Archive for April 2005

NBAA’s Bolen Against User Fees
At a forum held this week to consider changes to the funding mechanism used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for providing air traffic services, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen challenged a panel of aviation industry officials who support user fees as a primary means of revenue generation for air traffic service providers.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Airpark’s permit appears to be safe for now
By LISA WAHLA HOWARD
The Antelope Valley (CA) Press

AGUA DULCE – The dispute over operations at Agua Dulce Airpark started with disgruntled community residents and has expanded to include county planning commissioners, regional pilots, the state Division of Aeronautics and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Airports recover in a big way
Passenger traffic at Ontario, Palm Springs at record levels
By PAUL HERRERA
The Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise

More passengers traveled through Inland airports during the first quarter of 2005 than in any previous year, providing further gains on a two-year-old recovery in air travel.

On Wednesday, April 20, 2005, the LA County Regional Planning Commission voted overwhelmingly to retain Agua Dulce as a public-use airport. By a 4-1 margin, the Commission voted to keep the Agua Dulce Airpark operational.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Consultants Provide Tab for Airport Expansion
Both million-dollar options would add 10 aircraft gates
By Jeff Ristine
The San Diego (CA) Union-Tribune

The cost of expanding San Diego International Airport to meet a projected increase in passengers through 2015 will be either about $536 million or $576 million depending on the terminal selected to absorb most of the growth, consultants said yesterday.

Monday, April 25, 2005
Airport pays millions to buy snake habitat
Feds levied penalty for filling wetlands
By Mark Larson
The Sacramento (CA) Business Journal

Federal regulators have put Sacramento International Airport in the reptile-housing business, and it’s costing millions.

Monday, April 25, 2005
Airport agency tries to ease concerns over land-use plan
Local entities fear a loss of control
By Jeff Ristine
The San Diego (CA) Union-Tribune

When business leaders in Carlsbad read a document designed to promote sensible development and public safety around airports, they were alarmed.

Making Users Pay

The National Weather Service (NWS) would be restricted from offering any products to the public that are or could be provided by the commercial weather industry, under legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate recently by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). The “National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005” would “modernize the description of the National Weather Service’s roles within the national weather enterprise,” Santorum said, and essentially it would yank the popular NWS Web site off the Internet. The bill already has attracted opposition among those who value NWS products. “The weather service proved so instrumental and popular and helpful in the wake of the hurricanes. How can you make an argument that we should pull it off the Net now?” said Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, (D-Fla.), in The Palm Beach Post. “What are you going to do, charge hurricane victims to go online, or give them a pop-up ad?”

Sunday, April 24, 2005
Staff: Nix remote sites from new airport list
By MARK WALKER
The San Diego (CA) North County Times

SAN DIEGO —- And soon there will be two. That will be the remaining number of civilian airport possibilities if the agency charged with finding a new airfield for the county accepts a recommendation to scratch two remote locations from its list of possible airport locations.