Let’s Not Revert to Noisy Aircraft
Now is the time for the Newport Beach City Council to stand tall and resist efforts by the John Wayne Airport authorities to amend the 1985 agreement to allow loud airplanes to continue using the airport (“Higher Noise Levels Sought for Airport,” Dec. 12).
The value of the 1985 agreement lies in its proven ability to force technology to develop quieter commercial jet aircraft. As a consequence, there are now several different makes of relatively quiet jet aircraft using John Wayne Airport. To now relax the noise standards in order to allow noisy aircraft at John Wayne again is a giant step backward, and simply should not be permitted.
During his economic conference on Dec. 14, President-elect Clinton remarked that one of the strategies for defense-industry conversion involved development of civilian aircraft technology. This technology should be directed toward building quiet commercial aircraft, not the noisy dinosaurs which include, but are not limited to, the MD-80 airplane.
JAN D. VANDERSLOOT
Newport Beach
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