San Diego is getting too big for it’s britches it would seem. Given that everything is more expensive here, especially housing, I can’t imagine why, but that’s another issue. The latest problem with “America’s Finest City…aslongasyouliveinLaJolla” is that our airport is too small. It’s not long enough to allow the really big international planes to land and take off there. I can’t conceive of the astronomical idiocy of the original planning commission that didn’t have the foresight enough to build the thing a little large in the first place. Or the continued idiocy of the city to to allow growth around the airport after the fact instead of improving the damn thing, but whatever the case, it’s too late now. The fact is, the airport is too small and San Diego wants to be a big grown-up city.
So, like any good government on it’s way into bankruptcy, they hired an independent commission to research possible alternative locations for a shiny new airport. 40 million dollars and five years later the magic answer is… Nowhere.
That’s right, after wasting the taxpayer’s money (of which the city is a little short these days) and time, the Airport Authority (gotta love that name) couldn’t find one single location within two hours of the heart of San Diego that could be used as a feasible alternative. Oh wait… actually, they did find one location… Miramar.
Yup, the very same airport that used to be the home of Top-Gun. Now, the Marine Corp. makes use of the place. It’s also a support base for the aircraft carriers that sit in our bay. They offload many of the planes to the base for various reasons when they’re in port. It’s one of the few remaining military installations on the West coast after the government’s latest round of base closures. Needless to say, the place gets a lot of use.
But hey, it sure would be a great place for a new airport!… if only all those pesky F-18s weren’t doing touch-and-go carrier landing exercises constantly. But the “authority” decided to ask anyway, and the military said no. No, they are not planning on leaving any time soon. No, they wouldn’t be able to “share” the space. No, they won’t be leaving as a result of the F-18 phase out… They will be phasing in the military’s next generation aircraft, the F-35 which will live at the base “for decades to come.”
The Airport Authority’s answer? “But that’s a really really good spot for a new airport. Maybe we could use it jointly.”
To which the military scratched it’s head and tried again. “You can not share the space for a dozen different reasons, not the least of which is that the military jets are basically circling the airport most of the day and often well into the night. They would be crossing right over your landing path about once every thirty seconds.”
So the Airport Authority said, “But that’s just the best place for our new airport. How about you flop your training pattern over to the other side.”
Military: “No, we can’t do that because that’s not how aircraft carriers work and it would defeat the whole point of the training.”
Airport Authority: “I know! Swap sides and scoot over! That way you’ll be out of the way and we can take over the major section of the land.”
Military: (sigh) “No, that would put our training flight path directly over a residential zone with over 50,000 people. Constant passes by low-flying aircraft, often armed, just doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
Airport Authority: “Oh, come on… It can’t be that bad? Let’s put it to a vote! Let the people decide!”
Military: “People? What people? You mean the 50,000?”
Airport Authority: “No sillies, all the people in San Diego… but especially the people with lots of money who would just love to get their hands on that ocean-front property when we ditch the old airport.”
Military: “It doesn’t matter what the people vote locally, we’re the military! This stuff is decided at a Federal level!”
Airport Authority: “Yeah, I think we should get it on the ballot as soon as possible. It’s only a few million more, and it will let people know we have found a new airport site!”
Military: “It won’t make any difference! Why waste your money voting on it?!”
Airport Authority: “We might have to move a few freeways… Yeah, Interstate 15 needs to shift about a quarter mile East… What? Oh, it’s okay that we just finished improvements. Just add the cost as a bond or something. Noise? They’ll deal with it. Most of those people have been living with F-18′s, how much louder can a 747 be?”
Military: “Have you ever gotten behind an F-18 with it’s afterburners on? Two miles away it’s like an earthquake. You can’t hear yourself think. Right now, we fly parallel to the housing so we don’t shatter windows. That’s another reason we can’t fly over the residential area…”
Airport Authority: “It takes a long time to build an airport you know. Decades. You’ll probably have changed your use of the place by then, so it’ll all work out.”
Military: “No it won’t! We’re not going anywhere! The only changes planned are to make more use of the base, not less!”
Airport Authority – to San Diego City Council: “All in favor of putting a joint use initiative on the ballot in November say aye!”
San Diego City Council: “Aye!”
Military (shaking head): “Stupid civilians…”
In case you think this is fiction, I’m basing most of this paraphrased “conversation” on actual proceedings that took place as I watched them live on public access television during the San Diego City Council proceedings.