Supervisors OK Test of Flight Noise at El Toro
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $3-million test of commercial jet flights at the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro, even though county planners say the test is nonscientific and useless in any official evaluation of noise levels for the planned international airport there.
The two-day demonstration, which includes night flights, was approved by the 3-2 majority that has moved along controversial plans for a major airport at El Toro.
County officials, however, could not complete final plans, including scheduling the flights, mainly because military officials still must approve the test and could require time-consuming environmental studies first.
County officials also haven’t decided where noise monitors would be placed around the base. Five commercial planes, including wide- and narrow-body jets, would be used.
The county’s timetable calls for an airport to be built at the 4,700-acre base to accommodate up to 24 million passengers a year by 2020.
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