Sudden Change of Plans on El Toro Airport

* Re “Board Abruptly Cuts El Toro Airport Plan,” Sept. 29:

The latest pitch offered by County Supervisor Cynthia Coad promoting the downsizing of the proposed El Toro airport is nothing more than a restatement of the initial phase of the present plan.

The supervisors know that once this project is underway, market forces, not governmental decree, will determine its size. The airline industry, represented by the Air Transport Assn., has indicated it will oppose noise restrictions and curfews. This view has strong congressional support as exemplified by the passage of the Airport Noise and Capacity Act in 1990, limiting local governments’ ability to implement controls.

If the county board is sincere about restricting expansion at El Toro, it should seek federal legislation establishing a growth ratio between the two county airports. For example, the addition of two flights at El Toro would trigger addition of one at John Wayne.

Although the recent SCAG report on airport capacity did not address the closing of John Wayne, it should be considered an option because, to date, no airline has expressed an interest in providing service to both facilities. If the SCAG study is correct, retaining the present noise restrictions at LAX, combined with the abandonment of John Wayne, would produce a passenger count at El Toro of 44.5 million by 2020, making it the largest airport in California.

ALEX SCOTT

Laguna Niguel

* Few people want a nuclear facility, prison or airport in their backyard, but those are needed in today’s world.

As a regular visitor to the Orange County area, I find the restrictions and arguments somewhat childish and silly about your airport and proposed airport developments. There are only certain times I can fly into John Wayne Airport due to a curfew--what an economic waste of a facility.

When we land it is usually a 15-minute or more wait for a gate parking space while we wait on the taxiway with the engines running. My scheduled four-hour flight turns longer since there is an insufficient number of gates due to court-imposed restriction. My scheduled departure at 6:45 a.m. doesn’t occur until 7:03 since the airport doesn’t open until 7 due to curfew--another 15 minutes lost, and there appeared to be two aircraft ahead of us and about 12 other airliners behind us. No wonder the smog count is high with all those engines running, waiting.

LAX and San Diego airports are rapidly approaching their capacity. Isn’t it about time for some polling of the silent majority to put it on the ballot so the majority of citizens can decide whether to stick their head in the sand in the flagship county of free enterprise or build a new airport to meet the growing demand of Southern California?

JIM WILHELM

Romeoville, Ill.

* Affected residents of LAX, John Wayne and Long Beach don’t want to see their airports expand.

People who would be affected by El Toro have paid attention to their pains and concluded they want to avoid the same dilemma in an era when controlling the size of any new airport is impossible with existing federal laws. This all bears a common message that area politicians need to pay attention to, and representatives of SCAG should plan for: People along the densely congested Southern California coastal basin don’t want any more smog, traffic congestion and noise that airports inherently bring.

Much good effort has been spent by other government agencies like Caltrans and the Air Resources Board to address traffic and pollution problems that have existed for years; [the Southern California Assn. of Governments] should not undo it with shortsighted planning. Yes, we need more airport capacity, but all it takes is some change in attitude and creativity from SCAG officials to accommodate it in a more humane way.

Palmdale and March are begging to become the next modern Washington-Dulles, Newark (New Jersey), Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth or New Orleans-type major international and cargo airports which, modernly planned, are remote from urbanization and able to grow for future capacity without significant negative impacts that our existing outdated airports have.

How many of us travel internationally enough and fly on cargo flights that we would want to make the lives of people near existing airports miserable every day, and would have a problem driving for an hour to get to an airport? Some of us commute that long regularly in Southern California, so I can’t understand SCAG’s current mentality that distance is a problem.

PAUL LAWSON

Aliso Viejo

* I keep reading letters from airport supporters complaining about the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative by claiming that the voters of Orange County have already made clear their support for a new airport.

What they fail to mention is that the vote of 1994 was made with little opportunity for other uses of the base to be explored; in fact, the majority on the Board of Supervisors actively worked to prevent any studies for alternative proposals. Additionally, the ’94 vote was held before a thorough analysis of the financial, environmental and quality of life costs associated with a major international airport in the midst of a highly populated community.

Since that time, the county’s airport plans have changed course numerous times, as the board tries to put a positive spin on the devastating impacts that would be inflicted on the residents of South County. Remember “Lean and Green,” people mover connecting to John Wayne, no night flights, no 747s, no intrusive noise to surrounding communities . . . the list goes on and on.

In the supervisors’ latest move to improve public perceptions, they are proposing an 18-million annual passenger limit--at least until a future board decides that this is inadequate. Given the countless lies, deceptions and double-talk we’ve heard from these same members over the past five years, it’s no wonder that the residents of south Orange County have no confidence in the board’s credibility on any El Toro matter.

RICHARD PLAVETICH

Laguna Beach