Sounding Off:

After reading complaints about living near John Wayne Airport because of the noise and pollution generated by the aircraft flying out of there, it begs the question: Do they not realize that the airport was already there when they decided to live in Santa Ana Heights?

The reason I ask is that the airport has been in its current location long before any homes were built off the end of the main runway, and anyone who has since decided to live in these neighborhoods has no business complaining about the noise generated by the airport.

There is an acronym for these folks: NIMBY — not in my backyard. You may say I am quick to dismiss those complaining about noise from John Wayne Airport when in fact I live near the airport and am subjected to the same noise, pollution, etc. The difference is I chose to live here knowing the airport is there and would look foolish complaining about it. No one twisted my arm or forced me to live where I do.

They go on to say that aircraft are being parked at the end of the runway above Bristol Street to “gun” their engines while performing tests. This is true, and the reason for this is that given the airport’s relatively small acreage, there is no other place where jet-powered aircraft can safely be parked to perform these rarely needed engine runs. They also claim that in recent months up to five commercial aircraft are being scheduled for this engine testing every day from early morning to late night.

This is blatantly false. I know because I happen to work there. At most, one or two jet-powered airplanes use this isolation area in any given month and they are not out there gunning their engines for more than 90 minutes at a time, as some would have you believe. The time the engines are operated at maximum power during these tests is usually five minutes or less.

They also complain about full-throttled departures and say that many of the aircraft flying out of John Wayne Airport should be banned outright or excessively fined for generating excessive noise from outdated engines. John Wayne Airport has among some of the most restrictive noise rules in the nation. All arrivals and departures are monitored for excessive noise, and private aircraft are routinely fined, suspended or banned from operating out of John Wayne Airport if they fail to stay below the set decibel levels. The commercial carriers have eliminated their older airplanes from the fleet and have replaced them with planes equipped with engines that meet the strict Stage III requirement.

They also all continue to practice the reduced thrust departures in an effort to help mitigate the noise they generate during take off. This is strictly voluntary and they all do it; just sit off the departure end and listen.

Lastly, if you cannot take the noise and pollution, just move: No one is forcing you to endure the airport’s noise.

MIKE AGUILAR lives in Costa Mesa.