Laguna voices noise complaints about JWA

June Casagrande

A spate of complaints from Laguna Beach residents about John Wayne

Airport noise appears to be a problem specific to South County cities

and likely does not reflect increased noise over most of Newport

Beach and Costa Mesa.

Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman last week asked other South County

cities to lobby the Federal Aviation Administration to do a study on

whether planes departing John Wayne are flying too low. Iseman said

that she wants to work with the administration and leaders of

neighboring cities to reduce the noise she says has increased over

her city.

“If your altitude’s a little higher, then our shelves won’t

rattle,” said Iseman, adding that air pollution is also a concern.

But the problem may not be caused by changes in altitude. Instead,

a change in airspace rules that came into effect after last spring’s

Measure W vote could be what’s rattling Laguna Beach.

After Orange County voters approved a plan to turn the closed El

Toro Marine Air Base into a park and developed land, the FAA closed

the airspace over El Toro. To make up the difference, the

administration widened the airspace over John Wayne, stretching it in

the direction of Laguna Beach and creating an opportunity for pilots

to make turns over Laguna.

Planes taking off from John Wayne depart to the south. Flights

with eastern and northern destinations then turn in those directions.

Since the new airspace rules came into effect in July 2002, many may

be turning over or near Laguna Beach, Airport Working Group President

Tom Naughton explained.

A spokesman for John Wayne Airport said that there have been no

noticeable increases in noise complaints from Newport Beach or Costa

Mesa. Newport Beach Mayor Steve Bromberg said he was unaware of any

similar effect in Newport Beach.

Pilots do have some discretion as to the altitudes they fly at

shortly after takeoff, FAA spokesman Don Walker said.

“To operate the aircraft safely, they’re given very broad

latitude,” Walker said.

Typically, planes are at somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 feet by

the time they get over the water and they are usually between 6,000

and 9,000 feet by the time they pass back over the land.

There have been no changes to flight patterns in the area in

recent months, Walker said, and no reason pilots would be flying

lower than normal.

Instead, he said, it’s possible that a trend toward bigger planes

is causing the effect of planes flying closer.

Since the new airspace rules took effect last summer, some

residents of Costa Mesa and Newport Coast have reported flight noise

increases. That noise, too, might be a result of the changed airspace

rules.

Iseman said that, whatever the cause of the increased noise, she

hopes that officials will find a way to buffer the effect.

“What does it cost them if it takes 30 seconds longer to fly that

much further out before they turn around?” Iseman asked. “Why

wouldn’t they want to do that?”

But aviation authorities may not see it the same way.

“It’s our policy to make the turn as quickly as possible once the

pilot is over the water, because the farther south you go, you’re

getting closer to Camp Pendleton, and that’s restricted air space,”

Walker said.