Fri, Dec 08, 2017
Santa Monica Airport Air Traffic Controllers Provide Critical Support To Firefighting, News Gathering And Emergency Response Aircraft
Santa Monica FAA Air Traffic Control Tower has been providing critical support to aircraft fighting, reporting on and responding to the Skirball Fire. Aircraft using SMO airspace included water-dropping helicopters, Los Angeles Police Department Helicopters and newsgathering aircraft. Despite Santa Monica City Council efforts to close 100 year-old Santa Monica Municipal Airport, the airport and it’s FAA-staffed Control Tower continue to provide critical air traffic services for fighting hazards of all kinds.
Surprisingly, SMO is designated as “Critical Infrastructure” by the City’s own “All Hazards MitigationPlan”. Yet the city council is silent on how they will replace this key local disaster-response asset if they are successful in closing the airport.
With all the natural disasters surrounding Los Angeles, fires, hurricanes and earthquakes, local community lives will depend on SMO in any kind of disaster, according to the Santa Monica Airport Association. KSMO also generates around 1,500 jobs and at least $241 million dollars annually in economic activity, according to a City of Santa Monica 2011 study.
The Santa Monica Airport Association is a party to a lawsuit seeking to overturn a backroom deal between FAA and City of Santa Monica from February 2017, entitled a “Consent Decree” to shorten the KSMO single runway to 3,500 feet in 2017 and close the airport at the end of 2028. The association says the loss of KSMO as an airport, and the City’s stated “creative reuse” of its structures, will additionally greatly exacerbate population density and traffic congestion within the City limits and in neighboring communities.
(Source: Santa Monica Airport Association news release. Image from file)
More News
Runway Lead-in Light System Runway Lead-in Light System Consists of one or more series of flashing lights installed at or near ground level that provides positive visual guidance a>[...]
Aero Linx: Aviation Without Borders Aviation Without Borders uses its aviation expertise, contacts and partnerships to enable support for children and their families – at hom>[...]
Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories ITBOA BNITBOB ... what does that mean? It's not gibberish, it's a lengthy acronym for "In The Business Of Aviation ... But Not In The Busine>[...]
From 2010 (YouTube Version): Yeah.... This IS A Really Cool Job When ANN's Nathan Cremisino took over the lead of our Aero-TV teams, he knew he was in for some extra work and a lot>[...]
Also: Junkers A50 Heritage, Montaer Grows, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Vans' Latest Officially, the Carbon Cub UL and Rotax 916 iS is now in its 'market survey development phase'>[...]