice at their respective cargo areas. Those aircraft that deice at remote locations must first perform a “preliminary” deicing, which could include deicing of gears and control surfaces in order for aircraft to maneuver. If the aircraft is to move under its own power, the engine inlets need to be clear. Aircraft where ice/snow presents a higher risk of being ingested into engines (e.g. MD 80 series and similar) typically complete their deicing and anti-icing at the gate.
Once receiving a preliminary deicing, aircraft taxi toward the departures runway. The anti-icing hold over time may be exceeded if the weather is severe or the taxi time is long. In this case, the aircraft would require a “secondary” deicing.
The PANYNJ decided to construct one radiant deicing facility on a vacant parcel of land adjacent to Hangar 12 at JFKIA.


Need for the Project

There is not enough ramp capacity at JFK to deice aircraft without causing delays. Temporary locations will be replaced by a permanent location. The new facility will provide airlines with a safe, convenient, centralized and efficient location to deice aircraft. The deicing facility will provide an additional area where aircraft can deice, essentially increasing “deicing capacity” at JFK.
The infrared aircraft deicing system will be housed within one clamshell type structure capable of deicing Group 3, Group 4 and Group 5 aircraft up to a 747 - 300. Use of this system provides an environmental benefit in that it employs infrared energy and only a minimum amount of glycol, a deicing fluid, to deice aircraft. This technique is an alternative to conventional glycol spraying which is commonly used in the deicing process.


History

In 2002, Radiant Aviation Services Incorporated (Radiant) sent an unsolicited proposal to the Port Authority offering to provide their patented Infra-Tek technology for use in an infrared radiant deicing facility at JFK. The Infra-Tek system is the only radiant deicing system that has earned FAA Flight Standards approval for deicing commercial aircraft. The Infra-Tek system has been installed for Continental Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport and earlier versions were installed at Rheinlander-Oneida County Airport in Wisconsin and Buffalo International Airport in New York.

The Site

John F Kennedy International Airport is located in the southeast section of Queens County, New York City, adjacent to Jamaica Bay. By highway, it is fifteen miles from midtown Manhattan. Equivalent in size to all of Manhattan Island from 42nd Street to the Battery, JFKIA consists of 4,930 acres. The 2.3-acre, infrared aircraft-deicing site is located on the ramp abutting Hangar 12 that was formerly operated by TWA.

Benefits

Benefits of increased capacity include operational performance by reducing airline delays and flight cancellations that could have been attributed to insufficient capacity.
Benefits to the Port Authority and airlines include: fewer equipment movements on the airside operating area during winter storms; a reduction in conventional infrastructure such as glycol storage, trucking and parking; a dramatic reduction in glycol use; and because of the potential to reduce delays, cancellations there is a potential for airline cost savings. This is a year round facility which may be used for maintenance during off-season.
Two principal objectives for the PANYNJ are improving utilization of airport infrastructure and providing adequate capacity to meet the level and distribution of demand on various components of the airport system including airside facilities. Providing necessary efficient capacity to allow the airlines to deice aircraft is consistent with Port Authority goals of enhancing JFK as a world-class airport.


Identification of Alternatives Evaluated

Site
In early 2001, the Port Authority conducted a study to examine the feasibility of a centralized deicing facility at JFK. Several alternate locations were examined for conventional deicing, but were found to be economically unfeasible and not operationally viable. This is the best site available that can be used to operate a new radiant deicing facility and still meet holdover times.
The no action alternative would result in operational delays and flight cancellations.


Sole Source

Why use RAS as sole source for a design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM) contract?

Radiant Aviation Services, Inc. (RAS) markets the Infra Tek Infrared Aircraft Deicing System. They are the inventor and sole supplier of the Infra Tek Infrared Aircraft Deicing System. RAS holds patent protection for: “Method of, and apparatus for, deicing an aircraft by infrared radiation.”
RAS has completed a successful operation of a single unit installed and operated at Newark Liberty International Airport for Continental Airlines.
In August 2003, the FAA approved a Grant Agreement with the Port Authority for construction of an Infrared Aircraft deicing Facility on the Hangar 12 ramp at JFKIA, which is to conform to FAA Advisory circular 150/5100-14C. The Infra-Tek system is the only known radiant deicing system approved by the FAA for deicing commercial aircraft.

Justification for Sole Source Procurement

FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-14 (Change 2 issued Aug 31, 2000), “Design of Aircraft Deicing Facilities”, provides technical performance tests and related standards and recommendations for fixed type infra-red deicing technologies for aircraft. The FAA advised JFK Redevelopment (via e-mail 08 Sep 03) "the only fixed system that has earned Flight Standards approval to date for such applications has been the system that PANYNJ has in operation by Continental Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport." The system referenced is a radiant deicing system known as the InfraTek Infrared Aircraft Deicing System. It was invented by Radiant Aviation Services, Inc., which holds patent protection for "Method of, and apparatus for, deicing an aircraft by infrared radiation."
Since there is only one approved system/manufacturer, no other vendors currently are qualified.
On February 5, 2004 the FAA wrote a letter to the PANYNJ Aviation Planning Division stating, “Considering the reasons presented in the letter (September 18, 2003) and understanding the unique nature of this technology: we hereby concur with your request to proceed with a sole source contract with Radiant Aviation Services (RAS) for the Infra Tek Infrared Deicing System.”


How it Works

Studies dating as far back as 1948 have reviewed the use of infrared energy for heating and found it safe.
Combustion of natural/propane gas is controlled to create targeted electromagnetic waves. When energy reaches frost, snow or ice melting and evaporation occur. Infrared energy doesn’t reach the aircraft surface until it is exposed and then it reflects away. When a zone (e.g. a fuselage) is completed, it is switched to half power to prevent snow/ice re-accumulation.
The specification for the Energy Processing Units (EPUs) reads: "Each EPU burner is factory tested to a maximum of 50,000 BTU/hr (approximately 50 CFH) according to ANSI requirements for infrared gas heaters. Total rack consumption is a maximum of 200,000 BTU/Hr." Annual consumption can be estimated by summing total hours run time for each rack times maximum rack consumption.

