Your presence and your support are needed!
Vista City Councilman Dan O’Donnell has requested that a resolution from the City Council to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors be put on the Council October 22nd agenda objecting to the current proposal to allow American Airlines to fly in and out of Palomar Airport.
- The planes are too big for this
- The proposed flights ignore the existing voluntary quiet
- Current flights already ignore the restrictive flight
Testimony at the recent PAAC meeting overwhelmingly showed Vista and Carlsbad residents oppose this proposal (see below).
Please join us at the Council meeting to support the resolution which is pasted below the letter — Tuesday, October 22— 5:30 p.m.
PAAC Meeting Update ‐ AA Deal at Palomar
Dear C4FA Supporters,
As a follow up to our last email, on Thursday, Sept 19, 2024, the Palomar Air- port Advisory Committee (PAAC) voted 5-4 to support the County’s continued negotiations with American Airlines. All 4 of the PAAC members appointed by D3 Supervisor Lawson-Remer, the district in which Palomar Airport lies, voted No. All 4 of the PAAC members appointed by D5 Supervisor Desmond, along with the Industry Member appointed by County Staff voted Yes.
Thank you to all of you who showed up. It was standing room only, plus an overflow crowd at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce meeting location. All the community speakers, except for one, were opposed to the AA contract. And thank you to the D3 PAAC members who listened to the community and supported the No Vote.
As we’ve stated before, C4FA is not opposed to commercial air service out of Palomar, IF the air service fits within the current parameters and FAA design criteria of Palomar Airport. The AA jet (Embraer 175) does NOT meet those parameters. The E175 does not fit at our airport without all sorts of “special conditions” – meaning “shoehorning” this large jet into our small airport. The AA E175 is simply too large for our Airport. Additionally, the AA deal throws the Airport’s Quiet Hours and suggested Flight Paths to the winds…… Neither will be honored. The whole thing is chaos.
The City of Carlsbad has not been included in any of the discussions or approval process, although the Court ordered that when the use of the Airport changes (e.g., approving a contract that uses a jet larger than the Airport is designed for), the City of Carlsbad MUST approve the use. The County continues to refuse to acknowledge Carlsbad’s right to Local Control and appears to simply be ignoring the Court order.
Last Friday, CBS8 interviewed a group of residents representing owners, residents, and tenants from over 22 HOAs near the Airport about the AA proposal. Hear what the Palomar Airport Action Network had to say: Commercial flights could return to Palomar Airport. Some residents have concerns
Stay tuned. It’s not over. There’s more to come. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the AA contract on Wednesday, Dec 11, 2024. We’ll keep you posted.
As always, if you have questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] Thank you for your continued support.
Your Friends and Neighbors at C4FA
Please share this with friends and neighbors!
RESOLUTION NO. 2024‐
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CHARTERED CITY OF VISTA, CALIFORNIA, OPPOSING THE ACCEPTANCE OF ANY COMMERICAL FLIGHTS IN AND OUT OF MCCLELLAN‐PALOMAR AIRPORT
The City Council of the City of Vista does resolve as follows:
- The City Council hereby finds and declares the following:
A. No commercial flights currently operate out of the McClellan‐Palomar
B. Commercial airline service through American Airlines is scheduled to return to McClellan‐Palomar Airport in February 2025. This commercial service will have at least two daily commercial flights in and out of McClellan‐Palomar Airport.
C. Commercial flights will depart McClellan‐Palomar Airport as early as 6:15 m. on a daily basis. This would be a direct violation of the current Voluntary Noise Abatement Plan (VNAP) period. Per VNAP, no jets may depart between the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Moreover, that departing 6:15 a.m. aircraft presumably would need to arrive into McClellan‐ Palomar Airport the evening prior to departure which would particularly impacting the residents of the City of Vista, as the City of Vista lies directly beneath the landing approach for arriving aircraft landing at McClellan‐Palomar Airport.
D. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ approval of a commercial flight contract with American Airlines would be in direct opposition to the County‐owned McClellan Palomar Airport Voluntary Noise Abatement Plan (VNAP).
E. American Airlines would presumably use the Embraer E‐175 or similar size jet for service into and out of McClellan‐Palomar Airport. The Embraer E‐175 holds 76 passengers. As this jet is substantially larger than the aircraft currently using the airport, four tie‐downs at the airport will be removed to make room for the E‐175, indicating the need for more space to facilitate the E‐175.
F. The Embraer E‐175 Design Group Classification is C‐III (wingspan between 79 feet and 118 feet) and the runway at McClellan‐Palomar Airport is designed for B‐II Design Group Classification aircraft (wingspan between 49 feet and 79 feet.)
G. The stated takeoff field length needed for the Embraer E‐175 at medium take‐off weight is 5,656 feet. The McClellan‐Palomar Airport runway length is currently 4,897 feet, or 759 too short.
H. While private aircraft have been using this airport with larger planes (C‐III and DIII) at pilot discretion and against FAA recommendations, the County allowing American Airlines to use Embraer E‐175 or similar size aircraft overlooks certain safety standards put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) designed to protect the public. At the same time, the County would be also be creating their own safety issue, providing a de facto reason for the County to justify airport runway expansion to meet the FAA criteria of a C‐III airport.
2. Action.
A. The Vista City Council opposes any commercial flights into and out of McClellan‐Palomar Airport and implores the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to 1) support City of Vista residents and the City of Vista and surrounding communities by declining to sign any commercial flight contracts; 2) request that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors affirmatively show support of its existing VNAP policy; and 3) have the San Diego County Board of Supervisors affirm its stated goal to reduce GHG emissions to zero by 2035, by retaining the current smaller McClellan‐Palomar Airport runway, designed to safely facilitate B‐II aircraft, as it is today. is today.
Adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED at a meeting of the City Council of the City of Vista held on October 22, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
JOHN B. FRANKLIN, MAYOR
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:
WALTER CHUNG, CITY ATTORNEY KATHY VALDEZ, CITY CLERK
By: By:
