GOALS

The primary goal is to maintain a small low-use private airport for our local pilots and their small airplanes, which is not inconsistent with the rural nature of Agua Dulce.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of this organization is to promote keeping the Acton – Agua Dulce area peaceful, quiet and as rural as possible. In regards to the Airport keeping pilots from flying less that 1000 feet AGL over the Agua Dulce Elementary School is of paramount concern for our students and staff. All members of this organization have students enrolled at this school. Keeping the airport local, dedicated to our small airplane pilots will foster the continuance of our rural lifestyle.

POSITION STATEMENT

The Agua Dulce Airport was established in 1957 for the sole purposes of allowing a few local residents to commute to work and to fly recreationally on weekends. Historically this airport has been a low use airport for local pilots. The other aerial uses, until the current ownership, historically have been restricted to out-of-town pilots storing aircraft at the airport when space was tight at other Los Angles County airports (again a low use). The current ownership has fostered the growth of this airport into an aviation destination. This has greatly increased aerial traffic to the detriment of this rural community. The current airport proposal will increase the size of the planes that are typical to this airport including 10-passenger turbo-jet aircraft.

Over the past four years the airport has clearly been operating in violation of their County land use permit(s). To name just a few of these issues: Construction has occurred without the benefit of an EIR or County building and grading permits. Neither the FAA nor the California Division of Aeronautics had been notified prior to construction, so prior approval was not granted by those bodies. This has resulted in obstructions to aircraft operational navigation. Aerobatic flying has occurred repeatedly, local houses have repeatedly been “buzzed” at too low of an altitude, and night take-off and landings have occurred. To alleviate these concerns, it is proposed that:

1. The airport’s County operating permit(s) immediately is revoked with limited operation continued under a temporary one year operating permit or until a new permit is issued.

2. This temporary permit (clean hands waiver) will

· Require that the Airport owner immediately apply to the California Division of Aeronautics to convert this airport from a public-use to a special-use airport. One of the requirements of the old permit(s) is that this airport is restricted to propeller driven aircraft only. With the airport designated as public-use, this requirement is unenforceable, because Federal aviation law preempts this condition. Federal preemption now states that public-use airports cannot discriminate against aircraft that are allowed to land, including pure jets (which clearly are not propeller driven). Failure to convert from public-use to special-use status shall void this temporary permit within 90 days.

· Allow the pilots who currently have planes based at this airport to continue using this airport until a new permit is applied for and granted. No new planes will be allowed to use this airport until a new permit is granted. If an existing lessee wishes to replace an airplane during this time period, the new airplane must conform to the rules that the prior owner established at this airport that were in effect in 1992: single engine propeller under 400 bhp and under 7,000 pounds in weight. Most all existing based planes are within these limits.

· Aircraft landings will be logged and made available to the public. This log shall include the date and time of the landing along with the N number. The list of aircraft N numbers that are authorized to use the airport (the based aircraft) will also be made available.

· No training is allowed.

· Immediately cease all construction until a new permit is granted.

· Shall be signed and recorded by the airport owner within 30 days.

· Require that the airport owner be responsible for any and all legal costs that the County shall incur with respect to any litigation and enforcement actions regarding the airport.

· Operations shall be allowed between sunrise and sunset

· No touch and goes or stop and goes will be allowed. Any single airplane may only make one successful landing per hour.

· Helicopters shall be prohibited.

· Emergency operations shall be allowed for non-based aircraft (in bonafide emergencies).

· Shall expire one year from the date of issuance.

3. The airport owner may apply for a new operating permit with an associated EIR required.

4. Just like today, the airport owner at any time may continue with his existing application for a CUP to open the swimming pool and associated recreation facilities.

REASONING – The airport land-use permit needs to be revoked due to the excessive and repeated violations that have occurred there. This has the side benefit of allowing the airport use for local based pilots to continue while a new land-use permit is applied for, discussed and determined to be in the best interests of the community including accommodations for these local based pilots.

LEADERSHIP – This effort will be community lead.

