Growth and Safety Together

Tucked away near the Hansen Dam Recreation Area, Whiteman Airport looks and feels like a throwback to a simpler time in aviation. It’s a homey airstrip where pilots swap stories as they lavish attention on their single-engine babies. But as Times reporter Martha L. Willman pointed out last week, the airfield also has a significantly higher rate of accidents than its much busier neighbors, Burbank and Van Nuys airports. Since Whiteman is one of the fastest-growing airports in Southern California, Los Angeles County officials should ensure that growth and safety improvements proceed together.

Aviation buffs correctly note that county-owned Whiteman serves as an oasis for pilots who enjoy the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of the airport and its offbeat watering hole, the Crosswinds Cafe. They point out that Whiteman’s accident rate is not out of line with the rates at other airports of similar size. Between 1995 and 1997, six people died in eight accidents at Whiteman. At Van Nuys, the busiest general aviation airport in the country, two people died in 13 accidents--even though Van Nuys has nearly six times as many takeoffs and landings as Whiteman. Burbank Airport, with about twice the number of takeoffs and landings, boasted no fatalities or injuries over the same period.

As growth pressure at Whiteman builds, it’s smart to make sure the field is as safe as possible. Already, it has an air traffic control tower, even though its annual operations are well below the Federal Aviation Administration’s threshold for such a facility. Plus, the runway was widened, flattened and resurfaced as part of a master plan adopted in 1990. Over time, that plan aims to keep cars off the taxiways and to replace temporary buildings with permanent structures.

Those are positive steps but more can be done. The San Fernando Valley’s airspace is crowded, and getting in and out of Whiteman can be tough. Much of the airport’s business comes from recreational and training flights, a fact blamed for the relatively high number of accidents. Some have suggested installing radar to more effectively track air traffic all over the northeast part of the Valley. It’s an expensive proposition but one that’s worth investigating, considering Whiteman is the most profitable of the county’s airports. The goal is to keep Whiteman both vibrant and safe.