If it’s not one airport, it’s another

The flights over Costa Mesa are a nuisance (“Long Beach flights

rattle West Costa Mesa,” Thursday). The sound patterns are not unlike

those of incoming missiles. The city should measure the noise levels

to determine compliance with city noise ordinances. There are other

approaches to Long Beach municipal airport that don’t fly over our

city.

ART GODDARD

Costa Mesa

My husband very carefully checked the flight patterns when we

purchased our home in Greenbrook (north Costa Mesa) almost 30 years

ago. The flights over our home going to Long Beach for the past

couple of years have been very irritating. Some are quite noisy and

some quite low. Why did they change their flight patterns?

LINDA HARRISON

Costa Mesa

My wife, Suzi, and I are about to celebrate our fourth anniversary

in the Mesa Verde area (10 years total in Costa Mesa). We love our

neighborhood and the city of Costa Mesa.

It was just the other day that we both commented to ourselves that

there seemed to be a very noticeable increase in the amount of planes

flying overhead. Now we know why.

Unfortunately, the article did little to enlighten us as to what

is actually going on. We have heard a great deal about the proposed

airport (now Great Park) in South County and the security

restrictions at John Wayne Airport.

What we do not know is what is happening with the Long Beach

Airport, other than the fact that there was a protracted lawsuit

(sounds familiar) and that there is a restriction on the number of

daily fights (41 total) in and out of Long Beach.

According to Sharon Diggs-Jackson, the public affairs officer for

Long Beach Airport, there are presently 24 flights daily, of which 10

are coming in over our area at an altitude of 4,000 feet (sounds a

good deal lower than that). By October the number of flights will

increase to the maximum 41.

How many of these additional flights will be coming over Costa

Mesa? At what times will the flights be coming over Costa Mesa? Are

there any restrictions on the times that flights can arrive at Long

Beach? How long will the court-ordered limit of 41 flights remain in

place? How does Long Beach Airport figure in the future needs of the

seemingly ever-growing population here in the Southland for

commercial flights, if at all? It would be wonderful if the Daily

Pilot, a paper that we read every day, would get more information for

the residents of Costa Mesa so that we might be better informed on

these very important issues. Thank you for your good work; keep it

up.

DANNIEL J. WEXLER

Costa Mesa

Thank you for this article and the chance to respond. The reason

we bought our home in Mesa Verde 16 years ago was because it was not

under a flight path. If we had wanted noise, we would have moved to

Newport Beach.

It is very upsetting and stressful

to have these planes flying directly over our home. Sharon

Diggs-Jackson says “we are not talking huge numbers here.” This is

very easy for her to

say as I would bet she does not live here. I would say a 50%

increase, from 12 to 24 now, and an even bigger percentage coming in

October is a major increase.

MADELINE KENNEDY

Costa Mesa

For years, I’ve been complaining about the increase of air traffic

over Mesa Verde.

If it’s not Long Beach inbound flights, its LAX eastbound flights

that fly over our city all day until after 2 a.m.

Granted, they are several thousand feet above, but at night these

jets can easily be heard inside my house with the windows closed.

And now, according to the article, Long Beach Airport air traffic

over Mesa Verde will increase by 400%. A solution would be to have

their inbound flights fly over the San Diego Freeway on their way to

Long Beach.

Most of that surrounding property is commercial and any jet noise

from above would be drowned out by the noise of the freeway traffic.

But I guess that would be too logical.

And while we put up with the

threat of expansion to John Wayne, the huge increase of flights

from Long Beach and LAX, the cities of Irvine and Aliso Viejo just

keep building more and more homes, shopping centers, and office

buildings, adding thousands of new residents, without helping to ease

the burden by providing another airport.

TIM CROMWELL

Costa Mesa