Council OKs Some Noise Curbs for Van Nuys Airport

The Los Angeles City Council moved Tuesday to sharply limit the number of new, noisy aircraft that may operate at Van Nuys Airport, pleasing many who had complained of noise for years but falling short of the complete ban sought by some neighbors.

About 50 jets--most built before 1985--are exempt from the ordinance and can continue operating at the airport, the nation’s busiest general aviation facility.

Aviation officials feared that the measure would handicap business at the airport, a center for private and corporate jet flights. Although the new policy allows existing noisy jets--so called Stage 2 aircraft--to remain, it tightly limits how they can be replaced.

After more than two decades of bitter battles over jet noise, the new guidelines left many on both sides unhappy.

“Homeowners don’t like it,” said Gerald Silver, president of Stop the Noise, a coalition of 28 homeowner groups. “It doesn’t go far enough.”

With about 50 members based at Van Nuys Airport, Jeffrey Gilley of the National Business Aviation Assn. said many companies would be squeezed by the restrictions because their fleets include older jets.

Insurance companies won’t want to pay for larger jets for medical flights, said Duke Tonry, who oversees air medical operations for Clay

Lacy Aviation. Smaller Lear jets are well suited for those jobs, he said.

Some council members expressed frustration about the ordinance.

According to the City Charter, council members could not amend the proposed ordinance, which was prepared by the city Airport Commission. The council could merely approve or reject the measure, and that left some lawmakers feeling as if their wings had been clipped.

“The Airport Commission approach doesn’t get the job done,” said Councilman Mike Feuer. “It’s not good enough, but it’s better than nothing.”

One aspect of the new ordinance that doesn’t sit well with many residents is that it allows owners to replace the older, noisier aircraft until Jan. 1, 2011. After that date, all the replacement jets will be barred from operating out of Van Nuys.