Torrance Tests Cameras to Catch Aircraft That Break Curfew

Almost every other night, Frank Rizzardi is awakened by the sound of an airplane roaring over his Torrance neighborhood. His house sometimes vibrates because of the noise.

“Once you’re asleep, it just takes one loud (plane) to wake the people up” in the neighborhood, Rizzardi said. “Let’s put it this way: I’m 69 years of age, and when you’re older, once you’re awakened, it’s hard to get back to sleep.”

Authorities think that what Rizzardi and other residents are hearing are primarily curfew-busting flights that violate the 10 p.m. ban on takeoffs at Torrance Municipal Airport.

Officially, Zamperini Field is open for landings by private or corporate planes 24 hours a day. But departures, which create more noise than landings, are banned between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. weeknights and between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. weekends and holidays.

Pilots may be granted exemptions to the curfew for emergencies or for business purposes. All flights must meet airport noise regulations.

However, when the flight tower closes at 8 p.m., pilots continue to take off--even after curfew.

“We do have an operations person on the field 24 hours a day,” said David Roelen, Torrance’s senior environmental quality officer. “But this is a big plant. The person may be on one end of the field and the plane on another. Or the person may be in an office. . . . It doesn’t take long for a plane to take off.”

Last year, airport officials say there were 126 illegal departures, up from the 104 illegal flights reported in 1991. Most of the reports were based on observations by airport staff or tape recordings from airport noise monitoring equipment.

Pilots illegally departing generally do not use their radios or identify themselves. That practice, Roelen said, poses a danger to other pilots in the area who would be unaware of such a takeoff.

“It’s not the safest procedure,” Roelen said.

Built in 1941 by the Army, Zamperini Field has become home to more than 700 small planes. Last year, there were 202,000 flights recorded at the airport, which has two runways and is located at Airport Drive off Pacific Coast Highway.

Airport officials, determined to catch those who are violating the curfew, have tested video camera surveillance systems to identify offenders. Officials hoped that the systems, including state-of-the-art infrared cameras, would curb illegal flights and improve airport security.

So far, Roelen said, the camera experiment has produced mixed results; the cameras work well in identifying aircraft with large markings but not so well in capturing the image of small markings on planes.

“Some we can read and some we can’t,” Roelen said. “The technical issue at this point doesn’t seem solvable.”

The fate of the camera surveillance project has not been decided. If a system is purchased, it would have to be approved by the Airport Commission and then the City Council.

Illegal departures after curfew are misdemeanor violations. When identified, violators have been sent warning letters for a first offense and cited for subsequent violations, which could lead to a fine and/or jail term, Roelen said.

The issue of illegal takeoffs comes at a time when the airport has reported a record low in noise violations. In 1992, there were 499 incidents in which planes exceeded the maximum decibel level, down dramatically from the 4,800 in 1980. The drop-off is attributed to several airport regulations adopted over the years, including the banning of aircraft known for producing high decibel levels.

Yet the illegal, after-hours flights have long been an irritation to nearby residents. Rizzardi, treasurer of the Southwood Riviera Homeowners Assn. and a member of the city Planning Commission, said some residents have almost given up hope of resolving the problem.

“A number of people have about thrown up their hands and say it doesn’t do any good to complain,” Rizzardi said. “It’s an ongoing problem and there doesn’t seem to be too much that the (airport) people can do about it.”

Other residents point out that there is little difference to them between authorized after-hours flights and illegal ones.

“When they fly over your house, you don’t know whether they are legal or not,” said Joe Arciuch, a board member of the Southwood Riviera Homeowners Assn. “When you’re asleep and they wake you up, you only know they’re flying.”