3 Congressmen Urge Airport Plan’s Rejection

Three local congressmen are urging federal officials to reject a draft agreement for a new Burbank Airport terminal, saying that it includes a ban on easterly takeoffs that would force more noise on their constituents to the west.

In a Sept. 10 letter to Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane Garvey, Reps. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City), Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) said residents in Valley Village, North Hollywood, Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Encino have had to endure “nearly 100% of the noise from jets departing Burbank Airport.”

Easterly takeoffs were barred by the FAA in 1986 because of the proximity of the terminal building to the runway. Berman said that issue will be moot once the terminal is moved.

An FAA spokesman said Monday that it would be premature to comment on the letter, which he had not seen. But officials with the Air Transport Assn. and the Air Line Pilots Assn. said the Verdugo Mountains to the east pose an obstacle that should be avoided.

“In the event of an engine failure, the pilot’s hands are tied,” said Jon Russell, regional safety chairman with the Air Line Pilots Assn. “You have a mountain staring you in the face, not to mention you are forced to turn into airspace that is among the busiest in the world.’

But Berman rejected the contention that there is a safety issue. Once the terminal is moved, he said, the only problem with easterly takeoffs is that it will push more noise toward Burbank and Glendale residents.

“This is simply a way of shoving all the noise to the Los Angeles portion of the San Fernando Valley,” Berman said.