Industry Acceptance

SAE G12 Deicing sub-committee included the use of infrared deicing facilities as a recommended deicing practice in ARP4737E “Deicing Methods” Section 6.1.3. G12 members include airlines, regulators and aircraft manufacturers. Infrared deicing facilities are currently the only reduced or zero glycol technology to be approved for inclusion in that document as a deicing method. It is the only FAA “approved for use” infrared deicing facility per AC150/5300-14 Change #2.

Project Costs

The project construction cost is estimated as follows:
Description Cost (in millions)

Design & Construction: $ 8.8
Planning and Engineering 0.3
Admin & General: 0.3
Contingency: 0
Financial Expense: 0.1

Total Project Cost: $ 9.5

Financial Analysis

The costs are fully recoverable through Federal Aid and operation payments received from Radiant. The level of commitment by airlines letters of intent indicates that this project will be self-sustaining.


Selected Alternative Description

The infrared aircraft deicing facility (System 2500) consists of an open-ended hangar type structure housing the patented Infra-Tek technology that transforms natural gas into infrared radiant energy emitted through “energy processing units” (EPUs) configured to efficiently melt snow and ice from aircraft surfaces. The proposed system is 262 feet long by 262 feet wide and approximately 82 feet high. It will contain approximately 430 EPUs and can treat ADG #5 aircraft up to the size of a 747-200/300.
The facility will be located on 2.3 acres of land on the Hangar 12 site that has been vacant since TWA ceased operations. Its proximity to the runways allows taxi times that meet FAA requirements. The site has been planned to assure that Hangar 12 can still be operational.

Critical Issues

Site and Land Use

The Hangar 12 site is compatible with existing and planned airside land use.

Environmental

The PANYNJ submitted an Environmental Evaluation Form for the proposed Infrared Aircraft deicing Facility at John F Kennedy International Airport, New York. The document described the project and that it involves construction and operations of an infrared, pre-flight deicing facility that would be housed in a clamshell like structure.
The FAA determined in a letter dated October 10, 2002 that this “project does not have the characteristics that require a formal NEPA environmental assessment nor does it contain the potential for causing an environmental impact. We have, therefore, determined that this project qualifies as a documented “Categorical Exclusion” and have executed this finding accordingly (signed 9/26/02). Please note that this represents the formal Federal Environmental Finding.”


Schedule

Critical Project Milestones

Board authorization was required and obtained in June 2004 to implement the project as sole source procurement for designing, building operating and maintaining (DBOM) an Infrared Aircraft Deicing System.

Design Start and Completion

With Board approval the DBOM contract was prepared and reviewed by PA Law.

Construction Start and Completion

It is anticipated that the facility will be operational for the winter season 2005 - 2006.

Key Third party Coordination and Approvals

Third party coordination includes Keyspan who will supply gas to the facility; the FAA who has approved AIP funding; the airline community who have been asked to complete letters of intent to use the facility.

Facility Certification

RAS will provide the equipment, assembly, installation and commissioning of the system along with warranty service. RAS will submit a Preliminary Acceptance Test Procedure for review by the Engineer approximately 30 days after award.


Conclusions

The JFK Infrared Aircraft Deicing facility will deice aircraft in less time and for a lower cost than conventional deicing. An environmental benefit is that it employs infrared energy and only a minimum amount of glycol. Airline delays and cancellations that could have been attributed to insufficient capacity will be reduced.

Coach Giuffre and the West Islip Rifle Team

Coach Giuffre and the West Islip Rifle Team
-Henry W. Hessing

When taxpayers voted to construct the West Islip High School, the authorization included an indoor swimming pool and a rifle range. The rifle range is located southwest and at the same level as the pool. There is a locked door that can be opened. Just travel down one flight of stairs, make a left into a hallway and enter through another door on your left. It has been said that this range is the best or at least the second best range in Suffolk County. It was closed in 1999.

Boy Scout Troop 118 met in the Higbie Lane elementary school during the 1950’s and 60’s. The boys sold candy bars and raised money to purchase four (4) bolt - action open peep sight rifles. The rifles were kept in Scoutmaster James Badger’s house. If you were twelve years old, you could learn to fire a .22 rifle every Wednesday night at the West Islip High School rifle range. And many of us did. Under adult supervision, we fired at NRA targets positioned fifty feet down range.

The high school’s representative was present whenever the scouts met at the range. Mr. Ed Giuffre and the adult scout leaders instructed the lads. Many of the adults spent their time with youth because they had served in World War II and wanted to pass their knowledge and skills to the boys. We learned about safety. We learned to clean the rifles and sweep the range when we were done. We learned to fire from the four basic positions - prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. The most difficult position to master for most of us was the standing or off-hand position. I was an awkward teenager. I never felt comfortable in the kneeling position so I concentrated learning to fire from the standing position.

Jimmy Badger was a senior in high school. I was in awe of Jim just because he was a senior. Jimmy was taking physics because he wanted to go to medical school. Sometimes he’d stay home and study physics rather than come down to the range. At that time, I didn’t know what physics was but if Jimmy had to skip Wednesday nights to study, and miss all the fun shooting, it had to be important.

At the end of the year, our Boy Scout troop held a competition. Jimmy missed it because he was studying. Johnny Norton, a junior in high school, won with the best score. He was four years older than me. I gave him a good challenge but I was happy to come in second to him. I liked Johnny from the time on a campout when he got me up early to go fishing with him. He loved fishing and he caught quite a few. Johnny wanted to be a doctor. I sure hope both Jimmy and Johnny got their wish.

Our shooting skills were honed on the West Islip High School rifle range. From seventh to ninth grade, I shot with the Boy Scouts. In tenth grade, I tried out for the high school team. Mr. Giuffre, the high school coach, must have had a difficult time selecting from all of us who tried out. On a blackboard, he wrote the names of those who made the team. It was the first time in my life that I was elated to see my name on a blackboard. I thanked him.

