The Airport Debate

Columnist’s airport views will not defeat El Toro

Daily Pilot columnist Steve Smith did it again Feb. 10 when he

interviewed a mythical passenger (Chuck) at John Wayne Airport who

reported he didn’t think El Toro airport was a sure thing anymore. Smith,

as usual, has never supported the proposed El Toro International Airport

and, despite the overwhelming support of his readership for El Toro, or

perhaps because of it, he has turned against both.

There is no doubt that without El Toro, John Wayne will expand and

destroy Eastside Costa Mesa and West Newport Beach. Smith and a majority

of his South County NIMBYs continue to use higher priced flights from

John Wayne because of the convenience instead of making a four-hour,

round-trip ride to LAX.

Now he and his traveling friends muse over the number of Orange County

passengers who actually wanted John Wayne and El Toro, as if public

opinion will determine the fate of airports in Orange County. Although

voting was used to jump-start the planning process for El Toro, voting

for or against it is not needed anymore because voting cannot stop the

process.

The proposed El Toro airport will open because it is there and it is

needed. John Wayne Airport will shrink because no noise buffer zones

exist there and imposed noise limits cannot be increased. Steve Smith’s

desire to shape public opinion will have little effect on the airports.

RALPH P. MORGAN

Costa Mesa

Planning authority ending support is ‘act of defense’

The anti-El Toro airport people support extending flight operations at

John Wayne. To do otherwise would be hypocritical to the arguments of

health, safety and environmental impacts of an airport anywhere. The

anti-airport camp has repeatedly offered the solution to this divisive

issue; no El Toro airport and no John Wayne expansion.

However, the leadership of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa have ignored

these olive branches and, in the past few weeks, have become increasingly

vocal about a change in the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority policy

culminating in a leader of the Airport Working Group referring publicly

to ETRPA as “Bozos.”

These very leaders continue to argue for a major airport at El Toro

while simultaneously building momentum to decrease capacity at John

Wayne. This is very hypocritical of the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa

leaders. ETRPA is justified in dropping support of extending caps at John

Wayne. This is not an act of aggression, but an act of defense. El Toro

cannot be made as a sound business case without exploiting John Wayne to

capacity. It is a shame that good folk in Newport and Costa Mesa need to

suffer at the hands of those with an obvious alternate agenda.

MIKE CHIEFFO

Lake Forest

Reader wants some support for cap restrictions

Let’s see if I have this straight.

The increased air travel and demand for increased future flights is

not only continuing to expand in Orange County, but also in Los Angeles

County, all of California, all of the United States and most of the

world.

Several years have been spent on a search for an airport site in

Orange County to provide for the increasing current and future demand. No

adequate site, other than El Toro, was found.

At its Feb. 26 meeting, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority voted 11

to 0 to revoke its support for continuing flight restrictions at John

Wayne Airport.

However, apparently, if all plans to use El Toro for a commercial

airport would be canceled, they would support the restrictions at John

Wayne.

ETRPA member and Dana Point Councilman Wayne Rayfield said: “I’m

terribly dismayed at the response from the folks in Newport Beach. We’ve

reached the point that unless there’s some startling change in the

position of Newport Beach, it is time to implement the [new] policy.”

Authority Chairman Allan Songstad said: “This is not a poke in the eye

of Newport Beach. This is simply keeping all options on the table.”

Newport Beach is not the only city in Orange County that recognizes

the need for an airport at El Toro. Costa Mesa and Garden Grove have been

quite vocal in their support for El Toro. The rest of North County also

supports an airport at El Toro.

Does it make sense to cancel plans to develop another airport in

Orange County and also extend the restrictions on John Wayne Airport?

Were Rayfield and Songstad at the same meeting?

Go figure. I’m confused. How about you?

CONRAD T. TIMPE

Corona del Mar