I visit Santa Monica annually as a result of family connections, and always make a point of walking over to the airport. The Spitfire Grill, the Douglas Museum, sometimes just chew the fat with the flying school staff, even paid for an hour in a LSA last year, ( what was the Piper Sport) just to experience a "glass cockpit", and last year a restoration group were working on an early Sabre fighter - always something of interest for a 'Hangar Bum'.
I realise that there is no justification to keep an airport open just to amuse occasional visitors, but I find this battle to close it down very sad, the usual
NIMBY's who almost all moved to the airport area because it suited them for one reason or another and now want it closed down.
The S.M. Council want the money of course, to develop the place for more urban sprawl / High Rise etc. - and more property taxes and levies from the developers - they talk of a wide open "green" space for recreational pursuits - Yeah! Right!
No none wants to see anybody killed, but the fears of a crash just off the airport is no more of a threat than at any other city airport anywhere in the world, what makes the citizens of Santa Monica so precious ?
The Museum has produced a bumper sticker - "I LOVE airplane noise", I didn't dare stick one on my car in Santa Monica, no time to get my windscreen replaced if I got a brick through it (!) but I bought half a dozen which are now proudly displayed on vehicles around my bit of New Zealand.
All very sad, and unnecessary.
I was delighted to read the latest legal decision, but is it enough ?
LONG LIVE SANTA MONICA AIRPORT - join the fight !
I recall reading of a similar fight in the UK, a supporter of the airport group called a public meeting, and showed a 1940's aerial photograph of the airport when it had been built as a bomber base during WW.II, just a runway in the middle of rolling acres of green fields. The speaker asked members of the protesting audience to come forward and point out their house ! The Douglas museum has many such photographs of KSMO from a similar era, with similar vistas - maybe the S.M. protesters would like to show us their houses on those photographs ?
Last edited by ExSp33db1rd; 23rd February 2014 at 00:15.
Reason: Spelling