The Federal Aviation Administration-approved use of a 250-degree flight departure heading from Lindbergh Field — the result of a new construction proj-ect driven by fresh federal economic stimulus money — will put a new area of the Peninsula under the flight path. Concerned residents in the affected areas of south Point Loma are not dealing with the news quietly. “That’s an intrusion and an expanded influence that we were not clearly informed about during this whole planning process. They did not discuss changing the vectors at all,” said Suhail Khalil, who chairs the Peninsula Community Planning Board’s Airport Committee. “In fact, they adamantly said they would not change the vectors.” Construction to improve the airport’s Taxiway C began Aug. 10. The nine-month project includes the replacement and installation of taxiway edge lights, installation of runway guard lights, replacement and installation of taxiway edge lights and reconstruction of taxiway pavement, according to officials with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “In redoing the taxiway,” said Airport Authority senior public relations specialist Sharie Shipley, “we are making the runway more efficient and safer for all the planes that do arrive here and depart from here.” In order to alleviate potential traffic on the taxiways during the construction, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the use of the 250-degree departure heading. The FAA currently allows headings of 275 and 290 degrees. “During construction, a third departure path will allow us to depart more aircraft during very busy times,” said FAA Western-Pacific Region communications manager Ian Gregor, “thus easing congestion on the ground.” Gregor insists that the 250-degree heading will be used only when it is completely necessary. He said the FAA expects an average of fewer than 10 flights a day to use the heading during the construction as a temporary option. “This is just another one of those times when they feel it’s necessary in case they need them. There’s no guarantee that they’re going to get 10 airplanes a day on the 250 (-degree departure heading),” said Dan Frazee, the Airport Authority’s director of noise mitigation. “They’re just saying that the possibility exists if we have backup that they’ll use that as a viable option,” he said. This new departure heading, however, has left some residents in areas of Point Loma feeling a little uneasy. Khalil said the new heading presents a huge noise impact and sends flights over Dana middle, Silvergate elementary and Warren Walker schools. “Anything south of the 275 heading is what we’re opposed to,” Khalil said. “We don’t want to see fanning of the departure profiles to be a norm as they continue to expand the capacity of the single-runway airport. That’s the only way of doing it.” Khalil said departures from the 250-degree heading put a new group of residents under the flight path – including himself. The Point Loma resident said he does not want planes flying over his home. “I bought my home knowing that I was well removed from the departure profile. A lot of Point Loma community residents feel the same way,” Khalil said. “Overflights are a huge concern — not just noise, but air quality and general quality of life as well,” he said. Lance Murphy, a founding member of SANNoise, a citizen-formed committee concerned about airport expansion and how it will affect local communities, echoes Khalil’s concerns. Murphy said he thinks that as the airport expands, using the 250-degree heading will be necessary on a more permanent basis for it to run at full capacity. “My key issue is I think in the long run they’re going to try and have three departure tracks,” Murphy said, “so they are training the populus to accept this. That’s not right.” PCPB Airport Committee members want the Airport Authority to consider a different method of construction to lessen the need for and impact of the 250-degree departure heading. In a guest commentary in last week’s Beacon, Khalil suggested that the Airport Authority utilize the concrete ramp near the general aviation facility as an alternative path, as well as constructing the eastern half of the taxiway during curfew hours of 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., segment project construction, sequence departures from the north taxiway into the south taxiway, allow the 250-degree heading only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and not allow MD80 aircraft to depart from the heading at anytime. The PCPB’s Airport Committee also plans to present a draft letter to both Sen. Christine Kehoe and Congresswoman Susan Davis at their next scheduled meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20 addressing community concerns about airport expansion and ramifications on quality of life issues. For more information about the monthly PCPB meeting, visit www.pcpb.net. “We’re in position right now to get Congresswoman Davis’ attention and say, ‘If this is the case and it will become the new norm, we’re going to fight it tooth and nail because that’s not what we want in our community,’” Khalil said. For more information about the citizen group SANNoise, visit sannoise.org. For more information about the Airport Authority, visit www.san.org.