Riflery was barely considered a sport by most Athletic Directors. Only a few recognized it as a character or citizen builder. Mr. Joe Sebasteanski, West Islip’s AD thought it was a full sport and more. Though his first love was football, Mr. Jack Braddish got the rifle team all it needed.

Nassau County had the most teams while Suffolk County had just a few so we fired against teams from near and far. High school teams fired from two positions – prone and standing. Six boys would shoot with the five highest scores counting toward the team’s total points. You had to be finished in twenty minutes, as these were timed competitions. You would try for a perfect score, 100 points or ten bull’s eyes out of ten while firing prone and the same while firing off-hand or standing. Shooting off-hand was more difficult than the other positions. We knew how quickly you could lose points in that position.

The rifle I used was an Anschultz with closed sights. It weighed about 7.5 lbs. The bull’s eye is about the size of an eraser on a pencil. To hit it consistently from fifty feet took practice so we practiced every day after school. We’d encourage each other to improve all the time. If you shot a bull’s eye, the spotter would tell you how much of it you took out. We loved to hear the spotter call out “pin-wheel” because it meant you took out the whole bull’s eye.

You must have excellent eyesight and you must be very steady to fire accurately. Riflery requires concentration. Coach suggested we do push-ups at home to build arm strength to hold the rifle steady and we did. We wore shooting jackets and used slings around our left arm when shooting prone. A spotter would tell you how you were doing or might suggest making an adjustment. We’d try to finish prone rather quickly, and then take off the slings in order to spend more time shooting off-hand. This is what separated the better shooters – how well you could shoot from the standing position. The total possible score was 200 points for an individual and since five scores counted, 1000 points for the team. After practice, we cleaned the weapons and the range before leaving. This is where we learned respect for and taking care of our equipment. These lessons have stayed with me my entire life.

For the first match of our sophomore year, Mr. Giuffre selected Flip Mueller and me to shoot with the upperclassmen. There after, and until we graduated, Flip and I fired in every competition for West Islip High School. I didn’t do well enough for my score to count in that first match because I was nervous; I wasn’t familiar with “match pressure.” We lost that one to Massapequa. I did better in the next match and we won. Coach added Pete Pauwels so there were three sophomores and three juniors shooting. I think we won half our matches that year, but with Pete shooting, we won all the matches during the second half of the season. This was the beginning of our winning streak.

With each win, our team developed confidence. The more we won, the more we expected to win. But none of us took winning for granted. We knew we had to shoot well to be victorious and we did. As an individual, I knew my score would count in every match so I wanted to do well. I didn’t want to let my team down. You can’t think about the pretty blonde in homeroom or French class. In fact, you can’t think about match pressure or anything else when you shoot. You cannot let emotion interfere with your concentration, controlled breathing and relaxation techniques because emotional shooters don’t shoot well. There was one practice when I put it all together and fired 99 out of 100 from the off-hand position. It was the first time any of us had done it. Mr. Giuffre stapled that target to the wall for all to see.

During our junior year, Mr. Giuffre, who we sometimes called Uncle Ed but never to him directly, decided that the best way to keep us sharp was to have a little internal team competition. If memory serves, I believe he awarded three trophies at the end of the year. I received the trophy for shooting the highest average score of 186 for the season. Another key thing coach did was in selecting Pete Gambaro and Steve Knobl and adding them into the mix.

Our high school principal, Mr. John O’Donnell made announcements every morning on the PA system. He‘d tell the student body how the various teams did in competition. When our swimming team beat Plainview, there was a roar heard throughout the school. Sometimes he’d say how individuals performed. And he did this for the rifle team as well. The kids in school started to ask about our winning streak. Riflery became very popular.

A boys’ rifle club already existed and a girls’ rifle club was created. Mr. Giuffre coached the clubs as well as the team. The West Islip High School Rifle Clubs and teams were open for all students. One of the best was a girl named Barby MacNeil who went on to earn national honors on the college level. In those days, the school administration was wary of any coed sport and unfortunately, Barby was not allowed to compete with the boys but she could still be a member of the rifle club. If Barby MacNeil had been allowed to compete with the boys, she would have been the best.

The core of our team in the winter season 1964 –1965, our senior year, was Pete Pauwels, Flip Mueller, Pete Gambaro, Steve Knobl and myself. Pete Pauwels and I were elected co-captains. It didn’t matter who the sixth shooter was. Coach knew he could put anyone in that slot and give them match experience because the five of us always shot well. We expected to win every match and we did. We had six league matches and 6 – 8 non-league matches. We beat Nassau and Suffolk, public, catholic and military schools. And most of all we had fun.

We set the Suffolk County league record firing 919 out of 1000. Steve fired 178, Pete Gambaro 182, Flip and I – 184, and Pete Pauwels led the team with an individual Suffolk County record, 191. He was hot that day! I will never forget when Coach Giuffre told us that we had set the county record!! How great that must have been for him. He had worked for years patiently teaching and encouraging us, and he got the results – a championship team.

In our final league match in 1965, we again broke 900 beating Deer Park 913 to 842. Steve shot 176, Pete P, Flip and Pete G all fired 184 and I fired 185. We beat them by an average 14 points a man. We beat other teams by greater margins. Most importantly, we completed the season undefeated in both league and non-league competition.

The following week, we won the Section Eleven Title. We were the Suffolk County Rifle Champs. Coach Giuffre said the school received a trophy in June 1965 but I’ve never seen it. I’m told that the trophy is locked in the range. It is the first championship trophy earned by the WIHS rifle team. The WIHS team next won again in 1988-89.

There were individual records set during the 1964 – 1965 season in league match competition. Pete Pauwels shot 92 off-hand when he fired the county record 191. Pete Pauwels and Pete Gambaro both shot perfect prone scores of 100. Flip Mueller shot 90 out of 100 in the off-hand position, three separate times.

