Posts by Andy Wilson
Federal judge throws out Santa Monica's lawsuit over airport
The effort to close Santa Monica Airport suffered a major setback Thursday when a federal judge threw out the city’s lawsuit that sought to wrest control of the facility from the federal government.
U.S. District Judge John F. Walters dismissed the claim that title to the oldest operating airport in Los Angeles County should be returned to the city because the action was brought too late under the statute of limitations.
Read MoreStockton – New airport chief takes over 'jewel'
STOCKTON – San Joaquin County officials selected a new airport director Tuesday in a choice reflecting an oft-spoken view from county officials that Stockton Metropolitan Airport is not just a place for planes to land and take off – it is an engine of economic development.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously selected Harry Mavrogenes to fill the post. Mavrogenes has been chief deputy county administrator since November 2012, where he has led an effort to create an economic strategy for the county, including setting up an office in Silicon Valley to attract tech companies to the county.
Read MoreHearing slated on FAA Reform Act progress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) will conduct a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to examine the progress the FAA has made in implementing provisions of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 in the last two years. The Reform Act was enacted on Feb. 14, 2012, and contains provisions…
Read MoreHouse passes sleep apnea bill
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed H.R. 3578 to ensure the FAA conducts an open rulemaking process before making changes to medical certification requirements for pilots with sleep disorders. Read in browser
Read MoreSouth Lake Tahoe Airport Master Plan Review Feb 13, 2014
Meeting on future of South Tahoe airport set for Feb. 13 – A meeting on the future of the Lake Tahoe Airport in South Lake Tahoe will be held for residents and businesses on Feb. 13 at the airport at 1901 Airport Road.
The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers as part of a review of the Airport Master Plan.
Read MoreTFR – Rancho Mirage, California
Issue Date : February 12, 2014 at 1901 UTC Location : Rancho Mirage, California Beginning Date and Time : February 15, 2014 at 0200 UTC Ending Date and Time : February 17, 2014 at 2300 UTC Reason for NOTAM : Temporary flight restrictions for VIP Movement Type : VIP Replaced NOTAM(s) : 4/8104: To update…
Read MoreTFR Fresno, CA
Issue Date : February 12, 2014 at 1335 UTC Location : Fresno, California Beginning Date and Time : February 14, 2014 at 2200 UTC Ending Date and Time : February 15, 2014 at 0200 UTC Reason for NOTAM : Temporary flight restrictions for VIP Movement Type : VIP Replaced NOTAM(s) : N/A http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_8188.html
Read MoreAOPA, NBAA file friend of the court brief in Santa Monica suit
AOPA and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) have joined forces to file an amicus, or friend of the court, brief in support of an FAA motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit over the future of Santa Monica Municipal Airport. While the city of Santa Monica and the FAA have presented the technical arguments over the terms of an agreement signed decades ago, AOPA and NBAA intend to present the court with the bigger picture of what is at stake if the city is allowed to breach its agreement leaving the future of the Santa Monica airport to the city’s whim.
Moffett Field -San Jose, CA
Google to restore Hangar One and operate runways at Moffett Field – MOUNTAIN VIEW — After designing driverless cars, experimenting with robots and secretly building a fleet of barges, Google is taking on a new challenge: running an airfield in the heart of Silicon Valley and restoring one of the area’s most iconic buildings, once used to house Navy blimps.
On Monday, federal officials announced they have chosen a Google subsidiary to restore the landmark Hangar One at Moffett Field and assume control of the airfield’s two runways, located just a few miles from Google’s main offices.
Read MoreCalifornia solar plant is frying birds in mid-air
IVANPAH DRY LAKE — Workers at a state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant’s concentrated sun rays — “streamers,” for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair.
Federal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy plant last year and watched as birds burned and fell, reporting an average of one “streamer” every two minutes, are urging California officials to halt the operator’s application to build a still-bigger version.
The deaths are “alarming. It’s hard to say whether that’s the location or the technology,” said Garry George, renewable-energy director for the California chapter of the Audubon Society. “There needs to be some caution.”
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