Pre-2008 Archived Articles

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.

Sully’s take on landfill expansion: For the birds

STOCKTON – A pilot who knows a thing or two about bird strikes is condemning the proposed expansion of a large landfill near Stockton Metropolitan Airport, saying it would be “stupid” to increase the risk of a collision.

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was sitting in the captain’s chair on Jan. 15, 2009, when his U.S. Airways jet plowed through a flock of migrating geese, lost both engines and landed on the Hudson River in New York.

All 155 passengers and crew survived in what was christened the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

Sullenberger did a lot of things right in the 208 seconds between collision and splashdown. But he admits he was lucky too – skies were clear and the strike happened during the daytime, making a river landing much easier.

“We can’t rely on miracles,” he said in an interview Monday. “Having a landfill near an airport is just an incredibly bad idea. You’re creating a risk where one did not exist before.”