No on Prop A with amplification
As a retired Naval aviator and former employee at the Naval Electronics Laboratory on Point Loma, I would like to endorse and amplify the points made in the Guest Editorial by Bruce R. Boland (Village News, Oct. 26, page 8).
First of all, the flight pattern around Navy and Marine airports is different from that of commercial airports; i.e., Navy pilots make steep landing approaches (and takeoffs) appropriate for carrier operations, whereas commercial pilots make long, straight-in approaches. This increases the noise pollution over a much larger area so all Mira Mesa residents would be subjected to the same noise problems that have been plaguing Point Loma for many years.
Furthermore, the noise pollution from commercial planes operating out of Miramar would be much greater than it is now for two reasons: 1) there would be more than 10 times the number of takeoffs and landings than presently, and 2) most commercial planes have four engines, whereas the fighter planes now using Miramar are single engine. Thus the noise level would be much greater than it is now and a much larger area would be subject to noticeably increased noise pollution.
The area most affected would be west of the airport over and around Sorrento Valley since the main runway is east-west (because the prevailing wind is from the west). The noise pollution would be much greater west of the airport than east of it because pilots have to take off at full-throttle levels, whereas those approaching for landing are slowly descending at lower throttle settings. Increased noise levels would therefore affect not only Sorrento Valley but also Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Torrey Pines and even La Jolla.
I urge all residents of Mira Mesa and surrounding areas to vote NO in Proposition A.
Dr. John Northrop. Ph.D.
Retired naval aviator and ancient mariner, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Lesson from Denver airport noise model
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has stated that an international airport at Miramar operating 24 hours a day would have minimal noise impact on the surrounding communities as indicated by their calculated noise contours.
When selling a new airport to the voters of Denver in 1988, Mayor Pena stated, “No existing residential areas of Denver, Adams County, and Aurora will be adversely affected by noise.” Within ten months of opening in 1995, Denver International Airport had 66,742 noise complaints, some in areas 30 miles away. This happened despite the airport being built 26 miles from Denver on 53 square miles of rural prairie.
Mr. Pena, then Secretary of Transportation, was forced to acknowledge that the noise contours were invalid. He ordered night flight restrictions and altered flight paths to reduce noise impacts.
The Miramar noise contours similarly underestimate the effect of aircraft noise on surrounding communities. Unfortunately, San Diego most likely will not have an ex-mayor as Secretary of Transportation to come to our rescue. To make sure this does not happen here, vote No On Prop A.
Richard J. Prutow, Ph.D., M.D., University City
Bilbray: ‘Stay the course’
The political cartoon in last week’s paper gave me a good chuckle (Village News, Oct. 26, page 8). The mangled pumpkin carved by “Rumsfeld” really sums up the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war. Those of us in the 50th Congressional District should keep this image in mind when we vote next Tuesday. The Republican candidate Brian Bilbray thinks we should “stay the course” in Iraq. Voters in the 50th sent Bilbray to Washington in June, and the first thing he did was vote himself a raise. Since them he’s also voted to lift the ban on offshore drilling along the California coast and to oppose stem cell research.
Elizabeth Hansen, La Jolla