Coach Ed Giuffre started a program to instruct kids who just wanted to have fun shooting rifles and created an opportunity where we learned what it takes to win. He set the example for us in manner and decorum. He was a positive influence, always using words of encouragement. Members of the West Islip High School rifle team learned to control emotion, concentrate and gain confidence. We learned from our coach that individuals could pull together as a team and to encourage each other just as he encouraged each of us to be the best.

We faced all competition. We learned to win, and to win consistently. The WIHS Rifle Team was undefeated for two and a half years because Coach Ed Giuffre taught us to believe in ourselves. With that spirit, it was natural for us to have fun.

If there was ever a coach who should be inducted into the West Islip High School Hall of Fame, it is Coach Ed Giuffre.

The Reasoning to Support a Million-Dollar Football Field

The Reasoning to Support a Million-Dollar Football Field

By Henry W. Hessing

The Mayor of the Village of Babylon proceeded correctly in writing an open letter to the public, raising public awareness, and reiterating basic questions that proponents of a million dollar football field should be prepared to answer.

The reasoning presented in various letters to the editor of the Babylon Beacon for purchasing and installing a million dollar football field needs to be stated clearly and concisely. It would be helpful if proponents would prepare a clearly reasoned document that describes the proposed action; the specific authorization being requested; what contracts and procurement method would be implemented; what are the aggregate payments; what financing or investment is required; and what are the sources of funding.

This document should define what the background of the project is; what is the project duration; have there been prior authorizations? If the project is “for the children” has there been a study prepared comparing injuries to athletes on various types of playing surfaces included and thus validating what alternates have been considered and the viability of each? What are the benefits to the Village of Babylon and/or region; what other impacts are there; and what, if any, are the outstanding issues? For example, has there been a traffic study or is an environmental impact statement required?

A financial analysis is required. Whose budget is affected; what is its status; what is the expected cost recovery; and is there any anticipated future authorization from this action? What are the fees or fee schedule? What is the Village’s investment? What are the terms/escalations that have to be obligated to operate and maintain the project? What are the total aggregate payments?

Other comments might include: security requirements; life expectancy of the field and the cost of renewal. Who must sign an agreement? Who has rights to terminate an agreement? Who will be obligated to maintain insurance?

To evaluate the merits of a project, planning is required. By not knowing how to plan a project, by not answering basic questions involved with planning a project, no evaluation can be made.

One letter to the editor stated, “We should all remember that in a civilized society we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good of our friends and neighbors.” Unfortunately that statement does not answer the planning questions noted above. If a project is well planned, why does anyone have to make sacrifices? No answer.

Financial decisions for a football field should be based on intelligent planning and not “sacrifices.” The thinking that perpetrates the undefined term “sacrifices for the greater good” means sacrifices of one group are necessary not because they involve any evaluation of the proposed project but because they don’t. This view allows no discrimination between what is of value and what is a none-value.

This view is a full-scale renunciation of value. It believes that the individual has no value. It is paradoxical to proclaim the universal equality of all, while simultaneously invoking special privileges for certain groups. Thus, if the rational and the irrational are to be treated alike, the latter must be given objectively preferential treatment. The proponents preach an amoral equivalence – i.e., a system under which a value is never to be deemed preferable to a non-value because there is no evaluation.

In the name of justice, taxpayers should be demanding a tax cut that lowers their tax bill by a million dollars. The proponents of a million dollar football field do not want a tax cut and do not want justice. They want redistribution of wealth. They want to confiscate the income earned by the taxpayer and give it to people who have not earned it. It is but a twist on the Willy Sutton reasoning for eminent domain under the guise of altruism.

In an article written in February 2001, Edwin A Locke, a professor of management, defined altruism.

“The moral principal used to justify income redistribution is altruism. Altruism does not mean generosity or benevolent concern for the less fortunate. Altruism means: other-ism. It is the doctrine that it is your moral duty to live for others and to sacrifice your life, property and well being for theirs. It is the code of self-sacrifice. Under altruism the productive are the ones who must give and the non-productive are those who receive. The inability or the unwillingness of the non-productive to create wealth gives them a moral claim upon those who do.

The doctrine of altruism induces (and is meant to induce) guilt. It makes the successful feel they have no right to their achievements. The goal of altruism is to disarm the producers morally so they will not defend their right to their lives and property.

Altruism is the moral code that underlies Marxism. Marx’s credo was: “From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need.” Man has no right to exist for himself because he is a servant of the state or society to be disposed of as they see fit.

Altruism is the opposite of Americanism. An American has the “inalienable right “to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which includes property rights. It means that your life and property belong to you, not to the state or society. It means that the government’s job is to protect, not to violate, rights.”

The proponents of a million dollar football field would enforce altruism through coercion for a goal they desire. When the property of some people is seized and given to others, it is an injustice.

Acting in one’s own interest while respecting the rights of others is fully moral – it is the fundamental requirement of a successful and happy life. It means that you are not an object of sacrifice, but a sovereign being. It means that your property belongs to you. It means that every individual whether rich or poor, has the same rights. Self-reliance, not self-sacrifice, is the American ideal. Proponents of a million dollar football field should be self-reliant, plan their project, be able to defend it and seek private donations. Using tax dollars is a grave injustice. Reducing taxes by a million dollars is only a beginning on the road to a truly just society where each man keeps what he earns and has no claim upon the life and property of others.

An Argument to Repeal Eminent Domain

An Argument to Repeal Eminent Domain
Henry W. Hessing

From an article written by Larry Salzman dated November 1999 entitled New Eminent Domain Assaults: Taking Private Property for Political Elite, “The fundamental principles of this country are that all men are created equal, that every man is an end to himself endowed with inalienable rights, including property rights, that each man be accorded equal protection by law and that no man be deprived of due process. Eminent domain contradicts these principles. It sacrifices the rights of some individuals in favor of the alleged “public interest” of others. We must choose one set of principles or the other- American tradition or arbitrary rule by official whim. They cannot coexist.” My algebra teacher might have quoted the Identity Principle – “A” equals “A” and “A” cannot equal “B”.

