Dunsmuir reopened after long battle over trees
Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport is back in business after an 18-month closure. The field was closed in December 2001 because of tall trees located dangerously close to the runway approach and departure areas. The airport reopened in May after the California Division of Aeronautics reinstated its operating permit.
AOPA staff and Airport Support Network volunteer Ken Pool worked long hours to persuade local, state, and federal officials to take the necessary steps to reopen the airport. Tree cutting began in August 2002 after the City of Dunsmuir and Siskiyou County reached an agreement on tree removal.
Controversy over the trees began almost seven years ago when the California Division of Aeronautics determined that trees near the field presented hazards to flight. The state ordered the trees removed, but some property owners adjacent to the airport refused to cut trees on their land. In 1999, the City of Dunsmuir filed a lawsuit against those who opposed the tree removal. That suit named property owners and the U.S. Forest Service as defendants.
The future of Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport brightened earlier this year when approximately $197,000 became available to cut trees, purchase easements, resurface portions of the airport, and perform other maintenance.
Pool says the long and contentious struggle over Dunsmuir should serve as a warning to other airports to be sure that they purchase any easements needed to protect runway approach and departure zones before problems arise. He and other airport activists are planning to host a fly-in to celebrate the reopening.
Oceanside publishes noise-abatement chart
It just got easier for pilots flying into and out of Oceanside Municipal Airport to fly friendly, thanks to a cooperative effort between the city and the Oceanside Airport Association. City officials and pilots got together to publish a new chart depicting the recommended VFR traffic pattern for Runway 24. The recommended pattern minimizes the aircraft noise reaching such nearby sites as a school, park, and church. The Oceanside Airport Association is urging all pilots using the airport to get a copy of the chart and follow its recommendations, within the limits of safe operations.
In other news, the City of Oceanside recently purchased 14.5 acres of land adjacent to the airport — an action that is expected to offer some protection from incompatible development. In the meantime, improvement plans for the airport are proceeding and a business plan for operating the field is being developed.
Bakersfield pilots win fight over rent hikes, improvements
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteers Donna Weeks and Richard Osborn have won important victories for their Bakersfield-area airports. Weeks, the volunteer for Meadows Field, and Osborn, the volunteer for Bakersfield Municipal Airport, worked with fellow pilots to battle plans to close Bakersfield and double rents at Meadows.
In reviewing financial records, Weeks discovered that the City of Bakersfield had federal grant agreements with the FAA totaling $9.8 million, not the $50,000 council members had believed. In an appearance before the City Council, Weeks explained the grant obligations and warned that the FAA did not look kindly on violations of accompanying grant agreements. In the meantime, Osborn wrote a letter to the council in a similar vein.
As a result of their efforts, rental rates were not doubled and the City Council agreed to make improvements at Bakersfield. Since then, grant money has been obtained to slurry coat the runway, construction is slated to begin on as many as five new privately owned hangars, and operators are being sought to reopen the airport restaurant, which was closed several years ago after a fire. According to Osborn, one council member summarized the decision this way, "If we're stuck with it, we might as well fix it up."
Congressman praises AOPA's efforts to protect airports in California and around the country
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) recently paid tribute to AOPA's efforts to preserve and secure general aviation airports. In congressional comments offered in late May, Miller said, "AOPA has pioneered two critical programs that work to protect and preserve safe and secure access of general aviation pilots to the nation's airspace and airports — the Airport Support Network and the Airport Watch program."
"We're extremely flattered that Congressman Miller would recognize us so publicly," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "But even more impressive to us is his understanding of general aviation. Gary Miller sits on the powerful House Transportation Committee, and having allies there who know the value of GA is absolutely crucial."
In his remarks, Miller singled out the ordinary pilots who do extraordinary work for the AOPA Airport Support Network. "The Airport Support Network has been very successful in my home state of California," he said. "AOPA efforts have produced successful steps toward the preservation of two very important California general aviation airports — Oceanside Municipal and Montgomery Field. The Airport Support Network encourages communication and activity that most recently resulted in the City Council of Oceanside supporting an airport master plan that will ensure continued operations at the airport. I am encouraged by these efforts and believe that the Airport Support Network will help ensure that our system of general aviation airports remains protected and viable."
Miller also noted the AOPA Airport Watch program. "Airport Watch is a great example of AOPA's efforts to promote security while preserving the freedom of the skies," he said.
AOPA's Airport Watch reaches remote corners of California
AOPA's Airport Watch program is leaving those who threaten the security of general aviation with nowhere to hide. The program, which is in use nationwide, has reached even the most remote corners of California. AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Jack Limmer recently installed an Airport Watch sign at his home field of Kneeland Airport near Eureka. The Airport Watch program is modeled after successful neighborhood watch programs around the country. With the help of the Transportation Security Administration, AOPA has distributed program information, signs, and training materials to pilots across the country. The program urges pilots to be alert for and report suspicious activity at their airports using a nationwide toll-free telephone number, 866/GA-SECUR[E] (866/427-3287). For information about flying to the Eureka area, see " California Flying: Victorian Eureka" following p. 158.
Montgomery Field not out of danger yet
A redevelopment proposal backed by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce that calls for closing Montgomery Field is not an official city project but appears to be continuing. ASN volunteer Rick Beach says the developers face FAA grant obligations and environmental restrictions already imposed at the airport. A large portion of the airport land under consideration for redevelopment is designated sensitive habitat. AOPA is actively monitoring the situation and working to build links with the pilot and aviation community.
In recent months, city leaders had expressed their support for the airport and indicated that they were disinclined to pursue the Chamber of Commerce-supported plan, but that may not be enough to stop the development from going through.
Salinas pilots offer input to city, county master plans
Pilots at Salinas Municipal Airport, led by AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Robert McGregor, are offering their input to ensure that their airport is protected as the City of Salinas and Monterey County update their master plans. Among those contributing their ideas are members of the Airport Land Use Commission and the Salinas Airport Business Association, a group created by airport users to monitor activities affecting the airport, including those of the local airport commission and the airport manager.
Salinas airport users are facing many of the same battles as other airports throughout the state, including the threat of incompatible development and implementing aviation easements. But, McGregor says, outreach and education efforts to inform the community about the value of the airport to the local economy seem to be meeting with early success. Among the tools airport advocates are using to educate the public is the GA Serving America Web site ( www.gaservingamerica.org).
Among the possible encroachment issues the airport is facing is a plan by Hartnell College to replace an agricultural campus adjacent to the airport with a vocational school. That would mean additional buildings, including classrooms, and higher-density land use. Airport users have proposed a land swap that would move the new construction away from the traffic pattern and put a golf course closer to the airport.
While there is no resolution to the development problem in sight, airport users have conducted a number of other successful outreach efforts, including a series of open houses designed to bring nonpilots to the airport. In addition, the airport will host the California International Airshow from October 17 through 19. The Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team is expected to participate.
