Supervisors, Airport Officials Buffeted by Traveler Turbulence
Much media hype and political backslapping is taking place over the opening of the Thomas F. Riley Terminal at John Wayne Airport. Mr. Riley states: “This state-of-the-art facility will rank this airport along with the best in the world for the next 20 years.” Well, a new terminal building does not a great airport make!
At 5,700 feet, the primary runway is one of the shortest commercial runways in this country. The drastic power reductions required at 500 or 1,000 feet after breaking ground also make it one of the most dangerous.
If the runway were extended to the San Diego Freeway with a blast fence, the noise abatement procedures might be able to be eliminated or modified to a safer degree. This would place the aircraft at a higher altitude above the homes in Santa Ana Heights and the Back Bay area and therefore quieter.
To those who argue that a longer runway would mean larger aircraft, a displaced landing threshold could retain the existing landing distance. The county controls the size of the aircraft operating at the airport as it is.
The new terminal is indeed a beautiful facility, but the crews and passengers will still be subjected to the same increased risks as before. After spending millions on the roadways, parking facilities and terminal, we see that the priorities of the politicians are comfort and convenience, not safety.
RAYMOND P. SEYMOUR
Irvine
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