Irvine : City to Tell Marines of Concern About Flyovers

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to draft a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro expressing concern about flights of military helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft over the city.

A council hearing on the subject has been scheduled for April 28, with speakers from the community and the military expected to attend.

“There is great anxiety in the community about this entire issue,” Mayor Larry Agran said Tuesday night.

The letter was requested by Irvine Police Chief Leo E. Peart, who voiced particular concern about flights of the trouble-plagued CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter.

The Super Stallions, which are manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft, were taken out of service Feb. 14 because of suspected problems with the gearbox. Initially, the U.S. Department of Defense said it would take only 10 hours to replace each of the faulty transmission components, but the craft have remained grounded at the Tustin base as well as at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Nearly half of the 93 Super Stallions based around the world are stationed in Tustin. The craft, powered by three jet engines, is capable of carrying 55 fully equipped soldiers or lifting 16 tons, using a crane.

Col. Jack Wagner, community planning and liaison officer for the Marines, told council members that four of the 43 CH-53Es at Tustin are flying again and that all should be back in the air by mid-July. Wagner restated Marine Corps policy that the helicopters do not carry cargo from their cranes over residential areas and generally try to avoid residential areas entirely.