Herb Ladley, an associate editor for Cavalier Daily describes a case in Bristol, Tennessee, where residents defeated a government proposal to confiscate their land and give it to the local NASCAR track by posting signs reminding people of the Tenth Commandment: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s property.” Local officials accused the landowners of being “greedy” but did not accuse others of being greedy for wanting to use the power of the government to confiscate homes and make themselves wealthy.

In Kelo vs New London homeowners sought to challenge New London, Connecticut’s plan to take their homes for “economic development” via eminent domain. Landowners would receive compensation under the Fifth Amendment mandate. Their claim was that economic development could not be considered “public use.”

The Supreme Court ruled that eminent domain might be used for nearly any “public purpose” including economic development. Jonathan H Adler a contributing editor to National Review On Line noted, “It is not clear that the constitution’s text bars property transfer from A to B. The specific legal claim in this case was not strong enough to make a constitutional stand. The dissenting opinion did not prove that the Founders sought to limit the purposes for which eminent domain could be used.” The dissenting judges wrote, “The result is that government has power to transfer from those with fewer resources to those with more.”

A reporter once asked Willy Sutton, the 1930’s outlaw, why he robbed banks. Sutton replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” In an article entitled, The Willy Sutton Theory of Government” March, 2001 Robert Tracinski states, “The criminal’s mindset is that moral justifications and the rights of others are considered irrelevant.” The real issue in Kelo is how we look at government and how we regard basic moral issues.

According to Mr. Tracinski, “the Willy Sutton theory of government is when the left wants to achieve a goal, it doesn’t ask about morality or rights. It asks, ‘where is the money?’” In New London, the local government asked ‘where is the land.’

The theory that turns government into a bank robber or land grabber is the theory of “public good.” According to this theory, the “public good” is the only moral standard. Individual rights and property rights are dispensable. The Willy Sutton form of government means that if someone has land and someone else can argue that “the public” needs it, “then anything goes.” This is political amoralism. The disciples of Willy Sutton want to ignore the principle of individual rights.

Ayn Rand was right when she observed, “since there is no such entity as “the public” since the public is merely a number of individuals, the idea that “the public interest” supercedes private interests and rights can have but one meaning: that the interests and rights of some individuals take precedence over the interests and rights of others.”

Mr. Salzman described a similar case in San Diego wherein he noted, “The local government is forcing a politically weak minority of citizens to sacrifice its rights to a well-connected few, in the alleged favor of the majority.” This is exactly what happened in New London, Connecticut. Forgotten and ignored is the fact that the market place works on voluntary transaction. Paraphrasing Mr. Ladley, “If someone refuses to give up his property voluntarily, that does not make it just to motivate him with a bulldozer.” Totalitarian central planning throws out the logic of the marketplace.

If judicial activists have their way, why bother with property rights or individual rights? It is already too late for citizens in New London. Your property could be next. The solution is to repeal Eminent domain entirely.

AirTrain JFK

AirTrain JFK
Henry W. Hessing, P.E.

ABSTRACT: THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE LONGEST SEGMENTAL GIRDER CONSTRUCTION ERECTED IN THE NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONS.

Constructed: 1998 – 2003
Project type: Light rail line
Cost: USD 1 900 000 000
Location: Queens, New York
Owner: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Contractors: Skanska USA Civil and Bombardier Inc.
Design: STV Incorporated
Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers
Figg Engineering Group
1. INTRODUCTION

The fully automated JFK Airtrain was designated a finalist in the competition for ASCE’s 2005 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. The $ 1.9 billion Airport Access Project connects John F Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA) located in Jamaica, New York with two major intermodal connections –Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New York City Transit (NYCT).

2. DECISIONS

The reason to construct a light rail system was to meet JFKIA growth forecasts. Design/Build/Operate/Maintain (DBOM) project delivery method was selected in order to fast track the normal Design/Bid/Build process. Air Rail Traffic Consortium (ARTC) was determined to be the low bidder and consisted of the contractors and designers noted above.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued its Record of Decision on the Environmental Impact Statement for the approval of JFK’s Light Rail System (LRS) in July 1997. Ground breaking took place in September 1998. The system opened on December 17, 2003 the centennial of the birth of aviation.

3. DEFINITION OF LIGHT RAIL

The Transportation Research Board Committee on Light Rail Transit defines light rail as “a mode of urban transportation utilizing predominately reserved but not necessarily grade separated rights of way. Electronically propelled rail vehicles operate singly or in trains. LRT provides a wide range of passenger capabilities and performance characteristics at moderate costs.”

4. LIGHT RAIL AT JFKIA

The light rail system at JFKIA is called AirTrain JFK. AirTrain makes frequent stops around the airport – including the airline terminals, parking lots, hotel shuttle areas, and rental car facilities.

4.1 STATIONS AND ROUTES

The JFK Airtrain stations are fully enclosed, heated and air-conditioned with platform doors, wide escalators, large glass enclosed elevators, moving walkways to airline terminals, and 240-foot platform lengths. Ten stations serve on and off airport.

The system consists of three overlapping routes:
· the Howard Beach route;
· the Jamaica Station route; and
· the Airline Terminal route.
The Howard Beach route starts at Howard Beach and stops at Lefferts Blvd, while the Jamaica Station route starts at Jamaica Station on the Long Island Railroad (this station stop is called Sutphin Blvd. on the subway). Both routes meet at Federal Circle, then loop counterclockwise around JFK Airport, serving 6 CTA environmentally controlled stations:
· Terminal 1 (the first station in the loop);
· Terminals 2/3;
· Terminal 4;
· Terminals 5/6;
· Terminal 7; and
· Terminals 8/9.
The Howard Beach and Jamaica Station routes return to Federal Circle, then split, going back to their respective termini. The Airline Terminal route serves 6 terminal stations, operating in a clockwise loop, in the opposite direction to the Howard Beach and Jamaica Station routes.

4.2 CONNECTIONS

4.2.1 Long Island Rail Road Connection

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) operates approximately 700 trains per day through the Jamaica train station. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world. Construction of the connection between Airtrain and the LIRR required nighttime and weekend work, and was accomplished one platform at a time. Access is provided to LIRR and the “E”, “J”, and “Z” subway lines.


