Alarm Over Threat to Burbank Airport

Recent information given to the community, in my opinion, unduly alarmed an uninformed public. The Burbank Airport is in no danger of closing! On the contrary, the Federal Aviation Administration (one of the culprits in the drama) works tirelessly on behalf of the airlines and the health of the aviation transportation system. It is unheard of for them to put any airport out of business. Instead, they make many demands on airports around the country to expand and utilize their facilities to the utmost.

Indeed, the most recent attempt at FAA policy-making emphatically confirms this: “The FAA has statutory responsibility for promoting air commerce. . . . Safety will be given the first priority, followed by preservation of and increase to airport capacity. . . . Projects at or related to airports providing commercial air service and experiencing or anticipating capacity problems” --Burbank airport now--”will continue to receive high priority.” (Federal Register, Jan. 22, 1986.)

Translated, this means that, when the dust settles over the FAA’s alarming’ letter, we shall find the Burbank Airport in a healthier than ever state, with an extremely active future! The new terminal location, size and capacity possibilities, with which the FAA is most willing to help, will see to this.

In short, the FAA will push ahead at every opportunity to encourage growth. The location and capabilities of the new terminal is one of those opportunities. The only balance and controls will be those the community demands be placed on it.

There is another part to this act, the airport damage lawsuits. While many people enjoy the use of Burbank Airport without experiencing any adverse effects from it, there are many others who are highly involved and concerned. They feel the airport has caused damage to their health, property values and style of living: not being able to talk to each other in their own living rooms, and their children unable to sit through classes in school without frequent, irritating interruptions, etc.

Interestingly, the people I have talked to that are involved with a suit against the airport were not interested in suing but felt forced to do so. Few people like or want to sue. Instead, they are interested in preserving their neighborhood and homes and health. They are vitally interested in seeing that the airport be run in a manner that preserves their community’s livability. They are interested in controls on growth and traffic at the airport, which are now lacking.

I feel the anxieties they express are reasonable. Few want our community to resemble those around Los Angeles International Airport, such as Playa del Rey and Inglewood. Yet, the “practical capacity” of operations at the airport, according to one study, is 83 operations per hour! (This includes both landings and take-offs). For safety’s sake, as well as the general nuisance of so many planes, this growth must not be allowed to happen. There is only so much air space over our heads.

Now is the time to be concerned about the new terminal’s location and capacity and not let smoke screens cloud the issue. After the terminal is built, it will be too late, just as with high-rise developments now looming over residential areas. If nothing is done now to change the predicted future, you can be sure it will occur.

Will we survive the FAA’s and other business interests’ natural instinct to push forward inexorably to ever-increasing “service”? The airport is now completely surrounded by homes, schools, churches, etc. Just how much airport can a community tolerate?

Suits will not be necessary when damage is limited or prevented from occurring by responsible controls on the airport’s growth capabilities. While the airport is a convenience many of us enjoy, it must not be allowed to push the rest of the community aside in the interest of even more growth!

MARGIE A. GEE

Burbank

Gee is a Burbank representative on the the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.