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Santa Monica Airport
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HistoryOriginally called Clover Field, the airport was the home of the Douglas Aircraft company. The first circumnavigation of the world by air took off from and returned to Clover Field in 1924. Cloverfield Boulevard, a street in Santa Monica, is a remnant of the airport's former name.
OperationsThe airport has a control tower and, on average, handles 400-500 operations a day. Jet air traffic has increased substantially in recent years - 18,000 annually, from 1,000 in 1984. This is partly due to the ease of access from Hollywood, and partly due to increased fee's associated with fewer access slots at LAX.
In an effort to peacefully coexist with the residents that live in the upscale western Los Angeles County the city of Santa Monica has strict noise ordinances that prohibit takeoffs between the hours of 11pm and 7am on weekdays and between 11pm and 8am on weekends as well as other procedures to minimize the noise impact on nearby residents.
Three restaurants are on the airport property; The Hump and Typhoon both have runway views and Spitfire Grill is across an airport street with no view of the runway. The Museum Of Flying at the airport houses a collection of historic aircraft. It is currently closed while a new facility is built on the North side of the airport and is expected to re-open in mid-late 2009.
Landing feesOn August 1, 2005, the Santa Monica City Council implemented a revised landing fee program (Resolution No. 9855) for all transient aircraft (those not based at the Santa Monica Airport) based on a uniform rate of $2.07 per 1000 pounds of Maximum Certificated Gross Landing Weight. Since the Santa Monica Airport receives no federal, state or local funding to operate, the landing fees fill the gap between other Airport revenue and the cost of operations.
Safety concerns The City of Santa Monica Airport Commission voted a proposal to take away airport land to restore the safety perimeter around the runways that has been eroded by nearby residential development, to protect residences in the event of an aircraft accident. Part of the land opened as an 8.3-acre public park on non-aviation lands at the southeast corner of the Airport. The new park, known as Airport Park, features a synthetic turf soccer field, open green space and an off-leash dog area.
However, the long term effects of this proposal places the city at odds with the FAA, which is concerned that a shortening of the existing runway will result in heavier air traffic being diverted to LAX. City officials were reported to be surprised at the FAA's position on the matter. "I believe the City was blindsided by the fact that the FAA finds only half the safety (footage) acceptable," said Commission Chair Mark Young. "The only compromise has been on the City's part… yet we have been asked to compromise further." A response from the FAA regarding the passage of this proposal is expected on August 3rd, 2007.
PollutionCalifornia Assembly Bill 700 (AB 700) would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to study the amount of time that turbine aircraft engines run pre-take-off to help determine the extent of this danger. This bill is supported by residents and environmentalists but opposed by business interests who have a financial stake in the increased airport operations.
Accidents- In 1994, the pilot of a single-engine Piper Saratoga died when a fuel system misconfiguration led to an in-flight engine shutdown. The aircraft stalled in a subsequent 180 degree turn for a forced emergency landing and impacted the ground, which resulted in a post-crash fire.
- On March 28, 2001, an inexperienced pilot rented a Cessna 172 from Justice Aviation at the airport and subsequently lost control of the aircraft over the Pacific Ocean upon encountering dark, instrument meteorological conditions. Three were killed.
- On November 13, 2001, the pilot of a twin-engine Cessna failed to remove the device that locks the control system for parking (to prevent wind damage) and two were killed when the aircraft overran the runway after an unsuccessful aborted takeoff.
- Game-show host Peter Tomarken and his wife Kathleen died when his Beechcraft Bonanza crashed during climb-out from the airport on the morning of March 13, 2006. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the aircraft had engine trouble and attempted to turn back before crashing into Santa Monica Bay.
- On January 13 2008, a home-built aircraft ran off the end of runway 21 after a brake failure, jumped over the hillside, landing on a service road. The three passengers on board were not hurt although the kit-built aircraft was damaged severely. The runway was closed for 20 minutes.
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