NYCT Connection

The connection at Howard Beach, Queens included renovation of the “A” train subway station creating an intermodal station. Nighttime and weekend work were required as this heavily traveled subway line provides direct access to the west side of Manhattan.

5 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CONSIDERATIONS

5.1 PERMITS

A review and analysis of the jurisdictions of over forty public and private agencies was performed and tabulated along with a description of their individual requirements. From this analysis, it was concluded that eleven (11) different types of permits were required from four (4) agencies.

For each permit, ARTC determined the name of the permit, issuing agency, described the permit, highlighted the application requirements, determined the permit fee, determined the regulations or stipulations with cost and schedule implications, estimated the permit due date and schedule duration. A schedule of required permits by location with application dates was prepared. Environmental permit applications were the first to be obtained.



5.2 CLEARANCE ENVELOPE

Definitions: The clearance envelope is the space in which no physical parts of the system, except the vehicles are placed, constructed or protrude. The static envelope is the outline of the physical dimensions of the vehicle in a stationary position. The dynamic envelope is the outline of a moving vehicle on tangent track experiencing normal body roll. The maximum vehicle dynamic envelope is the dynamic envelope that is modified for maintenance factors such as wear to both wheel and rail, freeplay between the two, and for primary and failed suspension. The maximum vehicle dynamic envelope considers lateral, vertical and rotational displacements under the required specified conditions of the design criteria on tangent track. All envelopes are normally referenced from the top of the (low) rail and the centerline of track.

Calculations were performed to determine the static envelope, dynamic envelope, maximum dynamic envelope which was based on Bombardier’s design vehicle, a future vehicle, the design vehicle, clearance envelope, effects due to curvature, effects due to superelevation, construction tolerances, seismic clearance, running clearance in order to determine minimum track clearances.

With minimum clearances known, horizontal and vertical alignments and clearances could be designed. As there are many factors that come into play, as design of alignments is an iterative process.

5.3 UTILITIES

5.3.1 Relocations

The typical guideway span varies between 80 and a maximum of 120 feet. This meant installing approximately 450 concrete foundations along the 8.3-mile route. As the Van Wyck expressway is a major north south arterial, primary relocations included drainage, electrical and communications. On the airport, utility relocations included drainage, sewers, force mains, gas, water, power electric, communication lines, and thermal distribution (chilled and dual hot water) lines used to heat and cool the airline terminals. Every effort was made to survey and identify all utilities in the preliminary design phase. Known utilities were marked in the field prior to excavation. Test trenches were excavated around the perimeter of each pile so utilities could be verified. The angle of every utility was measured, plotted and verified. Unknown utilities were encountered. These had to be identified for relocation design and construction.

5.3.1 Electrical

27 kV feeders, along with one main substation distribute power to seven substations for traction power and nine substations to operate the passenger terminals.

5.3.2 Drainage

The New York City environs receive approximately 44 inches of precipitation per year. As most of the right of way required for the light rail system passed over paved areas, introduction of the elevated guideway would not increase runoff.

The original cross section indicated individual plinths to support track. During design, this was changed to a continuous concrete plinth for ease of constructing and removing formwork. Determining the low points in the vertical alignment and collection before expansion joints became the basis of locating scuppers. Runoff went from the scuppers through 12 - inch diameter plastic pipe installed in the center of concrete columns to the existing below grade drainage systems.

6.0 CONSTRUCTION

6.1 Construction Staging Maintenance of Traffic

Construction staging and maintenance of traffic meetings were held twice a week for this project and once every two weeks for coordination with other on- airport projects which included reconstruction of Terminal 4 – the International Arrivals Terminal and reconstruction of Terminal 7 – British Airways Terminal.

Construction staging in an operating airport meant temporary and permanent loss of parking spaces. This was a major concern of the airport as customer satisfaction is of high importance. To mitigate these losses, every effort was made to minimize the construction area and length of time required.

Construction along the median of the six - lane, Van Wyck Expressway required maintaining three lanes of traffic during peak hour traffic. Existing roadway lighting was removed and a travel lane was constructed in the shoulder areas. This required adjustments to the on and off ramps and retaining walls along with new drainage installation. New lighting fixtures were installed. This allowed traffic to be diverted to two of the existing and the new right lane constructed in the shoulder areas in order to maintain three lanes of traffic in each direction.

Daytime work was performed in the median and the abandoned left lanes in both directions during off-peak hours when one additional lane could be taken so long as two lanes were maintained for the traveling public. Night work required three full lanes in operation in both directions at all times.

6.2 Pavement Restoration and Reconstruction

ARTC prepared a summary of pavement design criteria, in accordance with design standards used by the agency having jurisdiction over each roadway, for the expressway mainline, ramps, service roads, local streets and airport roadways, and vehicle types. This was the basis of the Pavement Design Criteria for restoration and reconstruction.

7. SUBSTRUCTURE

7.1 Seismic Design Considerations

Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by earthquake shaking or other rapid loading. Liquefaction and related phenomenon have been responsible for tremendous amounts of damage in historical earthquakes around the world.

Liquefaction occurs in saturated soils, in which the space between individual particles is completely filled with water. This water exerts a pressure on the soil particles that influences how tightly the particles themselves are pressed together. Prior to an earthquake, water pressure is relatively low. Earthquake shaking can cause water pressure to increase to the point where soil particles can readily move with respect to each other. When liquefaction occurs, the strength of soil decreases and the ability of a soil deposit to support bridge foundations is reduced.

Deep loose sand characterizes the soil conditions at JFKIA. Soil borings indicated the potential for liquefaction up to a depth of 20 feet under a seismic event with peak rock acceleration of 0.15g. Additionally, the water table is high.

Besides calling for conventional design for forces and displacements, the seismic design criteria also required that additional limitations be met by the foundations and superstructure in order to allow the system to return to operation shortly after a seismic event meaning repairs would be limited to track work only.

