Tests Raise Debate on El Toro

Mock commercial flights at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station came later and less often than expected Friday, but otherwise delivered what they were supposed to: noise.

The flights by the sort of planes that might be landing if the base becomes an international airport brought out residents on both sides of the issue--some with decibel measuring monitors in hand, hoping to get the numbers that would make their case.

For those who support a commercial airport, the demonstration provided worthwhile information for residents who have yet to make up their minds on the fate of the 4,700-acre base.

Those who oppose the plan said the $1.3-million demonstration was flawed and the decibel levels justified their contentions that the jets are too noisy.

“If this is a snapshot, and this snapshot is going to turn into a film with planes coming in every few minutes, it’s absolutely incompatible with any type of outdoor use,” said Dave Christiansen, an Irvine City Council member who was part of a group of protesters at Leisure World when the first jet flew over.

Others were less bothered.

“I didn’t see what the big deal was,” said Imogene Holkestad, a 15-year resident of Leisure World, a gated community for senior citizens. She was swimming laps in a pool when a 747 flew less than 1,000 feet over her head. “After all, having an airport close is a convenience for us.”

The county’s acoustical consultant said results would not be made public for at least two weeks. But unofficial readings showed decibel readings in residential areas ranging from 70 to 107.

Airport opponents said the demonstration was rigged, sending underloaded planes along northern and eastern paths that, they contend, federal aviation officials will veto for routine commercial use.

And the fact that morning flights were scrubbed by weather, they said, proved the county’s pledge of eastbound and northbound flights was unreliable.

“It’s just another bait and switch,” said Meg Waters, spokeswoman for the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority, a consortium of eight south county cities opposed to the conversion.

The day was to have started with the 6 a.m. arrival and 7 a.m. departure of a Boeing 747-400 wide-body jet to simulate the noise from an international flight.

Low morning cloud cover, though, led controllers to divert the flight to the Ontario airport because El Toro’s foul weather landing system had already been removed in advance of the base closure July 2.

Although the two flights had been scrubbed, a special complaint line still received more than 50 calls between 6 and 10:30 a.m., said Ellen Call, spokeswoman for the county’s El Toro planning office. More complaints arrived by e-mail.

“I don’t know what they would have heard,” she said. “They were absolutely not hearing that 747.”

Airport opponents, though, said the plane could be clearly heard circling off Laguna Beach.

County testers placed 10 noise monitors beneath El Toro’s southern approach route and the northern and eastern departure routes to measure the flights’ sounds. Each black, tripod-mounted box held a microphone to record decibel levels, which were printed out.

Although the county refused to release decibel levels, both pro- and anti-airport groups used their own monitors. The noise in Aliso Viejo hit 81 decibels from a Boeing 767 and 87 decibels from the 747, as each plane descended for landing. By comparison, a vacuum cleaner runs about 85 decibels.

A hand-held sound monitor in Irvine’s Northwood neighborhood recorded 71 decibels--slightly quieter than a telephone ring--from a departing Boeing 767.

In Lake Forest, resident Mike Brooks said he recorded 64 decibels when the 747 landed about six miles west of his house, and 68 decibels when the 767 took off.

Another monitor near the Irvine Spectrum recorded a range from 94 to 107--nearly as loud as a circular saw--as the 747 landed, said David Kirkey, an airport opponent who operated the monitor.

“This is consistent with what I recorded at LAX,” Kirkey said.

“It was terrible,” said Ed Hofeller, who is in charge of temple services at Leisure World. “Try to deliver a sermon with that kind of noise.”

Times staff writers Bonnie Harris, Brady MacDonald, E. Scott Reckard, Phil Willon and Eleanor Yang contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Friday Flight Tests

Unofficial results from Orange County and private monitors registered a wide range of decibel readings during Friday’s weather-plagued flight demonstrations at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Official readings won’t be available for two weeks, county officials said.

Leisure World Clubhouse

Altitude: 1,000

101 high decibel level

90 low decibel level

*

Oak Grove Elementary School

Altitude: 2,500

87 high decibel level

81 low decibel level

*

Salt Greek Beach Park (monitoring station)

Altitude: 4,000

83 decibel level

*

Portola Pkwy.

Altitude: 2,500

85 high decibel level

71 low decibel level

*

Anaheim Hills

Altitude: 7,500

83 high decibel level

70 low decibel level

*

Candlewood Suites Hotel (monitoring station)

Altitude: 2,500

N/A

*

Palmla Master Assn.

Altitude: 4,000

80 high decibel level

70low decibel level

*

Melinda Heights Elem. School

Altitude: 4,000

77 high decibel level

73 low decibel level

*

O’Neill Regional Park (monitoring station)

Altitude: 4,000

N/A

Foothill Ranch Elementary School

Altitude: 2,500

85 high decibel level

81 low decibel level

*

Decibel Scale

140 Pan threshold

120 Amplified rock band

100 Circular saw

87 MD-80 taking off at John Wayne Airport

80 Vacuum cleaner

40 Light traffic

Graphics Reporting by BRADY MacDONALD/ Los Angeles Times Source: Local El Toro support and opposition groups and Times Orange County.