Costa Mesa delves into flights issue

Lolita Harper

Aviation. Education. Collaboration.

Those are the key terms surrounding the boost in airplane presence

over the city and the steps that should be taken to resolve the

quagmire, officials say.

Costa Mesa’s problem of increased airplane traffic is fraught with

confusing terminology, conflicting statements from local airport

authorities and local officials who are desperate for some way to

take action in an area in which they have no authority.

City Manager Alan Roeder said city officials have been diligent

about gathering information about local flights and plan to take more

aggressive steps that include hiring outside experts and teaming up

with other city leaders to pressure federal aviation officials for

change.

Roeder said the increase in flights has been clearly documented by

airport flight paths and mounting complaints from residents. What

isn’t clear is exactly where the flights are coming from or what can

be done to stop them, he said.

ALL SIGNS POINT

TO LONG BEACH

While he can confidently point the finger at Long Beach, Roeder

said the evidence gathered so far exonerates John Wayne Airport as

the culprit. City officials have spoken with Long Beach and John

Wayne airports’ representatives, who both claim to have no part in

the flight increases.

Long Beach Airport spokeswoman Sharon Diggs-Jackson has said her

airport is too small to be the cause of such a noticeable increase

and said residents should look to JWA and LAX for answers.

Officials from John Wayne have volunteered various maps and charts

that detail the number of flights traveling through their air space

and clearly identify which are routed into and out of John Wayne,

Roeder said. City staffers have also researched LAX flights, Roeder

said.

“Based on what we’ve seen, there just any documentation that says

this is an LAX or John Wayne issue,” Roeder said.

EDUCATION IS KEY

Without pointing fingers, Roeder said the first order of business

was to educate city leaders on aviation and what role, if any, they

can play in finding a solution.

Councilman Gary Monahan invited Tom Naughton, a former pilot and

president of the Airport Working Group, to brief council members on

various factors involved in the increase in flights over the city.

Most of the increase stems from the adjustments in air space by the

federal government.

Federal Aviation Administration officials confirmed changes in

allocated airspace over the Southern California region, including a

larger space over John Wayne Airport. FAA representatives say changes

were made to give air traffic controllers more leniency in flight

paths to promote the safest route depending on specific weather or

traffic circumstances.

EL TORO DEMISE LEAVES OPEN SPACE

Naughton, who has garnered the title of local airport guru, said

that John Wayne airspace now extends into space formally reserved for

the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Since the former base was

officially rezoned by Measure W as park land, aviation officials

decided to reallocate the airspace to give local airports full

advantage, he said.

Naughton said John Wayne has the most airspace it has ever had and

it allows smaller airports, such as Long Beach, to use it. The safest

and most practical route for flights coming into Long Beach from the

East travels directly over Costa Mesa, Naughton said.

The Long Beach localizer and glider beams, which are rays sent

from the airport to help align planes for the runway, are located

just between John Wayne Airport and the coast, Naughton explained.

Pilots must hit that mark and start their descent right around Costa

Mesa, which is only 15 nautical miles from Long Beach Airport, he

said.

“So, a pilot who is coming in naturally wants to take the shortest

route and would go through the John Wayne airspace at a higher

altitude and then attempt to intercept the glide scope around our

area here,” Naughton said.

The glide scope is set at an elevation of about 4,500 feet,

Naughton said, but pilots would want to come in under the mark for

the smoothest descent, which would explain why residents are

reporting low-flying aircraft.

“You wouldn’t come in above the glide scope and then dip in,”

Naughton said. “We used to in the military, but it’s not something

you would want to do with passengers.”

The popular route for incoming flights from the East and the

increase in flights from Long Beach airlines Jet Blue and American

have combined to create a noticeable difference in plane traffic over

the city, he said.

“The most popular airports in this region are John Wayne and Long

Beach, and Costa Mesa is taking the brunt from both,” Naughton said.

GETTING HELP FROM NEIGHBORING CITIES

Councilwoman Karen Robinson, who lives in Mesa Verde -- where many

of the recent complaints of airplane noise have cropped up -- said

she learned a lot from Naughton’s presentation and hopes neighboring

cities that are experiencing the same problems will also be educated

on the issue.

“We need to get each of our cities knowing why [there has been an

increase in flights] and on the same page so we can start to figure

out if there is anything we can do about it,” Robinson said. “I am

hopeful that once all of the cities get educated about what’s going

on and then work collectively to resolve whatever issues we can, if

we can.”

Roeder agreed, saying it is crucial to get various municipalities

at one table to figure out what exactly is taking place and what can

be done to provide some relief to residents of not only of Costa Mesa

but also of Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Los Alamitos, which have

been directly affected.

Long Beach resident Alan Terry, who is a member of a community

organization created to halt Long Beach airport expansion, said he

would be more than willing to work with Costa Mesa residents and

officials -- as well as people from other cities -- who are also

concerned with the apparent increase in Long Beach flights. Terry,

who sits on the board for Long Beach Hush 2, said his group is

working to limit the number of flights at Long Beach, stop any future

expansion of the terminal and try to amend the noise restrictions so

they reflect the more modern, and quieter, aircraft.

Terry said he can empathize with Costa Mesa residents.

“They have a real good reason to be concerned in Costa Mesa,”

Terry said.

NOT ENTIRELY

UNDER CITIES’ CONTROL

Costa Mesa officials said they encourage resident participation

but warn that air space and the subsequent flight path are strictly

governed by the FAA.

“I am not entirely sure that the FAA would take the time and

effort to look for an alternative flight path,” Roeder said. “It is

something we will have to do for them.”

Roeder said the city is prepared to hire private, technical

experts who would be able to analyze the situation and compile

feasible flight path alternatives. Those alternatives would then be

offered to the FAA, but local leaders could not force their

implementation, he said. Local officials can simply apply pressure

and hope federal administrators are sympathetic, he said.

Lastly, but no less important, is the role individual residents

can take, Roeder said. He encouraged people from Costa Mesa,

Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Los Alamitos to voice their opinions

to the FAA. Together, city leaders and residents might be able to

apply enough pressure to make a change, he said.

“It’s one thing to hear from the various municipalities, but it is

another thing when they hear from us and the residents,” Roeder said.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at [email protected].