Avalon Airport Idea Still Up in the Air, but Council Selects a Site

A site one mile south of here was selected last week for a proposed sea-level airport that could bring an additional 100,000 visitors a year to Santa Catalina Island by the end of the century.

It will be at least five years before the first commuter plane can touch down at the proposed airport--discussions have not even begun with the owner of the site--but city officials last week expressed optimism that the general aviation and commuter airport will be built. Construction is expected to cost about $13 million, excluding the cost of land.

The island’s only existing airport is a private facility on a 1,600-foot hilltop half an hour’s drive from Avalon. Known as the Airport-in-the-Sky, it is frequently closed by fog.

“A sea-level airport would definitely increase tourism, especially during the off-season,” said Ken Weiss, executive director of the Catalina Chamber of Commerce.

Studied Since ’83

A six-part feasibility study of a new airport began in 1983, when the City Council got two reports describing operations at Airport-in-the-Sky, forecasting the city’s needs and identifying 17 potential sites for another airport.

Last week, when the council held its first public hearing on the proposal, the city’s consultants identified Pebbly Beach, a beachfront industrial area with a small helicopter and seaplane terminal, as the best site for the new airport.

Council members approved the site unanimously, but some noted that no final decision on building a new airport has been made.

In about three months, the consultants will provide a detailed financial analysis of what it would cost to build the airport. An environmental impact report is expected six months later.

FAA Funding

If an airport plan is approved, it would take about a year to get money from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is expected to pay 90% of the total cost, said Donald R. Allison, director of engineering for VTN Consolidated Inc. of Irvine, the consultants who prepared the reports.

It would take an additional two or three years to remove hillsides and fill in about eight acres of beachfront for a runway, he said.

As proposed, the 2,350-foot-long, 60-foot-wide runway would parallel the shoreline and have water at each end. With additional fill, the runway could be extended to 3,100 feet. Planes would land from the north and take off to the south.

The existing helicopter terminal would be used for commuter flights, the present aircraft parking apron would be used for tie-downs, and sea planes would continue to operate from the existing seaplane ramp.

Proposed in 1969

The idea of a sea-level airport closer to Avalon has been discussed by the council since the 1960s. The city commissioned a study in 1969 that recommended construction at Pebbly Beach of a 1,500-foot runway for short takeoff and landing aircraft, at a cost of $3.3 million.

That airport was never built because of its limited usefulness and a disagreement over the value of the land with the Santa Catalina Island Co., which owns Pebbly Beach.

Interest in the airport was renewed in the late 1970s and the city and Los Angeles County got a $160,000 FAA grant for the feasibility study.

The problems at Airport-In-The-Sky include:

- Frequent closure because to heavy fog.

- Limited accessibility and long travel time to Avalon.

- Poor runway condition.

- Restrictions on hours of operation and transportation to Avalon caused by private ownership of the airport. The airport is owned by the Santa Catalina Conservancy, a preservation foundation established by the Catalina Island Co. to maintain 86% of the island as a natural preserve.

Airport Closed Frequently

Airport-in-the-Sky officials say it has been closed at least part of the day 25% to 30% of the year since 1978, with a high of 118 closures in 1980. Some of those closures occurred, however, because of weather shutdowns at the Long Beach Municipal Airport, which handles much of the traffic between the island and the mainland.

Besides weather problems, Airport-in-the-Sky’s 3,250-foot-by-100-foot runway rises in the middle and drops sharply at both ends, obstructing visibility from one end to the other, the consultants said. Federal safety officials said the airport had 19 accidents between Jan. 1, 1970, and Dec. 31, 1982, most of them caused by pilot misjudgments. The airport had 3.2 accidents per 100,000 takeoffs and landings, compared to the national average of 2.3.

Airport-in-the-Sky Manager Paul Moritz said about 22 aircraft are permanently based there, but it can accommodate up to 200 for temporary parking. There are no fuel or repair services.

