AGUA DULCE AIRPARK ISSUE

 

ACTION PLAN OUTLINE:

 

DATE SUBMITTED:

 

NAME OF GROUP/ORGANIZATION OR INDIVIDUAL:

Agua Dulce Pilots Association

 

CONTACT PERSON:

Brandon Cangiano

 

MAILING ADDRESS:

9515 Yucca Hills Rd. Agua Dulce CA 91390

 

EMAIL ADDRESS:

CANGIANB@ERAU.EDU

 

TELEPHONE CONTACT NUMBERS:

661-803-6135

 

Goals hoped to be achieved by the group: To satisfy the safety, noise and air traffic concerns of Agua Dulce residents while keeping Agua Dulce Airpark as a public airport. 

 

ACTION PLAN FOR ORGANIZATION/GROUP/INDIVIDUAL

 

Agua Dulce Pilot’s Association Mission Statement ADPA’s mission is to serve the interests of its members by preserving public access to the Agua Dulce Airpark, preserving the existing facilities and terms of use, and by promoting safe and considerate use of the airport.

 

POSITION STATEMENT   ADPA supports the community effort to ensure safe flight operations, acceptable noise levels, and moderate, daylight only air traffic at Agua Dulce Airpark, while keeping it as a public use airport and resource for the residents of Agua Dulce.

 

For nearly 50 years the Agua Dulce Airpark has served as an important local resource for pilots who live in the community, many who moved to Agua Dulce because the airport was there. Agua Dulce Airpark serves families whose members and friends own aircraft and as a site for community events. Closing or removing the airport from public use would negatively impact the Agua Dulce residents who regularly use the airport and its facilities.

 

Due to the mountainous terrain and extensive development of available land, Southern California has a low density of airports. Agua Dulce is an integral part of the chain of safety airports in the Southern California area. Pilots who are transitioning into the Los Angeles Basin are sometimes confronted with inclement weather such as fog, haze, and rain. The intervening mountains often protect Agua Dulce from this. When these conditions occur, pilots must decide whether to continue flying into inclement weather or to land at an alternate airport. Agua Dulce is one of those alternates. Fox Field in the Antelope Valley could be out of range, even if carrying the FAA required fuel reserves. If Agua Dulce Airpark were closed or made private, both the pilot and the public would be at higher risk if a flight emergency occurred.

 

In the Northridge quake, Agua Dulce Airport was an essential public resource because the freeway bridges were down. Agua Dulce also serves as a place to land when another airport is suddenly closed, made unsafe or damaged by natural events (see fig 1.)

 

Agua Dulce Airport serves as a base for Fire, Police, News, and rescue crews in the Southern California Area. Closure of this airpark would endanger public safety by reducing the ability of these public and private agencies to do their job as effectively in the event of an emergency.

 

For these reasons the Agua Dulce Pilots Association believes that the Agua Dulce Airpark should be kept open and public.

 

REASONING – We have been using the airport for years. Many of us were here before the current owner. Many of us purchased homes here because the airport was here. We support the owner’s effort to improve the airpark, however, making it private would make it available only to a limited number of wealthy tenants and would have very adverse effects on existing tenants. We are speaking out because the conflict that has developed between the airport ownership and some members of the community has serious potential to hurt us in this very important area of our lives.

 

 

LEADERSHIP – ADPA elects officers. ADPA had a meeting with a quorum of pilots recently and Brandon volunteered to be the contact person.

 

SUPPORT- Supporters include:

  • Pilots in the community
  • A substantial segment of the community, as exemplified by the “Eye on Agua Dulce” membership.
  • Airport employees, most of who reside in the Agua Dulce area.
  • The Southern California pilots who rely on Agua Dulce Airpark as a safety airport.
  • The filming community who use the facilities.
  • Attendees of public events at the airport.
  • Equestrians who use the airport’s extensive open space.

 

ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE GOALS

 

By ADPA- ADPA is working with the airpark and local pilots to find solutions to the airport issues that have provoked complaints by a small number of Agua Dulce residents. ADPA can act with airport management as a liaison between the flying community and the residents. Many of the complaints are the result of increased transient traffic, which has raised noise levels. ADPA recognizes that not all share our love of flight, particularly when it happens in close proximity to their homes. We ask only for a balance, where airport management and ADPA work to keep airport noise and traffic at reasonable levels, while letting ADPA use the facility as it has done for the last 50 years.

 

We suggest that the following measures to alleviate many of the concerns.

 

 

Fuel Prices- set fuel prices no lower than Fox, Whiteman, and Van Nuys.

 

Landing Fees- set a landing fee, which is high enough to discourage excessive itinerant traffic.

 

Tie Down Fees- set tie down fees high enough to discourage overnight itinerant traffic.

