Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Pilots turn out to support historic Rialto Airport’s survival
The San Bernardino (CA) Sun
None of these aviators resembled Howard Hughes or his current-day stand-in, Leonardo DiCaprio , but they were up in the air over the fate of Rialto Airport. The Southern California landmark and home or former home of some legendary airmen is also home to the Sheriff’s Department’s aviation unit.
The fliers, many of them convinced that Rialto is “hellbent on closing the airport,’ came out last week for a public forum to discuss its future.
Suspicions were confirmed for the pilots when strategist Al Bell , of the consulting firm The Planning Center, asked them and others in the audience to place colored stickers on some posters.
The pilots were insulted by the sticker color designations: green for residents and red for pilots.
“It’s already biased,’ said Carl Morgan , an airport commissioner. “The community is go, go, go. And we are stopped.’ Speaking of up in the air, so is the city’s decision on the airport’s fate.
