AOPA seeks end to Brown field privatization plan
In a recent letter, AOPA asked the San Diego Planning Commission to reject a plan to privatize Brown Field Municipal Airport.
The plan, which would require approval from the commission, would turn the general aviation reliever airport into a cargo facility. In his letter, Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of regional affairs, wrote that the plan ignores the needs of general aviation.
For more than a year, AOPA has been commenting on the development plan, which would leave only 38 acres of the airport for general aviation—while 253 acres would be devoted to a cargo-handling facility and another 173 acres would be used for nonaviation businesses.
In addition to concerns over the future of general aviation if Brown Field is privatized, AOPA expressed concerns about overall safety in the area.
"It's premature for this development project to move forward without first having an adequate plan to ensure the safety of all aircraft operating in the vicinity of Brown Field," Dunn wrote in his letter. To that end, AOPA reiterated its request for a detailed airspace study.
Victory for Carmel Valley Vintage Airport
AOPA and the owner/operator of Carmel Valley Vintage Airfield have worked together to win a victory in the fight to protect the airport from decline and eventual closure.
For nearly two years, airport owner Lars de Jounge and AOPA have worked to address complaints from airport neighbors who have pushed to restrict operations and growth at the airport. The issue came to a head recently when the Monterey County Board of Supervisors held a surprise hearing to consider a proposed "amortization ordinance." The ordinance would have gradually phased out the airport and prevented any expansion or improvements to the facility during the phaseout period.
Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of regional affairs, wrote a letter to the supervisors defending the airport and criticizing the proposal. In his letter, Dunn pointed out that the ordinance was unfair and discriminatory, and he noted that the incompatible development issues now plaguing the airport were the result of city and county planners failing to follow state law and do their jobs properly.
As a result, the board of supervisors halted efforts to create the "amortization ordinance," granting the airport at least a temporary stay of execution.
Possessory interest issues unresolved
AOPA is awaiting a response to its letter seeking clarification of Orange County's procedure for establishing possessory interest tax values and distributing revenue. At the heart of the matter is the larger question of possessory interest taxes statewide.
Under California law, private use of public property—such as hangar or tiedown space at an airport—may be taxed if the use constitutes what is called a possessory interest. But the law is somewhat vague as to what constitutes a possessory interest, and counties have a great deal of discretion when it comes to applying the law. AOPA is hoping to clarify the way possessory interest is defined under the law and the way that interest is valued.
Development near Mather approved
A housing development project near Sacramento Mather Airport has been given conditional approval to move forward.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted four to one recently to allow a housing developer to begin construction on 587 single-family homes. The developer will not be allowed to build on the southern portion of the property for 18 months while officials decide whether to expand Runway 22R at Mather. County officials are attempting to balance the airport's growing cargo operations with the need for housing in the area.
Currently, cargo operations at Mather use Runway 22L. But the companies that ship cargo through Mather are concerned that an incident or accident could close the runway, leaving them without a way to deliver their goods. They are seeking assurances that the airport will remain operational 365 days a year. The expansion of Runway 22R to accommodate the larger cargo aircraft would be a major step toward alleviating their concerns.
Buchanan Field gets airport coalition
Buchanan Field near Concord has a new airport coalition, thanks to the efforts of concerned aviation supporters. Leo Saunders, the AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer for the airport, has been actively involved in launching the new group, which will work to defend the airport from the complaints of neighbors. Airport businesses and users decided to form the coalition after the organization People Over Planes began to complain to city and county officials about noise and safety issues relating to the airport. The new aviation coalition plans to play an active part in promoting the positive role of the airport in the community. The group will monitor meetings of city and county officials and send out notices encouraging pilots to attend and express their views in favor of the airport.
Improvements planned for compton
The news is good at Compton Airport where Jack Kenton, the local AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer, and others are working to ease radio frequency congestion. The CTAF on 122.9 is currently swamped with chatter from a parachuting operation some 70 miles away. Airport users hope that changing to a unicom frequency of 123.05 will resolve the problem. In the meantime, all of the airport's ramp areas have been scheduled to receive a new slurry coating.
Van Nuys noise problems continue
There has been another skirmish in the ongoing war over noise issues at Van Nuys Airport. On April 18, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a proposal to prevent the basing of any additional Stage II jets at the airport. As a result of the decision, the number of Stage II jets based at the airport may not exceed the number based there in October 1999. The decision came even though the City of Los Angeles' own study showed that restricting the number of jets would have a negative economic impact.
The council had hoped that the decision would placate homeowner groups that wanted jets banned completely from the airport, but the decision has not been well received either by the homeowners or the businesses that stand to lose money.
In addition, the same group that proposed the limitation on Stage II jets, the Los Angeles World Airport Commission, has reconvened the Van Nuys Airport Part 150 Steering Committee after a nearly eight-year hiatus. The group commissioned a Part 150 noise study and adopted it in 1992. But the FAA did not approve the study on the grounds that the forecast for aircraft operations was not justified. Now, the commission staff will consider revised forecasts for operations at the airport.
Gravelly Airport threatened
The U.S. Forest Service has announced plans to close Gravelly Airport near Lake Pillsbury this summer. The 4,000-foot gravel airstrip is slated to close on July 8. But the California Pilots Association (CPA) and other aviation advocates are encouraging pilots to contact the Forest Service and attempt to persuade officials that the airstrip is of value and should be kept open. CPA admits that the airport is not frequently used but points out that it is an important emergency landing site in the mountainous terrain of the area and that it can serve a vital role as an emergency airlift facility as recreational use of nearby Lake Pillsbury increases.
AOPA rep to serve on Access Committee
Jack Kemmerly, AOPA's regional representative for California, has been selected to serve on the steering committee for a Caltrans Aeronautics study focusing on the issue of ground access to airports.
Caltrans has hired the consulting firm of Landrum and Brown to study the need for improved ground access to airports, identify the roles and responsibilities of different agencies and groups, identify problems, and recommend strategies. The goal is to define high-priority access projects that can reduce congestion and provide environmental and economic benefits within the next 10 to 20 years.
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