MINUTES
Airport Noise and Safety Committee
Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 5:00 pm
Fullerton Council Chamber
303 W Commonwealth Avenue

CALL TO ORDER

Mr. Johnson assumed the Chair position by mutual consent, and called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Fullerton -
Jeff Harris, Chair
Michael Johnson
Buena Park-
Tom Atkins
Dottie Jones

MEMBERS ABSENT:
Fullerton - Ashok Patel

STAFF PRESENT:
Rod Propst, Airport Manager
Susan McGraw, Administrative Assistant
Buena Park:
Margaret Riley
STAFF ABSENT:Jay Saltzberg

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The Minutes of May 24, 2007, were approved as submitted.

PRESENTATION – HELICOPTER FLY FRIENDLY PROGRAM

Member Jones introduced Carl Zatell, Long Beach Airport Operations Specialist.He is involved in noise enforcement at the airport and a helicopter pilot.

Mr. Zatell gave a brief summary of his experience as a helicopter pilot.He has done an intern program with Fullerton’s Chuck Street, Cardinal Air, and is familiar with the Fullerton Airport.He stated that Long Beach has a different training operation environment for helicopters.

He then presented a slide program addressing the Long Beach Airport Helicopter Pilot Guide which was generated because of discovery of a Helicopter Letter of Agreement with the Tower and Operators which covered many policies and ways to get into the Airport navigationally which needed to be made known to helicopter pilots.

The Guide provides basic airport information, the Noise Abatement policies, inbound and outbound routes, traffic configuration routes, locations of pads and helicopter traffic patterns.Also included in the pamphlet are Tips from the Tower, including initial contact, radio procedures, suggestions; general procedures; Special SVFR Procedures to helicopters; and finally, a public affairs statement to emphasize “Fly Quietly” procedures

Mr. Zatell then advised there are quarterly meetings with the helicopter pilots to discuss complaints and how to minimize noise; presented photos of the helicopter pads at Long Beach; and responded to questions from the Committee Members:

1.Tower is open until 11:45 p.m.Helicopters are welcome 24-7, however night landings for training are discouraged as the pads are not lighted.

2.The pamphlet was created not necessarily because of noise complaints, but because of the Letter of Agreement.It was felt that the Tower and Operators were not disseminating information broad enough to reach helicopter pilots.

3.60-70 percent of helicopter operations are home based; however due to the practice facilities and running landing facilities, helicopters are attracted from the entire region.

4.Enforcement is not an issue since helicopters do not use the runways if they stay on the helicopter transition routes.They are not monitored for noise.Complaints are usually for media helicopters in the downtown or local region to the airport.

5.Businesses that are involved include major training operations, LA Sheriffs Division, fuel for media operations, corporate services; Long Beach Police Division, sightseeing operations (2).

6.Generally, helicopters are not allowed to hot pump, except on a case by case necessity, i.e., the recent fire on Catalina.

7.Two Long Beach Police helicopters increased the noise complaints by about 700%.The equipment they carry on board allows them to have the visual acuity to increase altitude and still be able to do the job, thereby lessening noise and reducing the number of complaints.

Repetitive flight over the same spot causes considerable complaints.A ‘Fly Neighborly’ program with Helicopter Association International available at www.rotor.com which has an entire process on how to fly your helicopter neighborly and includes issues such as don’t overfly same neighborhoods, vary flight paths coming in, do right-hand orbits instead of always left-hand.An entire noise procedure is being put together for the Long Beach Airport.

8.Overall the safety record is very good, there have been two accidents, one student and one dragging banner, no fatalities.

Ms. Jones thanked Mr. Zatell for his presentation and acknowledged that he is very active in supporting outreach for community pilots and instrumental in putting the pamphlet together.

OLD BUSINESS

1.NOISE AND OPERATIONS REPORT/AIRPORT INCIDENTS - Public comments on individual complaints.

Operations

Manager Propst addressed the air traffic count which is still showing an increase in activity through the months of May (7400), June (7500) and July (7600).No response as to why this continuing growth, and is still ‘in spite’ of higher fuel costs.Anaheim PD is flying the same amount of operations, so there is no increase there.There are more helicopter and fixed-wing charter flights, which may account for some of the numbers.

Mr. Patel inquired about the effect on income to the Airport.Fuel flowage fee would increase, showing a small revenue increase.The majority of revenue stems from hangar and FBO rents.What would be affected if operations decreased would be the FAA benefit cost analysis, forcing the City to have to participate in funding the Tower.This most likely would not occur considering the airspace of Fullerton being contiguous and adjacent to Long Beach and Los Alamitos with three major freeways that run within our airspace.

Complaints

There was no one in the audience for comments on individual complaints.

Complaints are up to 16 this quarter as compared to 6 last year at this time – 2 helicopter complaints, 8 single-engine, 1 jet, 2 multiple aircraft, and 3 unknowns.The majority of complaints came from Fullerton, one from Anaheim, one unknown (Corona).

1.Mr. Padilla - Very low flying, no response to a telephone call.

2.Mr. Padilla - Large plane, seemingly in a “hurry”, flew right over his house, unacceptable.Contacted and was satisfied with response.

3.Mr. Vandigglin - Large helicopter flying very low from the east into the airport; contacted and discussed the arrival and departure routing; reserve Marine CH46 from Edwards AFB coming to Fullerton to meet with CHP for an exercise at Los Alamitos.

4.Mr. MacShane, Jennifer, Mr. Vandigglin, Toby, Mr. Rushing, Mr. Haliday, Jim Lace - P51 received 8-9 complaints within a 10-minute period; was able to locate pilot and advised him of the ‘fly friendly’ concept and NOT to make any future low flybys.

