Speaking outon airport noiseRegarding “The Sky’s the...
Speaking out
on airport noise
Regarding “The Sky’s the Limit” by Allison B. Cohen, July 6: I am a homeowner living under the Santa Monica Airport flight path. Airplanes are a fact of life, but the noise they make does not have to be.
I worry about property values and increased airport traffic. I think the airline businesses should shoulder a greater percentage of the responsibility and costs of noise and air pollution.
Two years ago I was in Brazil and remarked on how much quieter the private jets there seemed to be. I was told that they are quieter due to technology used in that country. Technology used in other countries could be used here to reduce noise levels significantly.
Planes manufactured and sold in the U.S. could be quieter. The industry is forcing communities, through taxes, increased ticket prices, reduced lifestyles and reduced property values, to bear the burden of their profits. This attitude is detrimental to innovation, to maintaining a true competitive edge in the foreign marketplace.
It is a “lose-lose” situation.
Irina N. Alimanestianu
Venice
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“The Sky’s the Limit” compares noise from Torrance airport (Zamperini Field) with LAX, Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario and John Wayne airports.
Torrance airport has no heavy jet traffic, as do all of the other airports listed. In a study of official public noise complaint records from Torrance airport, I discovered that:
* Only 12 individuals accounted for more than half the complaints made over the 18-month period studied.
* Two of those 12 lived miles from the airport. One lived more than seven miles from Zamperini Field in north Hermosa Beach, closer to LAX than to the Torrance airport.
* Fewer than one-third of 1% of Torrance residents complain about the Torrance airport.
The Torrance airport is a valuable and irreplaceable regional transportation resource. General aviation airports like Zamperini Field are part of a national transportation system that transports more passengers on more flights to more destinations than do the scheduled commercial airlines.
One need only consult The Times’ Real Estate section to see that the market value of homes in the 90505 ZIP Code, surrounding Torrance airport, are the highest in the immediate area.
Jim Gates
Redondo Beach
Gates is a pilot and member
of the Torrance Airport Assn.
Letters must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number and should be sent to Real Estate Editor, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, 90012 or faxed to Real Estate Editor at (213) 237-4712 or e-mailed to Real.Estate@LATimes.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.