7.2 Piles

Piling is an arrangement of beams installed in the ground that provide a foundation for substructure units. These beams for the most part consist of either steel H beams (H-piling) or hollow steel tubes that are filled with concrete and sometimes reinforcing steel (Cast-in-place piles). When piles are used, they are designed to carry the entire load of the substructure unit under which they are placed.

For years, experts in the pile foundation profession have recognized the advantages of a uniformly tapered pile over a vertical-straight-sided pile. "It may be concluded that the taper has a substantial beneficial influence and that for piles of equal embedment in a given sand, a tapered pile will have substantially greater ultimate bearing capacity than a straight-sided or cylindrical pile." Special Report 36— Highway Research Board

“Underpinning & Foundation Constructors, Inc. was awarded a contract to install more than 5,500 150-ton and 200-ton capacity piles to support the 8.3 mile long guideway. Underpinning invented a new pile type using a tapered steel lower section (25 feet) with steel pipe upper section (45 – 75 feet) and called it the Tapertube. These piles are 50 percent thicker than monotube piles, which allows them to be driven to higher driving resistances at lower stresses. The heavier steel also allows piles to be driven quicker once underway. The work was performed using hydraulic driving equipment built in Finland. The high mobility of the pile rigs, combined with highly efficient hammers, allowed for rapid installation in the tight confines of the active airport roadway system and in the center median of the heavily traveled Van Wyck Expressway.” – Underpinning & Foundation Constructors, Inc. web site

Piles were topped with 20 foot by 20 foot by 5 to 8 foot deep concrete footings. Cast in place concrete piers sat upon the footings and varied in size up to 45 feet in height and six (6) feet in diameter.


8.0 SUPERSTRUCTURE

Segmental Girders

The Request for Proposals (RFP) required the successful bidder to prepare the final design. Preliminary design envisioned single and twin – box concrete girders. The alternate was a composite steel box with a composite reinforced steel deck slab.

The final design for the guideway superstructure was precast segmental construction utilizing seismic isolation. The primary defining features are single-cell or dual cell box girders with cantilevered deck slab. Tendons are arranged in top and bottom slab for cantilever construction, match-cast joints between segments, and multiple shear keys. The single cell box supports a single tract while the dual box cells support a dual track configuration. Post tensioning tendons were applied across span closures to create multiple span continuous units.

Seismic isolation was achieved by using lead-rubber bearings that allow the superstructure to “float” during a seismic event. For non-seismic loading the bearing was fixed laterally relative to track centerline with movement limited to 1/8 inch. The contractor developed an elastic restraint system that would withstand non-seismic loads with a factor of safety but would fail at design level seismic loads, thus freeing the structure to float and avoid damage from seismic forces.

Preliminary design envisioned overhead launching trusses in the form of erection gantries. Most of the guideway was constructed span by span with cranes and erection trusses for safe maintenance of vehicular traffic. Portions on tight curvature or longer spans were built in balanced cantilever.

9. TUNNEL

Cut and Cover Tunnel

It was required that the elevated light rail system descend approximately 35 feet below grade to pass underneath the airport’s taxiways. It then has to rise to pass over the VanWyck Expressway, one of two arterial highways that provide ingress and egress to the central terminal area (CTA). Cut and cover construction was implemented. Since eighty percent of the tunnel was below the water table “bathtub” construction utilizing chemical grouting was employed in constructing the foundation. Pumps are required twenty-four hours per day.

10. TRACK

The track way features running rails, safety walkways, traction power, and communication ductbanks. The track that AirTrain JFK cars ride on is a combination of direct fixation track and ballasted track. Direct fixation track was originally developed for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in San Francisco in the late 1960s. Since that time, direct fixation has become the most popular method for installing track on elevated concrete structures and in underground tunnels. This system uses two steel plates with a thick rubber layer between, which creates a sandwich-type configuration. The sandwich assembly is called a direct fixation fastener, or DF fastener, because the DF fastener is bolted directly to the concrete, forming the track bed. The DF fastener uses a Pandrol Clip to secure the running rails in place. A Pandrol Clip is a G shaped piece of metal used to attach the running rails to the crossties. Pandrol is the manufacturer’s name and their rail fastening products are used worldwide.


The DF fastener is bolted to a raised concrete pad known as a plinth pad. The concrete forms for the plinth pad are set to the final elevation needed for the running rails and also provide superelevation of the tracks on curves. Superelevation means that one rail is set higher than the other rail in curved areas. Raising one rail allows the train to bank into turns much like a car on a highway. This allows the train to negotiate turns with greater passenger comfort.

Ballasted track is the conventional method of constructing at grade track and consists of using railroad ties to securely connect the two sections of running rail upon which cars travel. The ties and rails are held in place by crushed stone called ballast. AirTrain JFK uses the most modern version of ballasted track. Instead of using wooden railroad ties, AirTrain JFK uses precast prestressed concrete ties. The running rail is 115-pound rail, which is one of the standard rail types used throughout the railroad and transit industry. Instead of using railroad spikes to connect the running rail to the tie, AirTrain ballasted track also uses Pandrol Clips to attach the running rails to the concrete ties.
The distance between AirTrain JFK running rails, referred to as the track gauge, is the United States standard of four feet, eight and one half inches. AirTrain JFK ballasted and direct fixation track meet US Federal Railroad Administration requirements.

Slattery Skanza’s tract division assembled and installed1 500 foot long continuous rail strings and placed direct fixation tract, linear induction motor rail and power rail.

11. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF TRAIN OPERATIONS

11.1 Driverless System

AirTrain JFK is designed to be a fully automated driverless system. Computers control train movements using a moving-block signaling system. AirTrain JFK has two modes of operation: automatic train operation, utilizing the computer system, and manual operation which allows a driver to move trains for maintenance activities at a maximum speed of 15 mph, which is controlled by a speed governor. When operated in either of these modes, a train is controlled to ensure a safe speed on all sections of track including all curves. During the testing phase, some tests were run in manual mode with the speed governor disabled. In this situation, there is no speed restriction. The train speed is controlled solely by the train operator similar to manual train operations at other railroad and transit properties. Operating a train beyond the maximum15 mph speed, requires a higher level of operational skill and a more detailed knowledge of the track alignment.

