Westside : FAA Drops Plans to Reinstall Beacon
Plans to reinstall a controversial airport beacon that had directed planes to fly over Cheviot Hills, Beverlywood and Mar Vista were abandoned by the Federal Aviation Administration this week, authorities said.
In the face of widespread community opposition, the FAA had spent a year studying the possibility of reactivating the device at Santa Monica Airport.
The use of the localizer beacon triggered complaints from West Los Angeles residents after it was installed in 1992. It was turned off and later was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The FAA had contended the device made the airways safer. However, when the FAA announced decommission of the beacon Thursday, it stated the beacon would be “costly to implement” and did “not provide a greater level of safety.”
Along with hundreds of residents, Rep. Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer opposed the reactivation of the beacon.
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