Archive for August 2014
Rialto / L67 will be closed and gone Sunday August 31st.
If you ever wondered what the movie might be like about the last day at Santa Monica Airport, here’s a preview.
The movie’s “opening” is Sunday August 31, 2014.
Its closing is this Sunday, too.
A movie cut short. A story that’s long. A story that’s sad.
Rialto / L67 will be closed and gone after Sunday, August 31st. And it could be duplicated at Santa Monica if we don’t get further organized, more money raised, and this initiative passed.
Read MoreCalifornia aviation regulation nixed
Proposed amendments to California state regulations that would have encroached on FAA authority by setting minimum altitudes over state 
wilderness areas and other locations (all of which are uncharted) have been scuttled, at least for the time being.
California officials had sought to require a 2,000-foot minimum altitude for flights over state wilderness areas, with a 500 foot agl minimum over “cultural preserves” and “natural preserves.” (CalPilots Editor’s Note: This is an excellent example of the Three Tier Airport/GA Protection Process and why we need local, statewide and national organizations involved and supported).
Read MorePalm Desert opts to explore joint operation of airport
Palm Desert has become the first valley city to signal its interest in at least exploring the possibility of partnering with other local governments as a way to continue operations at the Bermuda Dunes Airport.
Without committing to play a part in the privately owned airport’s future, members of the Palm Desert City Council voted 4-1 on Thursday, with Councilman Bob Spiegel dissenting, to look into what a joint-management agreement could look like.
Read MoreSLO City Council, ALUC clash over development near airfield
The city of San Luis Obispo and the commission that drafts the safety plans for the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport are going to head-to-head over future development in the city.
The City Council this week took the first step to overrule the Airport Land Use Commission’s decision that the city’s update of its general plan, or its blueprint for growth, is inconsistent with the airport’s safety plan.
That plan, in place for more than 40 years, determines what type of development can occur around the airport, taking into account both safety and noise impacts and to protect the airport from development that would hinder its future operations.
Read MoreBay Area earthquake damages Napa County Airport
Clean-up is still underway in the wake of the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the Bay Area early Sunday morning, causing at least two hundred injuries, power outages for thousands of customers and damage to many buildings, the Mercury News reports.
In a tweet, officials at the Port of Oakland reported that the South Napa Earthquake (it already has a name), which had its epicenter about 9 miles south of Napa, did no damage to the Oakland International Airport.
But damage was sustained at the Napa County Airport.
Read MoreComment Period for Airman Certification Standards Open until Aug. 25
In 2011, the FAA established an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) composed of industry experts to provide recommendations on improving the FAA’s airman testing and training materials. As a result, the ARC chose to adopt an “Airman Certification Standards” (ACS) approach that would define not only the performance metrics for knowledge and skill, but also the required content for guidance materials such as the FAA-H-series handbooks and for relevant knowledge test questions.
Ridership going strong at Fresno Yosemite International Airport
Passenger traffic at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport increased by 4.3 percent in the first half of 2014 over the year before, beating out the national growth rate of just under 1 percent.
A total of 704,070 passengers flew in and out of Fresno in the first six months of the year compared to 675,044 during the same period in 2013.
The airport attributed the increase to additional flights from existing carriers like Frontier Airlines going from three flights a week to four.
Read MoreHouse GA Caucus seeks speedy medical reform
Thirty-two members of the U.S. House of Representatives General Aviation Caucus are asking the Department of Transportation to speed up the review of an FAA proposal to reform the third-class medical process. In an Aug. 22 letter, the caucus members urged Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to have his agency complete its review of the FAA…
Read MoreSanta Monica – Big Money Behind Closing Airport Lose Round One
Supporters of closing Santa Monica Airport lose round in court – In a setback for opponents of Santa Monica Airport, a Los Angeles judge has
dismissed a lawsuit that challenged a November ballot measure to protect the facility from closure..
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Luis A. Lavin threw out the case filed in May by an anti-airport group that claimed Measure D was misleading, poorly vetted by city officials and violated the state Constitution and elections code.
Read MoreGA groups lobby for expedited review of medical reform
Seven influential general aviation organizations are asking the Department of Transportation to expedite a review of the FAA’s proposed rulemaking on third-class medical reform. In an August 15 letter, the associations urged Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to complete its review of the FAA notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) within the next 30 days and open…
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