What Really Matters About Airports? Safety
Newer, larger, high-performance aircraft and ever-growing aviation demand mean that airports must adapt to safely handle the new class of aircraft. A simple definition of a modern airport is: It must be safe, efficient and environmentally compatible.
The recent passage of Measure F, which would require approval of an airport by two-thirds of voters, puts El Toro’s future in question. However, even if the airport were to be constructed as currently planned, we would still end up with a very poor one. Because of the configuration of the airport, there are decisions being made that will compromise the very concept of an international facility.
The five airports that, according to pilots, have the lowest level of safety in the United States are (not in order) La Guardia Airport in New York, Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., Lindbergh Field in San Diego, San Francisco Airport and our own John Wayne Airport. Except at San Diego, the major problems are crossing runways or parallel runways that are too close together or both.
These conditions create the risk of “runway incursion,” which the Federal Aviation Administration says is the top U.S. safety risk. Close parallel runways often create wake turbulence from arriving and departing large aircraft. John Wayne’s safety issues stem from its two very close, parallel runways.
Since John Wayne Airport’s recent expansion, there have been three aircraft accidents and 11 fatalities involving wake turbulence. Plans for El Toro call for runways just as close together as John Wayne’s. In addition, the county is keeping the crossed runways left over from the World War II design.
Is this doing it right? We have to believe the county planners are aware of the problems with closely spaced and crossed runways, so we ask, why are we building in these same design errors at El Toro?
The federal Sonic Boom and Noise Act requires that any changes for noise abatement reasons must only be made with the highest degree of safety. This is ignored in the current procedures as proposed at El Toro. County planners also ignore the reports of various agencies and experts’ reports on flying near mountains, wake turbulence, runway separation, airport efficiency and taxiing and crossing on runways.
The terrain, wind and slope issues at El Toro will mean the airport is much less efficient for the airlines, because planes can’t take off with full payloads, restricting aircraft range in order to meet the minimum FAA safety takeoff standards.
In addition, because of the mountainous terrain along the proposed takeoff and departure paths, the cushion of altitude over the ground is reduced as the plane climbs. In case of an emergency, there will be little room for error. These conditions do not exist at modern airports, especially international airports that host the largest and heaviest aircraft.
The proposed departure routes indicate a serious problem that cannot be minimized. Departing traffic on Runway 34 calls for turns into the current incoming traffic routes to John Wayne, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Ontario airports. The general aviation corridor is also in that area. This sets the stage for another Cerritos-style midair collision, something county planners have ignored.
Safety should not be an issue for debate. The passengers, their families and the community expect and have the right to the highest levels of safety possible. Politics for whatever reason and economic gain, however important, must take a back seat.
Those of us who have held senior positions in aviation have had to make those kinds of decisions. After you have investigated aircraft accidents as I have, it is very evident what a bad decision can lead to. Poor airport design can have tragic results. The burden of the wrong decision is heavy and must be taken very seriously by those in leadership positions that put their “aye” on that decision line.
Is there an answer for Orange County that increases the safety of John Wayne and El Toro? Emphatically, yes.
There were more than 418,000 flight operations at John Wayne in 1998. The majority of those were business and general aviation aircraft.
So first, discontinue the pursuit of El Toro as a commercial airport, and second, take a small portion of the El Toro land and convert it to a much smaller reliever airport where general aircraft can be sent to avoid conflict with larger commercial aircraft and provide a margin of safety.
Shorten two of the existing runways to 3,500 feet. Move the general and the smaller business and aviation aircraft from John Wayne to El Toro, where they can operate with increased safety and not interfere with commercial airline operations.
Air traffic will not be an issue with the small aircraft, nor will the noise. The facility will take up only a small portion of the 4,700 acres and allow the remainder of the land to be used as deemed best for the public. It will enhance the safety at John Wayne and save billions of dollars in expenditures on an El Toro airport, which has a poor design that will not meet today’s current standards and future needs.
John Wayne Airport is still a viable airport and can be made even safer by moving the smaller general aviation and business aircraft to the “air park” at El Toro. It will be a significant start.