 

Airport Steering Committee- ADPA proposes that an Airport Steering Committee be formed. The purpose of the Committee would be to serve as the forum for community-airport issues and to work with airport management and the community to resolve these issues. This committee should be made up of equal numbers of pro and anti airpark members as well as neutral parties. ADPA suggests that the committee be made up of 2 members from the pro airport group, two members who are anti airport, a member from the town council, a representative from the Country Journal, and a representative from Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s office. Meeting details should be made available to the public in print and on the web.

 

Limit hangar and tie down square feet- A maximum square foot area of total hangar and tie down space should be specified. The available storage area, not the number of hangars, determines aircraft density. This will allow the Airpark to build varying types and sizes of hangars that better suit the needs of aircraft owners while still limiting the total number of based aircraft.

 

Aircraft weight, wingspan and horsepower limits- FAA regulations permit type restrictions for safety. These generally are based on gross weight; however, type restrictions would allow twin turboprops or any other ‘type’ to be excluded. There should no limitation based specifically on wingspan or horsepower. Actual aircraft type selection and procedures would be best addressed on an individual basis by airport management and the Airport Steering Committee.

 

 

By the ADTC- The Agua Dulce Town Council should be a forum for the various interested community groups and be a facilitator of conflict resolution. ADTC should make public discussion of the formation of an Airport Steering Committee an agenda item for the next meeting.

 

By the Community- the members of the community should participate in an effort to find a middle ground that preserves the quality of life for all.

 

By the Regional Planning Commission- Regional Planning’s decision should balance the needs and wishes of the property owner, pilots, residents, and the public safety needs of Los Angeles County.

 

By Los Angeles County (including the BOS, and any county departments)-

 

Provide a gauge of the likelihood for the action(s) to be considered, committed to, and/or completed (1% thru 100%)- ADPA is 100% committed to working with the community to resolve these issues, however ADPA can’t act alone.

 

PROCESS – ADTC needs to have a public meeting regarding formation of the Airport Steering Committee. That committee, once formed and chartered, would be responsible for addressing the various issues that arise.

 

TIMELINE – this should be done at the next scheduled ADTC meeting.

 

      • EXPERT ASSISTANCE –

 

        • Hired or Pro Bono- ADPA will discuss retaining an attorney to review any draft agreement that is developed.         

 

        • Who pays- ADPA will discuss paying reasonable costs.

 

        • Chain of reporting- ADTC, ADPA, and other group executives confer and relay information to group members

 

      • ANTICIPATED AND KNOWN COSTS –
      • Legal fees for document review
      • Flight and material costs for community awareness program.
      • Community information system (mailers, advertising, website)

 

      • COMMUNICATION PLAN –

 

      •  Publish meeting notices

 

      • Post information on ADPA web site

 

      • Notify and communicate with ADTC regarding airport use issues

 

      • Serve as resource for aviation related information to the AGTC and community.

 

      • Notify by e-mail all parties who wish to be kept informed.

 

      • CONTINGENCY PLANS – The ADPA will continue to explore all avenues of keeping the airport public while meeting the safety, air traffic and noise concerns of the community.

 

 

 

      • KEY SUPPORT GROUPS and/or PEOPLE – Identify those groups, or public figures that would be necessary to make the Plan work.
      • ADPA members. Members will need to actively support regional planning’s decisions through peer pressure, example, and by keeping visiting pilots informed.
      • Airport management will have to modify airport policies in order to meet the objectives set by regional planning and local groups.
      • Agua Dulce Town Council will need to help create the Airport Steering Committee, or assume those duties itself.
      • The Local Community will need to work with the airport and pilots to address noise and safety concerns in a productive, effective way.
      • The Filming Commission will need to address the night shooting and scheduling issues.

 

 

 

        • Clearly outline the action(s) needed from each of them. The airport owner needs to adjust fees to meet the itinerant air traffic goals. The airport owner and ADPA need to inform visiting pilots about community issues and to report flight safety violations to the FAA.

 

        • Is there a financial or time cost for this support? There is an unavoidable time cost.

 

      • END RESULT – Identify and provide detail on the known or possible positive and negative impacts on the Agua Dulce community, in whole and in part, for the following

 

        • DESIRED END RESULT – The needs and wishes of homeowners, horse owners, and pilots in the community are balanced, with safety and quality of life being the primary concerns.

 

        • ALTERNATIVE RESULTS FORESEEN or POSSIBLE – If the airport owner fails to manage fees to reduce itinerant traffic or if the airport owner and ADPA don’t promote safe flight operations that are considerate of the residents, this issue will re-emerge.

 

 

        • WORST CASE SCENARIO – ADPA’s worst-case scenario is that the airport closes or goes private.

 

 

 

 

 

Fig 1. Santa Paula airport Feb 2005