Private Planes Being Moved to Airports in Southland’s Outlying Areas, Study Shows

The number of private planes based at airports in the most heavily populated areas of the Southland has decreased by 3% over the past three years and is expected to continue downward, according to a new study.

Increasingly, those planes are being moved to airfields in more outlying areas of the Southland, according to the December study by the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which represents Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial counties.

Those airfields, in such areas as Corona, Redlands and Camarillo, have acquired 2.5% more planes since 1984 and are expected to continue growing slowly through 2005, according to the report.

Overcrowding Blamed

The report attributed the shift to such factors as aircraft overcrowding, both on the ground and in the skies.

“The changes occurring in the general aviation arena are not subtle (and) can, in fact, only be described as ‘dramatic,’ ” the SCAG study says.

The shift parallels a national downturn in the general aviation industry, fueled primarily by higher equipment and insurance costs, the SCAG report states.

The downturn in urban parts of the Southland comes after two decades of unbridled growth. After reaching peak numbers in 1984, the SCAG report shows, private aircraft began leaving the airports of Los Angeles and Orange counties at a steady rate.

In 1984, 8,194 aircraft were based at the nine civilian airfields, all classified as “urban core,” in the two counties.

By 1987, the number had decreased to 7,657.

By 1995, the number will have dwindled to 7,500 and then will level off, the report predicts.

Decrease Due in County

The major decrease in aircraft over the next eight years will be in Orange County, where Meadowlark Airport in Huntington Beach is expected to close soon, leaving Orange County with only two civilian airfields, the SCAG report says.