CAA: GA News, "FAA rebuts Hawthorne, California airport claims"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday, November 2, 2001

FAA rebuts Hawthorne airport claims 
By Ian Gregor 
THE TORRANCE (CA) DAILY BREEZE 


The Federal Aviation Administration, in a highly unusual move, released
a statement Thursday rebutting claims that commercial airplanes will
start flying low over Hawthorne if the city closes its small airport.

Warnings about big jets roaring over residential neighborhoods is a key
argument wielded by opponents of a proposal to close and redevelop
Hawthorne Municipal Airport. They argue that the 80-acre facility
provides an airspace buffer that prevents jets from straying south over
Hawthorne as they fly in and out of Los Angeles International Airport,
which lies 2½ miles northwest.

A Daily Breeze story on Oct. 26 quoted several anonymous local FAA
officials who agreed that closing the airport would lead to more
commercial air traffic over Hawthorne.

But officials from Paladin Partners LLC, the group that wants to close
and redevelop Hawthorne's airport, say the unidentified FAA officials
had no business speaking for the agency because airspace decisions are
made in Washington, D.C., and not Southern California. Paladin contends
that Hawthorne is too close to LAX for air traffic controllers to be
able to use the airspace except in emergencies.

The FAA confirms this contention in a statement attributed to Bill
Withycombe, administrator of the agency's Western-Pacific Region.

“Continuation or deactivation of Hawthorne Municipal Airport should have
no material effect on operations, flight paths or assigned altitudes of
air carrier aircraft using the runway complexes at (LAX),” Withycombe is
quoted as saying in the statement, which bears letterhead from the
agency's regional office in Hawthorne.

“(LAX) traffic cannot routinely use Hawthorne airspace in any efficient
manner.”

Dan Weinstein, a Paladin principal, said the statement proves that
Hawthorne airport supporters have tried to sway voters with false scare
tactics.

They contend that Hawthorne pilot Pat Carey, who's leading the effort to
save the airport, used his connections among local FAA officials to get
them to back his airspace arguments.

“The people of Hawthorne have now been told the truth — that jets will
not fly over Hawthorne,” Weinstein said. “They've been lied to
throughout this campaign by Mr. Carey and his cronies so they can
protect their own economic interests at the airport.”

Carey, however, said he doesn't have control over any FAA officials.

“To call (them) Pat Carey's cronies is a bunch of crap,” Carey said. He
added: “All the airspace design is submitted to Washington for final
review but is designed in Los Angeles and the Western-Pacific Region.”

Withycombe was traveling Thursday and could not be reached for further
comment.

Dawna Vicars, the acting air traffic division manager in Withycombe's
absence, said local FAA officials knew nothing about any news release on
Hawthorne. She declined further comment.

The future of Hawthorne's airspace has emerged as a central issue in the
debate over turning the 53-year-old municipal airport into a commercial
complex featuring a hotel, stores, offices and movie theaters. Officials
from Los Angeles-based Paladin say the project would provide the city
with $4 million a year in revenue and 2,000 permanent jobs, but airport
backers say the facility could generate more if it were properly
developed as an airport.

Paladin consists of Weinstein and Richard Ziman, president of Arden
Realty, which is Southern California's largest commercial landlord. The
company has raised $235,000 and spent almost $200,000 on its campaign,
and both of its principals have strong local, state and federal
political connections.

Airport supporters are led by Carey, a test pilot for a major Southern
California corporate jet manufacturer and co-chairman of a regional
airspace users group. They have raised just $14,400 and spent $13,600,
records show.

Voters will weigh in on the airport issue Tuesday on a ballot initiative
known as Measure A.

The FAA, in the statement it released Thursday, stressed that the agency
has no position on the measure. But the FAA “wants to make it clear that
air traffic arriving at and departing from (LAX) will not be affected by
the voters' decision,” the statement said.

Carey suggested Paladin officials used their political connections to
get the FAA to issue its statement.

“If you spend the kind of money they're spending on this campaign you
can buy just about anybody,” Carey said.

Weinstein said neither he nor Ziman discussed the issue with anybody
from the FAA. He said he believes the agency simply wanted to set the
record straight.

“I would suspect (FAA officials) were not at all happy that certain
people that don't speak for the agency were trying to release erroneous
information under the cover of remaining anonymous,” he said.

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