5.Mr. Westin - Concern about helicopter operations, i.e., arrival and departure routing, fly friendly program.Our routing is similar to Long Beach.Helicopters generally fly about 900 feet and to the right-hand side of the street/freeway.Fullerton ‘copter pilots are “good neighbors”.The media helicopter pilots are generally the most problem.Resident was satisfied with conversation.

6.Betty Johnson lives under corridor; is unhappy with patterns and wants arrival/departure corridors changed.After a lengthy discussion, she was still unhappy and was given the flight standards office number in Long Beach.

7.Mr. Scott - Early morning departure, low flying to the east.Pilots are asked to follow railroad tracks until they can reach 1100 feet.The tower was not open and consequently unable to identify the pilot; relatively satisfied.

8.Two phone complaints regarding a commercial jet flying extremely low, going up SR 57, made a left turn over Mr. Propst’s house at 500 feet.He called the tower and was advised an F-18 picking up a PAR into Los Alamitos.

9.Lead Airport Worker, Lenny Jimenez, received a call from the Corona police department stating they had received a radio transmission that a pilot was down between Corona and Fullerton; Fullerton PD was notified; sent an Airport worker to the field to check the runway; nothing found by either Fullerton or Corona.

2.AIRPORT MONTHLY SAFETY INSPECTIONS

June – Mr. Harris’ tour comments were generally satisfactory.The comments regarding the Anaheim PD fuel cabinets were passed on to Anaheim staff.

July – Mr. Atkins comments were satisfactory with notes regarding taxiway edge marking around hangar building 3, which will be completed with the second coat of striping.

Mr. Johnson inquired about the grass area in front of the Anaheim hangars.Mr. Propst stated that most infields are generally not watered, but dependent upon rainfall.We have had none in the last 2-3 years.

August -Mr. Johnson’s inspection report was satisfactory.

Mr. Propst noted that although the Service Workers do daily a.m. and p.m. inspections of the field, it is possible for things to be missed.It is important for these routine inspections by the Committee Members to identify items that are overlooked on occasion.Anything noted will be added to the list of things to do.

3.MANAGER’S AIRPORT UPDATE

vHangar construction – Phase 1 hangars are all rented;Phase II, buildings 4 and 5 have anchor foundations in, installing rebar for pads, pads to be poured next week.Pads 6 and 7 will probably be started after pads poured for 4 and 5the week.

vAn AIP grant has just been approved for the paving between the buildings in Phase II; also received the grant for the avigation easements amounting to $1.7 million to buy avigation easements primarily in Buena Park.As well as avigation easement approval.

vKFI – The City of La Mirada has issued a draft EIR.Comment period ends October 1, and a public meeting is scheduled for November 15 at 6:30 in City of La Mirada Council Chamber.A copy of the EIR is available at the Airport office.Essentially, the document states the proposed reconstructed tower will be of no worse significance . . . and will be 64 feet lower.The City is responding, the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission has no jurisdiction although opposed to the reconstruction, and the Los Angeles Airport Land Use Commission stated that because Fullertin is not in Los Angeles County, it has no comment.

After discussion with the Committee members, Ms. Jones made a motion to hold a Special Meeting of the Noise and Safety Committee to receive and approve a Resolution stating the Committee’s objections to the reconstruction of the KFI Radio Tower.Mr. Patel seconded the motion which was approved unanimously.Mr. Patel wants to make certain our objections are on record in the strongest format.

vThe City of Anaheim police moved into their new building, which is fully contained for Emergency Operations.

vOCFA been given money for new air ops fire station, and staff is working with them to locate on the Airport.Currently using two helicopters, and in process of purchasing two new ones.Fullerton is one of few cities with own fire fighting services.Others belong within the Fire Authority.

NEW BUSINESS

None

COMMITTEE COMMENTS

vResponding to Mr. Harris, Airport Day will be held in the Fall of 2008.Planning begins in January 2008, typically meeting once monthly January – April, every two weeks beginning in May – July, once weekly beginning in August until the Airport Day.Committee Members will be invited to the meetings.

vMr. Atkins addressed the criteria for membership on the Noise and Safety Committee.The Fullerton Report states that one member from each City will be a licensed pilot.The enabling ordinance was established in 1980, and it is difficult to find volunteers, especially if specific restrictions are required.The Fullerton contingency has one pilot, Mr. Harris.In reality, Members are sounding boards for constituents about noise and safety issues, regardless of being a pilot, and liaisons between citizens and respective Councils.Fullerton members are appointed by Council Members.It was the consensus of the Committee that the Ordinance should be revised to remove the “must” qualification of requiring a pilot on the Committee.

vMr. Atkins inquired about the Caltrans Aeronautics program which performs annual inspections on non-certificated airports.An inspection is due soon.

vMr. Atkins asked about an FAA waiver.Mr. Propst advised Fullerton has a runway safety are overrun and two runway protection zones at each end of the runway, one for airspace and one land.These waivers are permanent.Unless a critical aircraft or design categorization of airport occurred, these will never change.Fullerton is essentially the same 80 acres since its beginning.

vMr. Patel inquired about the derelict aircraft.Mr. Propst stated that there are about 12-14 that a non-flyable and being placed into a ‘boneyard’.The parcel where they are currently located will soon be under private construction.These aircraft are non-productive to the airport, i.e., fuel consumption, not generating operations, etc.Once the hangar project is finished and the burden on staff relieved, this will be the top priority.

vThe new hangars are being rented at .55 sq. ft., which is higher than most other airports in the region.The goal/objective is to establish parity between all the hangars on the field.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

None

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 6:20 p.m. to Thursday, November 29, 2007 (rescheduled because of Thanksgiving Holiday).