Opposite Reactions on El Toro Airport

I am writing in response to a June 20 letter by Nancy J. March of Villa Park concerning the effects of the proposed airport on the people of Leisure World.

Her letter saddened me more than any I have read. March seems to think that our elderly citizens do not deserve to live their days out in peace and safety even though she admits that they have suffered through the Great Depression and fought in World War II.

It is so heartbreaking that our country does not revere our elderly as other countries do.

If anyone deserves to live in peace and tranquillity it is the people of Leisure World who have worked their entire lives, sacrificed for their country and saved their pennies so they could retire happily.

Maybe after one of her shopping trips to the mall she could stop by a bookstore and pick up something on the Great Depression and World War II, as she certainly does not understand what went on during that period in history.

If she did, she may never have insulted our senior citizens.

GAIL BRUNELL

Laguna Niguel

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I have followed the debate over the proposed El Toro airport from the beginning, but I was truly nauseated by Nancy J. March’s thesaurus-fueled rant aimed at Leisure World retirees.

At first, I thought this must be some dark-humored joke, some ill-advised satire on the wrangling that’s developed over the last five years. Then it occurred to me that she was being dead serious, and my stomach turned.

“Idyllic lifestyle”? “Pernicious dispute?”

Many of those who “constantly bemuse” Ms. March sacrificed greatly in this country’s wars so that she might continue to enjoy her freedom of speech.

Many worked through the Depression in order to guarantee this nation’s financial vitality, part of which I’m sure March enjoys in Villa Park.

Many others are survivors of the Holocaust or other examples of genocide, and they continue to serve as inspiration and as examples of courage for the rest of us.

Her letter depressed and saddened me all day on Father’s Day. I deeply miss my father-in-law, a Korean War vet who served under fire and who died a few months shy of his retirement.

A man who worked hard, struggling to provide for his family and to educate his children. A man not unlike other retirees in Leisure World, who had a crazy notion that he had earned the right to enjoy his last years in peace and quiet.

I just know he’d have something colorful, and unkind, to say about March.

JIM CLEMENTS

Aliso Viejo

Nancy J. March of Villa Park says she is bemused by those of us who have “opted for a privileged lifestyle in a virtual nirvana” to live in Leisure World.

Let her no longer be bemused. We would like to be able to continue to enjoy the lifestyle for which we worked so hard over so many years.

We really don’t want the roar of jets, measured at over 90 decibels at several locations within our community, every eight minutes, counting arrivals only, 24 hours per day.

We don’t want the pollution those jets would deposit on our homes. We don’t want the traffic congestion caused by passengers, cargo trucks and approximately 300 tanker trucks daily required to supply the jet fuel.

We don’t want a plane crashing into our community. We don’t want to have our sleep disturbed by the noise of jet traffic all night.

We don’t want to pay the extra taxes required to finance the debt for an airport--on top of the millions still owed for a bankruptcy from which the county has not yet recovered. We don’t want our community to be destroyed by people moving out, leaving fewer and fewer people to support our facilities.

JAMES C. FISH

Laguna Woods

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Bill Rolfing’s June 16 letter, critical of an El Toro airport because he thinks the terrain will amplify the noise, stated that “large airports aren’t built in such places. . . .”

What an incredibly silly statement!

Of course they are--all over the world.

In fact, check out John Wayne Airport, where the flight path follows the bay. At least land absorbs sound, but it bounces right back off the water in Newport Beach.

According to Rolfing’s logic, maybe we should close John Wayne.

KAREN ROOT

Newport Beach

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Re Bonnie O’Neil’s June 16 letter concerning jet noise:

Her theory of just don’t think about it and get on with your busy normal life does not work.

The noise is deafening and does indeed interfere with even the simple things in life.

I lived in Lake Forest and Mission Viejo. It was next to impossible to have a normal life when the jets roared overhead. If I were on the phone, I would have to tell my party to hang on for a second until the jet passed overhead so that I could hear them.

I could not sit out on my deck to relax or enjoy a good book without being distracted every so often by jets. It made it impossible to really concentrate.

Also, I am one who likes to leave my windows open occasionally and have so many times had to slam them shut to hear the television or radio when the jets passed.

When I think of a 24-hour day filled with this noise from a commercial airport, I can only imagine.

I hope it will not be too bad in this part of Mission Viejo, but I sure feel sorry for others.

The test runs with the jets were a joke. They more or less gave us “airport lite.” I doubt they fooled many people. The little people who comprise our communities, buy the properties and pay the taxes haven’t got a chance. The almighty dollar will win.

ANNE STACKS

Mission Viejo

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So John Jaeger of Irvine thinks it’s a subjective assessment of people living under the flight path that an airport at El Toro is bad for Orange County (Letters, June 20).

There is nothing subjective about my direct observation that the planes flew in directly over my son’s elementary school and were noisy enough at my home to disrupt normal conversation.

What is subjective is the assessment by those promoting the airport that a few carefully controlled flights using unladen planes flying in at a higher altitude than would be normal is indicative of the noise and air pollution that will be experienced should the airport become reality.

If you want a real noise test, place 100 idling planes and airport support equipment on the tarmac all night and see if anyone in Orange County is able to sleep through the din that will create.

Make no mistake, an international airport will ruin all of Orange County.

I, along with many, many people in Orange County, will give my home away if need be to get out from under the flight path. Property values will plummet. Anyone who doubts that can put their money where their mouth is by signing a letter of intent to purchase my home for its market value as of its most recent appraisal should an airport go in. I doubt I’ll receive any offers.

BOB McCARTER

Aliso Viejo

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Fifty-four airplanes used the El Toro airstrips without the slightest indication of a problem.

Does anybody really believe airlines such as Alaska, America West, Delta and others would risk their pilots’ lives, multimillion-dollar planes and valuable reputations by taking part in that flight demonstration if they thought there was even a slight safety issue?

CLAUDIA FLINT

Newport Beach