SUPPORT – Very few people are happy about the current airport proposal. This plan dedicates over 1500 aviation operations per year to visiting pilots. The number of operations for the new affluent based pilots is unlimited. Many of our local pilots will be forced out because they simply cannot afford a new 3,000 square foot hangar. It is estimated that our current local pilots and their occasional visitors generate less than 2,000 operations per year in their small aircraft. We do not need the annoyance of the larger aircraft that the airport’s proposal will bring to the community. At the same time we need to support our local pilots. It is believed that this position will have widespread community support, given the testimony at the Planning Commission Hearing and the Airport’s Dog and Pony Show that were both recently held at High Desert Middle School. This is a local land-use decision. The only concerns for the outside aviation community should be that this airport be preserved for them to be used in emergency situations. This plan ensures that goal.

ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE GOALS –

Action(s) planned or seen as needed to achieve the organization’s/group’s goal(s

By the organization/group

By the ADTC

By the Community

By the Regional Planning Commission

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

If the residents of the community, including our local pilots and Town Council stand together as one, a proposal can be worked out that will be amiable to all parties. Considering that the airport proposal lacks community support, a united action would convince both the Regional Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to act in the best interest for Agua Dulce as a whole. Acton recently stood up as one, and avoided an OHV Park much to the chagrin of the out-of-town lobbying groups who spoke on behalf of outside OHV owners.

Provide a gauge of the likelihood for the action(s) to be considered, committed to, and/or completed (99% if we stand together)

PROCESS –

Refine the above path
Convince the County to proceed along the above path
Planning Commission adopts proposal
Airport is converted from public-use to special-use with current lessees allowed to use airport
Board of Supervisors reiterates proposal if PC action is appealed
Community discussion continues regarding how our local airport is to be operated
Airport owner applies for a new permit
Within a year a new County permit is decided upon

TIMELINE – Specific or estimated dates for action item completions (see PROCESS above)

EXPERT ASSISTANCE –

Hired or Pro Bono

Who pays – the only court action that might be anticipated would stem from the airport owner. In this case the “clean hands waiver” (temporary permit) would require the airport owner to pay both the County’s and their own legal costs.

Chain of reporting – via the County

ANTICIPATED AND KNOWN COSTS – Specify by categories (i.e., legal fees, consulting fees, printing costs, etc.): near zero

COMMUNICATION PLAN – Include methods of communication to insure that all residents of Agua Dulce, as well as other interested parties, are fully informed of the facts surrounding the organization’s/group’s efforts to achieve its stated actions and goal(s):

Email; ADTC and other local websites; other local news sources; community meetings

CONTINGENCY PLANS – Detail plans to get around roadblocks or overcome adverse developments that would modify or nullify the organization’s/group’s Plan to achieve the goal(s).

Discussion, discussion and more discussion, resulting in an airport that will be a community asset.

KEY SUPPORT GROUPS and/or PEOPLE – Identify those groups, or public figures who would be necessary to make the Plan work.

This includes: the airport owner, local based pilots, Agua Dulce Town Council, Agua Dulce Civic Association, Concerned Citizens of Agua Dulce and other local group that are interested in finding solutions to this daunting problem. An open dialog between all parties is of paramount importance.

Is there a financial or time cost for this support? Near zero

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 – a small airport with small planes and under 2000 operations per year for our local pilots.

ALTERNATIVE RESULTS FORESEEN or POSSIBLE – anything in between the two worst case scenarios below.

WORST CASE SCENARIOS – 1) a five to ten thousand operations per year airport with many frequently operated large ten passenger turbo-props, current local pilots forced to move to Fox Field and hangar space equivalent to a Wal-Mart Supercenter (this sounds like the airports proposal). 2) an airport that is closed, forcing our local pilots to move to Fox Field.

SUMMARY

This plan seems fair to all members of the community. Comments and questions are greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions or comments pertaining to this Action Plan Outline, please contact:

Bird and Bird Group – BirdnBird@antelecom.net

Ron Bird, Vice President and Secretary

Jamie Bird, President and Treasurer