Although the road from the airport to Avalon is a steep, winding, scenic trail through the interior of the island, many feel the half-hour drive is too long and discourages visitors. The road is constructed of a slurry seal and needs to be repaired frequently.

Air Traffic Once Boomed

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, aircraft contributed significantly to transporting visitors to Catalina. Nearly one-fourth, or 70,000 to 80,000 tourists annually, arrived by helicopters and airplanes, including seaplanes.

But since 1976, with increases in air fares, the number began to decline, dropping to the present level of only 2% arriving by air, primarily by helicopter.

The report said a sea-level airport could increase the percentage to 10% of all visitors by 1997, or nearly 100,000 of 1 million annual visitors.

It is those projections that have the Catalina Chamber of Commerce and commercial air carriers excited about the prospect of a sea-level airport.

Sea Gets Rough

“We lose a lot of the tourist market during the fall and winter because many get motion sickness on the boats because of the rough currents, and they don’t want to spend $44 each way to arrive by helicopter,” said the chamber’s Weiss. “If the air travel could get to a realistic price, say $25 or $30, it could get somewhat competitive with the boats.”

Round-trip boat fares to Avalon from San Pedro range from $18.90 to $25.

“I think it would be an excellent idea,” said Dann Lewis, vice president of Resort Commuter, a Santa Ana-based carrier providing regularly scheduled flights to Catalina aboard nine-passenger Cessna 402s. “I think the passengers would find it a great deal more convenient being closer to Avalon.”

“We are strongly in favor of anything that promotes tourism in Catalina,” said Becky French, a spokeswoman for Island Resorts Catalina, which manages three hotels in Avalon and operates a helicopter service to Avalon from Long Beach and San Pedro. “I think we would be one of the first companies to try to land a plane there.”

The consultants said the tourists arriving by air would be new visitors, not people who used to come by boat.

Not All Optimistic

But not everyone is excited or optimistic about a new airport.

Jerry Brown, who operates a charter air service to Catalina from Long Beach Municipal Airport, said a sea-level airport would be more convenient, but he doubts it will be built.

“I’m in favor of it,” he said, “but I just can’t see where the money would be coming from. I hate to see people get all excited about something that might never happen.”

The consultants say a federal grant is likely, but the city has not figured out where it will get its 10% share of the cost. In any case, Moritz, the manager of Airport-in-the-Sky, questions whether it is a wise expenditure.

“I have a vested interest in this, but even from a taxpayer’s point of view, Avalon has got to be the only city trying to get an airport built closer to it. It is usually cities wanting airports moved farther away.

Other Problems

“Besides, we have many other problems that haven’t been addressed yet, such as a new sewer treatment plant and repairs at the mole,” he said, referring to the pier where the boat carriers arrive. “It’s a waste of taxpayers money.”

Moritz said if the new airport opened he would lose about three-quarters of his business and would probably close.

While not taking a position for or against the airport, the Southern California Edison Co. has expressed concern that a plane crash at Pebbly Beach would affect the company’s operations. Edison has facilities near the proposed runway, including its main power plant, a liquid petroleum gas plant and maintenance and service facilities.

“It should be noted that any incident causing an emergency shutdown of this facility impacts the entire Santa Catalina Island,” said Angelo Kedis, an Edison district manager.

Businesses Affected

The Santa Catalina Island Co., which leases the land to Edison and other businesses at Pebbly Beach, said it is concerned about a mooring service shop and yard, laundry facilities and a boat maintenance and storage yard that would have to be removed or relocated for the airport.

Rudy Piltch, director of planning for Santa Catalina Island Co., said he was also concerned about noise the airport would bring, and said preliminary costs are substantially underestimated because the report did not consider city acquisition of the road from Avalon to Pebbly Beach, currently maintained by the company, or the economic effect of closing Airport-in-the-Sky.

Piltch said the company is opposed to the sea-level airport but will support it if the community wants it. Residents will have at least a year to express their wishes before a final decision is made on the airport.