California Airports

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – The city of Ontario has sued Los Angeles in order to take over control of the Ontario International Airport. Attorney Roy Goldberg claims the facility has been neglected for years and Los Angeles caused “immeasurable harm” to Inland Empire residents because of the way it has dealt with the airport. Goldberg specifically said officials at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) didn’t “promote and expand air service” at the airport.

Bay Area’s Biggest Fixer-Upper Looking for New Tenant – Bill Parsons surveyed the hulking metal hangar, towering like a massive metal cocoon over Moffett Field.

With its decaying outer skin removed, the historic Hangar One looked as if it had been assembled with an erector set.

Parsons worked in the hangar back in the sixties, when he was an airplane mechanic with the Navy.

“The enormity — spending a night watch in there by myself,” Parsons mused, “you wonder about the ghosts.”

Earlier this month the city council of Santa Monica, California, decided to strike a blow for economic parity by instituting landing fees at the airport. As a former city commissioner of a small city that owns an airport, I can say this about their decision: It’s short-sighted.

As an individual involved in economic development of a region, I can say this: It’s based on ignorance with a hint of malice.

And as an aviation enthusiast who has spent untold thousands of dollars in conjunction with my affection for aviation: It’s idiotic on an industrial scale.

COUNTY BUDGET A FACTOR – Five jobs are on the line at the Arcata-Eureka Airport, including the employee who’s been working to secure a second airline for ACV. Humboldt County Public Works proposed the layoffs to the board of supervisors. “The airport has a severe funding revenue problem,” said Public Works Director Tom Mattson. “Without a new airline this year we’re going to have to tighten our belt.”     

Mattson has proposed the cuts be made as 2 Airport Service Workers, a groundskeeper, a building maintenance custodian, and from airport management Program Coordinator Emily Jacobs.     

Burbank AirportFor those living near Bob Hope and Van Nuys airports, jet noise is a way of life. But it’s the noise at night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. that is prompting lawmakers to propose a mandatory curfew. “When you’re standing in your home or you’re standing outside or you’re trying to carry on a conversation or you’re trying to get some sleep, and you hear just how loud those flights are, and how much it makes your house shake, you’ll get a much better appreciation for what we’re talking about,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank).

San Francisco’s airport plans to spend $4.1 billion over the next decade to fund a major upgrade to its facilities. The expenditures will lead to the creation of more than 36,000 jobs, according to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who announced the figures today.

The San Francisco International Airport Commission will vote on the budget at its meeting on Tuesday. The main source of money for these capital projects will be general revenue bonds.

“SFO’s 10-year capital improvement plan ensures that our airport can achieve its goal to create a world-class facility, and continue to be a vital source of job creation in the Bay Area,” said Lee. “SFO is an engine which helps power our local economies, bring tourism and jobs to the entire region and this investment in our infrastructure keeps that engine running strong.”

Join us May 10th and 11th for a good old-fashioned airport celebration at Oceano Airport.

Friday night May 10th: Beach Burger Fry and Dance featuring the San Luis Jazz Band.

Tickets for the dinner/dance are $10 and available from any FOA volunteer or at the gate. Enjoy a burger, hayrides, strolling under the stars on the ramp and a great time shaking your groove thing.

Saturday, May 11th is Celebration Day and begins at 8:30 with the 5-Cities Lion’s Club famous pancake breakfast.

Family friendly, free admission.

AIN Blog: Goodbye SMO – The general aviation industry in the U.S. lost a key battle last night when the Santa Monica city council voted to impose higher landing fees, not just on transient aircraft but on all aircraft that use the airport. Starting August 1, even a Cessna 172 based at Santa Monica airport (SMO) flown by a local student or rental pilot will be assessed $10.96 for each landing. For training operations, that means a student pilot will end up paying $10.96 for every landing or touch-and-go. A typical business jet flying into SMO, say a Hawker 850XP, will pay $120.56, up from $45.54. Movie actor, airplane and helicopter owner-pilot Harrison Ford, who keeps his fleet at SMO, will be paying a lot more to fly from now on.
(CalPilots Editor’s Note: There are abundant monetary resources associated with the aviation community at SMO. It’s time that they organize a legal challenge of the City’s continual harassment of the airport, starting with a complete audit of all aviation related monies collected at SMO. We believe that the the City’s ongoing claim of running in deficit will be proved erroneous once the numbers are reviewed by expertise other than the current anti-airport groups).

“Willits has an airport?” – That’s the question new airport manager Dan Ramsey sometimes gets on introductions. “Yes, for nearly 49 years,” he responds. “The reason many Willits people don’t know about the airport is that it’s located four miles out of town at the northeast corner of Brooktrails,” he explains. “It serves the entire Little Lake Valley and beyond. A Willits pilot can be whale-watching, landing in Ukiah or Covelo, or even at Lampson Field in Lakeport, within about 20 minutes.”

This year’s California Aviation Awareness Day, Ramsey notes. “Reminds non-pilots how much state and local communities rely on aviation.”

Aviation annually adds $155 million to California’s economy. The state has nearly 35,000 registered aircraft and more than 62,000 licensed pilots and 246 airports, yet only 30 offer commercial passenger service. The other 87 percent serve “general aviation,” single- and twin-engine aircraft, typically owned and flown by people for recreation.

It’s about to get more expensive to land at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in southern California.

On April 30 the Santa Monica City Council approved a landing fee of $5.48 per 1,000 pounds on all aircraft — transient and locally based alike. For the pilot of a Cessna 172, that’s $10.96 for each landing. The fee is slated to go into effect Aug. 1.