Quail Brush Power Plant Opposed

CalPilots

Quail Brush-rendering-blue

The Quail Brush Power Plant project opposition recently asked the California Pilots Association (CalPilots) if we planned to oppose the project based on thermal plume safety issues and due to the projects’ proximity to the Gillespie Airport and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

As a result, Bob Eppers, CalPilots Region 5 VP appeared before the San Diego City Council to voice CalPilots aviation based objections to the Quail Brush project.

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Pilot Safety Radio

CalPilots

The all-new PilotSafetyRadio.com is online. From informative podcasts to in-depth aviation safety courses, this is the place for all aviators to reach the goal of becoming a Pilot of Excellence. Enjoy our very first podcast!

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Sutter Airport Has Hit its Own 'Fiscal Cliff'

Sutter CountyGreater government oversight. Rising expenses. Rents below market value.A combination of those factors, according to Sutter County officials and supervisors, is what took the county’s airport off a “fiscal cliff” of its own in recent years, and a situation those same officials said they hope it’s emerging from now.

To Supervisor Stan Cleveland, two developments emerged about a decade ago that put the airport’s finances on shaky ground. The first was the post-Sept. 11, 2001, environment in which the federal government’s push for homeland security led to greater oversight of general aviation airports like Sutter County’s.

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FAA Acts On ELT Straps

 

ELTThe FAA has banned the use of Velcro-type straps to secure emergency locator transmitters designed and built after Nov. 26 of this year. The new rule came two years after a high-profile crash that killed Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and four others. The ELT aboard the Otter they were on came loose on impact and detached from the antenna. Rescuers found it on the floor in the back of plane, activated but unable to transmit because it wasn’t connected to the antenna. “In this case, the airplane was equipped with a functioning 406 megahertz ELT, which can be a tremendous aid to search and rescue operations,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said following the board’s preliminary investigation. “But this vital life-saving technology won’t do anyone any good if it doesn’t stay connected to the antenna.” The NTSB recommended the FAA review the safety standards for ELT straps and this TSO may have been the result.

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LAX Planning for Jumbo Jets

CalPilots

LAX Jumbo_MapLAX runway separation plan advances, over groups’ objections – Some neighbors and Ontario airport supporters oppose a plan touted as improving safety and the handling of the largest new aircraft at Los Angeles International.

A controversial plan to separate the two northern runways at Los Angeles International Airport by 260 feet advanced last week when airport staff recommended the proposal for further environmental review over other runway options.

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CAMP PENDLETON EXERCISE

CalPilots

CAMP PENDLETON EXERCISE – Effective 10-11, 20 DECEMBER 2012 During December 2012, the Department of the Navy will conduct an amphibious operations training exercise along the shoreline and within facilities associated with Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California. This exercise is essential to train Navy and Marine Corps units in planning, coordination and execution of amphibious landings and sea-to-shore operations. The exercises will include intensive, hazardous military aviation, and ground fire activities to include artillery live fire.

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PSP-Palm Springs Intrnl Arpt-Installment of PAPA on Right Side to Replace VASI

CalPilots

Palm Springs_Airport_Notice Number: NOTC4478
ALERT BULLETIN: SUBJECT: RWY 31L – Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) Activation

FACILITY: Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)

TRIGGERING EVENT: Replacement of VASI Navigational Aid (NAVAID) equipment on left to PAPI on right.

NARRATIVE:

On December 15, 2012 the Palm Springs International Airport, Air Traffic Control (ATC) will activate the newly installed RWY 31L Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) system. This equipment replaces the Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) system for RWY 31L, previously on “left” side of runway.

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SFO to return $2.1 Million in Misspent Stimulus Funds

CalPilots

SFOThe Federal Aviation Administration will take back $2.1 million in stimulus funds that it gave to San Francisco International Airport because the money was used improperly, according to the Department of Transportation’s inspector general.

The airport received $14.5 million in stimulus funds to improve runways and taxiways, which was completed in 2010. But the inspector general said in a report earlier this month that $2.1 million was used for unauthorized construction. It is unclear what specifically the money was spent on.

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Long Beach Airport to Unveil Major Facelift

CalPilots

California’s Long Beach Airport LGB plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 5 to unveil the results of its $140 million renovation. Established in 1923 as the first municipal airport in Southern California, the airport (known also as Daugherty Field) has five runways ranging in length from approximately 4,000 feet to 10,000 feet, and sees some 300,000 operations a year. While it hosts its own commercial traffic and serves as an alternative to Los Angeles International, 20 miles to the northwest, LGB also ranks as one of the world’s busiest general aviation airports.

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Bob Hope Airport Noise-impact Zone to Shrink

CalPilots

burbankThe clock is ticking for residents living around Bob Hope Airport to tap a federally funded program to soundproof their houses before a shrinking noise-impact zone renders them ineligible, officials warned last week. 

With fewer flights coming in and out of the airfield, and quieter aircraft taking to the skies, the noise-impact zone is expected to shrink significantly at the north and south ends of the runway, meaning homeowners who currently qualify for grant-funded soundproofing may soon find themselves outside the boundaries for the program.Dan Feger, the airport’s executive director, said homeowners who qualify should act quickly.

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