Safe El Toro Flights Possible, Official Says

The Federal Aviation Administration is reworking local airspace procedures to accommodate flights at a proposed airport at the closed El Toro Marine base, an FAA official indicated this week.

“We have concluded that flights from the existing facility could be safely accommodated,” wrote Herman Bliss, manager of airports for the FAA’s western region, in a letter sent Monday to Supervisor Tom Wilson, who opposes the new airport.

“The FAA is currently developing preliminary instrument departure and arrival procedures that would ensure aircraft are operated safely,” Bliss said.

Safety questions about the proposed airport were raised at least four years ago among pilots’ groups and air traffic controllers. The concerns centered on takeoffs to the north, which would send a third of departing planes toward jets heading to other Southern California airports. Planes departing to the east over the hilly terrain was another concern.

In August, a preliminary study completed for the FAA by the Center for Aviation System Development in McLean, Va., concluded that airspace north of El Toro was too congested for planes to depart as the county had proposed.

Bliss’ letter said the center’s study was “only a portion of the total analysis” and doesn’t reflect the FAA’s position on El Toro. A final analysis of the proposed airport at El Toro will be completed in March, he wrote.

Airport supporters said Bliss’ letter should end the debate over whether El Toro can safely operate with other Southern California airports.

“It’s always been our contention that the FAA would determine safety at El Toro,” said Bruce Nestande, chairman of Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, a leading pro-airport group.

Airport opponents said Bliss’ pro-airport bias is contrary to the FAA’s own expert’s findings.

“We don’t deny that you could make an airport work at the site. The question is whether you can make the airport that the county has proposed safe,” said Paul Eckles, executive director of a nine-city South County coalition opposed to the airport.

Addressing other Wilson concerns, Bliss said the FAA is not studying western takeoffs over Irvine because they are not allowed in the county’s plan.