Takeoff Pattern Change Feasible, FAA Study Finds : Finding ‘Very Preliminary’ on Routing Jets Away From Valley

The Federal Aviation Administration has said for the first time that it might be possible to change the takeoff pattern from Burbank Airport so that jets go over Burbank and Glendale instead of the San Fernando Valley.

An FAA official said Thursday that a study by the agency’s Flight Standards Division had determined that rerouting takeoffs from the airport “is feasible under certain conditions.”

The change was requested by airport officials to reduce noise problems over the San Fernando Valley. All jets now take off from the north-south runway at the airport and bank to the west over North Hollywood, Studio City and Sherman Oaks.

The FAA determined that the jets could also safely bank to the east toward the Verdugo Mountains. Some smaller private aircraft already take off in that direction.

Charles Aalfs, the FAA air traffic manager at the airport, said the finding is “very preliminary” and does not mean that the proposal will be implemented. He said the agency has not yet determined if the jets in use at Burbank Airport would conflict with other air traffic if directed to the east.

Ordered to Bank West

Some jets taking off for San Diego have been permitted to bank over Glendale in the past. But the FAA last summer ordered all departures to bank west over the San Fernando Valley to avoid air traffic routes into Los Angeles International Airport.

Aalfs said air traffic controllers have been asked to determine whether eastward flight patterns would present similar problems.

The FAA official said the findings also have been submitted for review to the Air Transport Assn., an organization of pilots and airlines.

“All we know is that the procedure is possible,” Aalfs said. “Now we’re asking all users to determine if they can fly the procedure with their aircraft.”

Aalfs said that, after pilots comment on the proposed change, test flights will be conducted to determine if airliners can use the departure route safely and efficiently. He said the FAA also will study the environmental impact of the proposed change.

“Until such time as the procedure is actually flown, we will not know the approximate track over the ground or what the aircraft altitude would be,” Aalfs said.

The study by the FAA, which has the power to authorize a new takeoff pattern, found that the eastward turn over Burbank and Glendale could be made under favorable weather conditions. Aalfs said the cloud ceiling would have to be at least 4,000 feet and visibility at least three nautical miles.

Study Requested

He said jets would not be permitted to start the turn until they reached an altitude of 2,500 feet because of the proximity of the Verdugo Mountains.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority requested in September that the FAA study the feasibility of rerouting commercial aircraft to the east. The request was part of an agreement between the airport and the City of Los Angeles to settle suits over future development at the airport.

The proposal has drawn angry reaction from residents of Burbank and Glendale, who want to prevent an increase in airline noise over their neighborhoods. Susan Read of Glendale, co-founder of Glendale Residents Opposing Airport Noise, accused airport officials of “using Glendale residents as a pawn” in efforts to quiet complaints from San Fernando Valley residents.

Read said residents in her area “are hoping and praying” that the proposed change in flight patterns proves not to be feasible.

An earlier proposal by airport officials that flights be equalized between the north-south runway and the east-west runway over Burbank was dropped last summer because initial studies by the FAA determined the plan was not feasible.