Letters to the Editor: Unhappy about airport noise? Thank the O.C. Board of Supervisors

In response to U.S. Marine Corps Col. (Ret.) Robert Lange’s commentary (“Too much additional noise regulation at John Wayne Airport could distract pilots, air crews”), I would like to mention that Col. Lange failed to mention one important fact in his history lesson on John Wayne Airport (SNA).

Eddie Martin founded the airstrip after James Irvine leased him some land in which to operate a small, regional general aviation airport. It grew successful. So much so that the Orange County Board of Supervisors saw dollar signs when envisioning the airport being turned into a commercial airport. After facing much resistance from residents, the Board of Supervisors decided to “move” McArthur Boulevard through the airport in hopes of sizing the airport.

Costa Mesa, Santa Ana Heights and Newport Beach residents can thank the supervisors for the increased airport noise after the airport was moved further south, especially after Martin’s airport became the commercial Orange County Regional Airport, later renamed John Wayne Airport.

Supervisors once again saw bigger dollar signs when Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was announced to be closed. They formed a plan to turn the retired base into Orange County International Airport and proposed reusing the antiquated double parallel “X” configuration runway design and promised to not send commercial aircraft over hundreds of thousands residential homes situated near the East/West runways.

I could see that the supervisors’ plan was severely flawed and wrong. I teamed up with retired aviation engineer Charles Griffin and together we designed the alternative V-Plan Airport Layout Plan, which eliminated the East/West runways and redirected all departures and arrivals over the Irvine Co.’s 30,000-acre permanent open space reserve, avoiding all residential communities.

We lobbied the supervisors, local city governments, residents, Airline Pilots Assn. and Federal Aviation Administration for four years and received the full endorsement from ALPA and FAA as being “the most efficient and viable option for an airport at MCAS El Toro.” Developer George Argyros and the Board of Supervisors decided to support us a little too late, and we lost the opportunity to build a reasonable and efficient commercial airport in Orange County that would impact the fewest residents.

Now the question remains: How do we minimize the negative impacts generated from John Wayne Airport? Residents must get involved with all discussions between city governments, the Board of Supervisors, airline manufactures and the FAA to explore all options on reducing SNA’s negative noise impacts now and in the future.

Has the board asked the Boeing Co. to conduct studies on how its new 737 MAX could perform out of SNA, including maximum departure rate of climb with immediate banked turns with the plane fully loaded? What would the noise contours then look like implementing FAA’s newest GPS departure technologies coupled with the 737 MAX’s 30-plus degree rate of climb with immediate banked-turn capabilities? Is it possible to propose and incorporate new flight paths that avoid more residential communities by not having to fly over the ocean before making their turns?

Has the board considered moving the runway further north, back to its original location? The 405 freeway could be constructed under the new runway and overflow parking could then move to the south. Having the runway moved back to the north would mean departing commercial aircraft would be airborne nearly a mile further away from the Santa Ana Heights and Newport Beach residents, and with immediate banked turn departures, planes would be flying over the commercial properties near the airport and not the residential properties. These and all other options must be explored.

Russ Niewiarowski

Newport Beach

Put down those phones — if you can

Patrice Apodaca’s column on the increasing and widespread problem of cellphone use while in motion got right to the center of what’s going on in this high-tech and changing world (“Maybe you shouldn’t read this column on your phone”). Statements and phrases by Apodaca, such as “heedless idiots,” “pedestrian deaths surged more than 80%” and “becoming a danger to ourselves and others” only touch the surface on this topic.

The article highlights the factors that illustrate the dangers of using a cellphone while driving, biking, skateboarding and walking. The problem has gotten to the point that Montclair has banned distracted walking crossing intersections by issuing fines of up to $100. Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center in Newport Beach, told Apodaca, “People are inherently social animals and that phones are portals to a social world.”

This concept is fully demonstrated with younger people in their teens. And it’s not just the utilization of these devices, be it looking up some useless item on the internet, talking with a friend regarding a mundane subject or pounding the keys with an all-important text message that may save the world or just letting a friend know what you will be wearing on your date tonight, but rather the obvious fact that one such device is in your possession, which will open the social doors to acceptance by your peers.

And per the article, the answer is simple: people should not be looking at their phones while in motion. But saying it and doing it is like night and day. I’m reminded of the old TV program in the late 1970s and early ‘80s “Vega$”, starring Robert Urich as private detective Dan Tanna, who used to say, “If it was easy anyone could do it.”

I’m not sure if there is a proper and sure way to remedy this growing and dangerous problem, but history has shown that when people get tired or bored with something, they usually stop, but find a replacement. Let’s hope that if and when a replacement is found that it is safe for human use.

Bill Spitalnick

Newport Beach

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