At Burbank, the Bob Hope Airport Awaits Word from FAA ...

May 27, 2009
… on whether or not its Part 161 study and application for a proposed curfew will be officially endorsed as a “complete application†by the agency. After years of study and analysis and more than $6 million spent by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, the process has reached this point. Understand, FAA isn’t yet considering whether or not to approve the curfew; this is just getting an OK on the application. It was essentially approved in March by FAA, with an exception which has since been addressed by the authority. Comments Bob Hope Airport executive director Dan Feger, “In terms of getting it deemed complete, I’m optimistic.†In terms of getting a final approval for the curfew, he says, “The FAA has sent us letters which would give you a pretty pessimistic picture of their willingness to grant a full curfew to the airport.†The airport seeks to impose a curfew for Stage 3 aircraft operations from 10 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. The effort to restrict Stage 3 operations is ground-breaking. Federal Aviation Regulation Part 161 is the official vehicle for communities that want to have more control of their airports. (For background, look up Naples, FL.) Thing is, folks at FAA will tell you that Congress intentionally made it a strenuous exercise to discourage communities from wanting to impose local restrictions on an airport that is part of a system. The system is the mandate – Part 161 almost gets in the way. Yet, Naples got its ban on Stage 2s (via the courts). Bob Hope Airport has a long history with noise and the surrounding communities, much of it focused on airline and military operations. It is in the midst of a ten-year agreement with the City of Burbank to not even discuss terminal expansion, a one-time hot button. Feger says that over time the terminal agreement, quieter aircraft in the fleet, and a noise insulation program have helped reduce anti-airport sentiment. He notes it wasn’t even on the political radar screen during last fall’s elections. Yet, the neighbors remain concerned, says Feger. “If you listen to the members of the community, the bigger fear is growth at this airport,†he says. “The lesser fear is the known quantity of what they have today. The desire to achieve a curfew is as much or more driven by the future as it is by the present.†The airport has had a successful voluntary curfew in place for years. It is not enough to appease the community, particularly with the growth of larger general aviation aircraft. Explains Feger, “The concern is that the voluntary curfew compliance rate is going to go down as well. There are a lot of aircraft that leave this airport right at 7 a.m. -- the 7 o’clock push, as we call it. Over time if there’s a lot of growth here, you’ll see that is where the voluntary curfew will deteriorate, between 6 and 7 a.m. That’s the pressure here.†(Look for the expanded interview with Dan Feger in the upcoming June issue of AIRPORT BUSINESS magazine.) Thanks for reading. jfi