Permission to Land Denied! Santa Monica Airport under death threat by backroom deal between FAA and City
Photo credit: Chicago Herald Tribune
We all remember Chicago’s Meigs Field, destroyed overnight by unaccountable politicians. It’s happening again in Santa Monica where the century old airport, an irreplaceable piece of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, has just been given away in a Consent Decree by the FAA with no user input. (document)
One of America’s crown jewels is being pried out of its setting by a heedless bureaucracy–this must be stopped.
This action directly contravenes the Surplus Property Act established by Congress after WWII to ensure the America would have a robust air transportation network.
We need your help in righting this egregious error. Join us at Santa Monica Airport Association (SMAA) as a “National Supporter” with a donation of $25 to help finance the fight to keep SMO working as part of our national airport and airspace system and reverse this dangerous precedent. International supporters are also most welcome.
SMAA believes that Santa Monica Municipal Airport is a bellwether that speaks to an issue larger than just one airport in one city and one state. We are enlisting the help of aviation supporters nationwide at all levels to help us get the job done.
Don’t let greedy politicians and backroom government deals sell out our nation’s airports. Please help us prevent SMO becoming the next domino in a cascade of destruction that began with Meigs Field. The SMAA is working hard with its national allies to nullify this betrayal before it is too late. Will you join us and help save SMO and protect our access to the national airspace? Together we can keep America great.
Join us at: https://santamonicaairport.nationbuilder.com/join_online
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Facebook TwitterJet operations began at SMO without public hearing or input (which is your exact complaint against the FAA’s recent deal with the City of Santa Monica), where toxic jet exhaust affects the health of residents living near SMO in Santa Monica and in Los Angeles. Read the UCLA study at http://www.hiaguide.org/hia/santa-monica-airport-health-impact-assessment if you have any doubt as to the toxicity of jet exhaust. The health concerns of residents have been disregarded and dismissed by the FAA exactly as you describe your experience in the article. Welcome to the club.
SMO has been an airport for nearly 100 years and those who purchased homes near it (including me) have little complaint about there being an airport nearby because we all knew it was there. When buying my home, the light aircraft operations so close by actually provided an additional sense of security in the event of emergency. Court actions benefiting jet operators at SMO, however, removed the NO JETS sign from the east end of the runway and made the regulatory separation of jets from piston aircraft legally impossible so the only remaining option to protect the health and well-being of 150,000 nearby residents is to close the airport forever.
If you really want to save SMO, get rid of the jets.