Van Nuys Airport to Study Ways to Lighten Its Impact

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners voted Wednesday to take a $275,000 federal grant to study ways of improving relations with neighbors of Van Nuys Airport, overriding protests by some of the same neighbors that the money will be wasted on a whitewash.

The board voted unanimously to accept a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for a study under Part 150 of the FAA regulations. “The grant will be utilized by the airport to facilitate an increased mutual compatibility between the airport and the surrounding community,” a statement by the Department of Airports said.

“Part 150 studies have not proved successful at any airport,” Don Schultz, head of Ban Airport Noise, said during a public hearing before the board voted. He said such studies almost always wind up promoting “the idea that soundproofing houses combats noise--soundproofing just makes you a prisoner in your own home.”

After the lengthy and complex study, its conclusions and suggestions go to the FAA, “which does whatever the hell they want,” said Gene Hardy of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., a member of a Part 150 study committee for Burbank Airport.

The FAA retains power to reject requests because the federal government is the ultimate authority over air traffic.

After 27 months, the still-uncompleted study at Burbank Airport has “wasted many hours of our time and a lot of the taxpayers’ money,” Hardy complained.

Maurice Laham, environmental coordinator for the Department of Airports, countered that the FAA accepted all 28 proposals requested by the Part 150 study committee at Los Angeles International Airport.

The board, which oversees the four city-owned airports and ordinarily meets at LAX, met at Van Nuys Airport to give Valley residents a chance to comment on local issues.

About 200 people showed up. The combination of LAX-related business that could not be postponed and an outpouring of hostile comments about aircraft noise from many in the audience prolonged the meeting for more than six hours, keeping the board from even considering much of the agenda.

Board President Maria Hummer, saying the issues ought to be considered at a meeting convenient for Valley residents, scheduled another meeting for the evening of Oct. 21 at the Van Nuys Airport.

Among the issues postponed was a request from the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council to ban “touch-and-go” operations, except between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on non-holiday weekdays.

A pilot performing a “touch-and-go” makes a landing, and, before the plane comes to a halt, accelerates and takes off again. They account for 42% of the more than 450,000 landings and takeoffs annually that make Van Nuys Airport the busiest general aviation airport in the country.

Representatives of pilots’ groups and flight schools argued that the ban would devastate their businesses and increase the danger of aircraft accidents because “touch-and-goes” are vital to acquiring and maintaining piloting skills.

Protesters argued that “touch-and-goes” benefit a select few at the expense of many residents annoyed by noise, and that the Valley has become too urbanized for flight training.

Other issues the board postponed until Oct. 21 included a request to allow some passenger helicopter service--all commercial passenger flights are now banned--and the future of the 62-acre Air National Guard base.