New Takeoff Procedure OKd for John Wayne : Aviation: Airliners will climb higher before cutting power. Santa Ana Heights area will get more noise.

SANTA ANA —  After 18 months of testing, airliners at John Wayne Airport will officially begin new takeoff procedures Thursday designed to make it safer to fly out of Orange County’s major airport.

The takeoff procedures, which should have little impact on noise except for a stretch of Santa Ana Heights, were approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors as part of an environmental impact assessment. The new takeoff rules, designed to comply with an expected order from the Federal Aviation Administration, have met little resistance from nearby residents.

Perhaps the most dramatic difference will be noted by air passengers who have not departed from John Wayne in recent months. Under the new plan, the sudden--and sometimes jolting--cutback on jet power after a steep climb will not occur as quickly.

“The deck angle will not change,” said airport spokeswoman Courtney Wiercioch, referring to the extreme angle of takeoff, “but there will be a change in the altitude at which power is reduced. If people were to notice a difference, it will be a small one.”

Pilots now sometimes sharply cut power at 500 feet to meet noise regulations around John Wayne, which are some of the toughest protections in the nation. But now pilots will fly to at least 800 feet before throttling back.

Under terms of the environmental study, aircraft have for the last year and a half tested climbs to altitudes of 800 to 1,500 feet before cutting power.

The takeoff procedures will be reviewed again by the supervisors next March.

The plan approved by the board Tuesday would, however, increase noise levels in the community of Santa Ana Heights to conform with a federal government plan.

Newport Beach officials said Tuesday that the noise increase for Santa Ana Heights, which will be just a few decibels, is an acceptable compromise in a plan that will spare much of the city’s remaining community south of Santa Ana Heights from further noise intrusion. The Newport Beach City Council approved the plan Monday night.

“There are about 20,000 homes in the impact area,’ said Newport Beach Deputy City Manager Kenneth J. Delino. “There are not more than 1,000 homes in the general size of Santa Ana Heights. It’s not generated that much of a problem. It’s just not that big a deal.”

Although officials have promised that the noise factor would change very little and no one appeared to oppose the unanimous action by the supervisors Tuesday, one resident said levels of disturbance have become almost too difficult to live with.

“One of us has got to go,” Santa Ana Heights resident Edwin C. Hall said, referring to the large aircraft that power over his home in Sherwood Estates. “It’s something super loud, something you can never get used to.”

Hall, one of 85 residents affiliated with Concerned Homeowners of Sherwood Estates, said he has been fighting airport noise since 1968, but the long fight has taken its toll on the opposition.

“The handwriting has been on the wall since the 1960s,” Hall said. “The county says one thing and does another. After a while, you feel like you just want to give up.”

According to the environmental impact report, the county has proposed searching for federal funds to either buy or install acoustical insulation in homes severely impacted by the increased noise.

Hall said he was not immediately interested in either the buyout or insulation programs, but his patience appeared to be running thin.

“I certainly don’t think anyone wants to give up their home, but you have to move on at some point,” Hall said.