Countywide : Grand Jury’s Advice on Airport Rejected

The county has rejected several recommendations from the Orange County Grand Jury aimed at improving the navigational system at John Wayne Airport.

County officials said one of the grand jury’s suggestions was based on questionable data while another recommendation should be addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration, not to local airport authorities. The county’s response to the grand jury report was approved by the Board of Supervisors this week.

The grand jury said the county should consider installing new navigational aides such as beacons or radio signals on runway 19A, which is used by commercial aircraft. The panel found that up to 80% of commercial planes that use the runway stray slightly from the prescribed flight path.

But Courtney Wiercioch, manager of government and community relations for John Wayne Airport, said the county’s data indicate that the vast majority of planes accurately follow the flight path.

“We don’t believe that adding (more) navigational aides will improve compliance with the departure pattern,” Wiercioch said.

The grand jury also suggested that John Wayne Airport implement a navigational aid known as the Global Positioning System. Wiercioch said the county will look into the GPS but stressed that the system is new and needs to be examined closely before any decisions are made.

“It was only endorsed by the FAA a few months ago,” she said.

Another grand jury recommendation involving flight patterns was not acted upon by the county because it falls under the jurisdiction of the FAA, Wiercioch said.