First Steps Taken to Ground Noisiest Planes at Van Nuys

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners took a first step Wednesday toward outlawing the noisiest private jets at Van Nuys Airport, despite fervent pleas from aircraft owners and operators.

But commissioners deadlocked on a second proposed noise-reduction ordinance, which would have immediately barred additional noisy jets from being based at the general aviation facility.

On the key long-range noise regulation, the board voted 3 to 1 to tentatively endorse a plan to phase out the noisiest planes over the next eight years. Final action on the ordinance is at least six months away, commissioners said.

About 150 people attended the board’s meeting at the Airtel Plaza Hotel at the airport.

Homeowners, who made up about one-third of the crowd, generally welcomed the proposed noise limits but said they did not go far enough.

The ordinance would gradually ban takeoffs and landings of the noisiest jets over the next eight years. As of January, it would bar takeoffs by planes rated by the Federal Aviation Administration as producing 85 decibels of noise on takeoff--which airport officials said would affect only a handful of older planes, mostly private jets, based at Van Nuys.

Between then and January, 1998, the maximum would gradually be lowered to 77 decibels.

Airport officials estimate that the 77-decibel level would force out about half of the 90 jets now based at Van Nuys. About 800 piston-engine planes also are based at the airport.

At present, the airport has only one noise regulation. It bars takeoffs by planes generating more than 74 decibels between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., except for police, fire department, military and medical emergency flights.

Under the long-range ordinance, the start of that curfew would be moved up to 10 p.m., but not until January, 1996.

The board also debated the future of a 94-acre site proposed for development in the airport’s northwest corner, south of Roscoe Boulevard along the east side of Balboa Boulevard.

Some of the land has been vacant for years, but two-thirds of it became available for development two months ago when the Air National Guard moved to Point Mugu.

The consultants, P&D; Technologies, were asked to recommend possible uses for the land. The firm came up with eight alternatives that included aviation, recreation, industrial and commercial uses.

Each alternative includes an aviation museum and park, ranging in size from three acres to 33.5 acres.

The Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council proposed another plan, under which 17.5 acres would be set aside for the museum and park.

The advisory council’s plan also envisions using 16 acres of the site to relocate the Flyaway terminal from Woodley Avenue and Saticoy Street on the airport’s east side.

Council members said that land now used for the terminal, which runs 51 buses a day to and from Los Angeles International Airport, could be converted to commercial and industrial uses.

But the consultants concluded that it would be too costly to move the Flyaway operation to the west side of the airport, and that the existing terminal site would not be as attractive to commercial and industrial developers.

The development plan finally approved by the airport board must ultimately be approved by the Los Angeles City Council and the FAA.