11.2 Cars

Each car has four pick-up shoes to obtain power from a 750-volt, direct-current power rail comparable with NYCT and LIRR systems. AirTrain JFK has a fiber-optic communication network, which links all of the stations and terminals to the Operations Center (OMSF). This allows for station dynamic signage, full public address and closed circuit television. AirTrain JFK cars have two linear induction motors (LIM) and two propulsion inverters (conversion of direct current to alternating current). Braking is performed by regenerative dynamic service brakes, which are supplemented by electro-hydraulic disc brakes. AirTrain JFK vehicles are also equipped with emergency track brakes.

The cars have been constructed with steel underframes and aluminum roofs, sidewalls and bulkheads. Each car has two self-steering steel trucks with four wheels per truck. A linear induction reaction rail is located between the running rails. The reaction rail is an aluminum and iron plate that carries no electrical current. It reacts with the linear induction motors on the AirTrain JFK cars to produce an electro-magnetic force that propels the cars.

12. SUMMARY


DBOM shortened design and construction time by several years. The shortened time duration was reflected in lower overhead costs and a reduction in overall project costs. In the first year of operation, the PA estimated that 2.6 million passengers used AirTrain JFK.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae,

MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.




Memorial Day 2005 – Henry W. Hessing

Memorial Day is the time we set aside to honor Americans who gave their lives in war to defend the essence of our country, freedom and individual rights. Before ceremonies and parades, workers install American flags along our streets. This weekend, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts around the country place small flags “where valor sleeps,” at each gravesite of our 120 beautifully landscaped and austere national cemeteries.

On Long Island, amongst the quiet trees, is Calverton where there are 146,000 graves. Engraved headstones tell us name, age, branch of service, military rank and war. If it were possible, what stories could they tell? For the families of these soldiers, Memorial Day arouses deep emotions because they know these stories. Professor Edwin A. Locke of the University of Maryland described these emotions as, “solemnity for the veterans who defended our country, sadness because so many have lost their lives and pride because they fought so well.”

Our Founding Fathers envisioned a government that existed to protect the freedom to think and act on one’s thinking. The American Revolution defined our independence and the American spirit. America became “the torch” of light to show the world’s oppressed a way to escape poverty and dictatorship, to live their own lives, where they aren’t owned by the gang, the commune or the state.

The philosophy that created our country is: we were the first to declare that government exists to serve men; men do not exist to serve government. We were the first to proclaim that all men are equal, to declare that men have individual rights – the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson at Philadelphia and George Washington at Valley Forge pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” for the moral right of an individual to live his own, independent life as he sees fit, that one’s life belongs to oneself, not to others to use as they see fit. We defined the right to liberty to mean the right to freedom of action, to use one’s own judgment and not to be forced to do what someone else demands. We defined the right to pursue individual happiness to mean that an individual may pursue his own happiness and not exist as a tool to serve the goals of others. Our “democracy” was built on the limitation of State power over the citizen and the possession of “rights” which may not be violated by the State. Personal liberty depends on the concept of the person. For the Founding Fathers the person was the “end” and the State the “means”; meaning the State exists for the person and not the person for the sake of State. The logic follows that if human beings were unable to reason or to think for themselves, there would be no autonomy or independence for a government to protect. This is the concept of American liberty and our freedom.

Mr. Andrew Bernstein, a writer for the Ayn Rand Institute wrote, “To fully appreciate the virtue of our soldiers we must remember what freedom means – that we can choose our fields of study, our own careers, our own spouses, the size of our families and our places of residence. It means we can speak out without fear regarding any issue, including government policy; choose our values, without interference from the state. Freedom is based on the inalienable right of each individual to pursue his own goals and his own personal happiness.”

Mr. Bernstein quotes two of our greatest generals who knew that freedom is sacred: George Washington said to Joseph Reed, “The spirit of freedom beats too high in us to submit to slavery.” Douglas MacArthur explained his efforts after World War II to Congress, “from the ashes left in war’s wake, erected in Japan an edifice dedicated to the supremacy of individual liberty…freedom of economic enterprise, and social justice.”

Many of us have stood in the stillness of our cemeteries, stared at field after field of white gravestones, all in perfect rows, each marked with a name and a war. We felt gratitude and respect yet were overcome by the immense claim of war on the living. Today, we honor the virtue of moral courage of those who fought, gave their blood and died in defense of America’s freedom.

In Flanders fields the
Poppies blow
Between the crosses,
Row on row.

AirTrain JFK Light Rail System

AirTrain JFK Light Rail System

Abstract

This paper describes the AirTrain JFK Light Rail System that was nominated as one of five finalists for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Outstanding Civil Engineering Award.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) constructed an elevated, 8.3 mile (13.4 km), fully automated Light Rail System at a cost of $ 1.9 billion to provide safe, fast, comfortable and convenient means of traveling to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA) and between terminals at the airport.

AirTrain uses light rapid transit technology. It draws power from a third rail. A linear induction motor pushes magnetically against an aluminum strip in the track center.

More than 5,500 150 ton and 200 ton capacity piles were driven to support the 8.3-mile (13.4 km) long guide way structure. The piles support 515 poured in place concrete columns, which support precast-segmental girder guide way on which AirTrain runs. . 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of single-track box girders and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of double track box girders were constructed incorporating more than 5,000 segments. Seismic isolation was required if the system was to remain readily operable following the design earthquake event. A portion of the light rail system was constructed using cut-and-cover techniques under the airport’s taxiways. Eighty percent of the tunnel is below the water table.

To maintain pace with anticipated growth at JFKIA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) decided to fast track the project. This has been described as the largest scope of work utilizing precast segmental box beams and the Design Build Operate and Maintain (DBOM) project delivery method ever contracted in New York City.