Up in the air?

One might say that the current dispute about a flight school at the Healdsburg Municipal Airport is simply a NIMBY issue by folks who live near the airport. The rest of you could say,  “It doesn’t affect me”….or does it?
We would like to present to you the reasons we think you should care.
Several years ago, a pilot who lives in Sebastopol got permission to open a flight simulator business at our local airport with the understanding that there would be no in-air training. Now he wishes to not only open a flight school for locals, but is not forthright about making plans to bring a burgeoning number of students here from out of the country to learn to fly. Included in this proposal are initially five rental planes which can be increased yearly. Should he be successful in obtaining a lease, he will reimburse the city $258 per month for this privilege.
So, “what’s the big deal?” Our town could use that $258 a month. But wait, what could it mean for noise, pollution and safety? As for noise, once the school gets up and running, it could mean endless circling as the students take off and land, all day, as well as mandated night flights and the use of two engine planes, all of which would lead to an increase in noise & pollution. Since most propeller-driven engines use leaded gas, Healdsburg and surrounding areas will be showered with an increased burden of lead, a definite neurotoxin & probable carcinogen for which no safe threshold has been established. It is especially noxious for children. And when do most aviation accidents occur? During take off and landing, thus putting all of us at increased risk as the number of operations surge. Monday’s crash of a private plane in Santa Monica & resultant fire highlight a continuing concern over adequate fire suppressant capabilities at our local airport.
In the 1990s the City twice agreed that it would not permit a flight school or helicopter to be based at the airport as mitigations to development projects at the facility. It is with this understanding that many of us purchased property in the vicinity of the airport. At this juncture, the City has to decide if it will continue to honor this longstanding agreement. The Transportation Advisory Committee that advises the City Council, voted no for this lease. The City Council, who has the ultimate authority, will take up this matter on Oct 7.
Two months ago, a Santa Rosa citizen wrote a letter to the Press Democrat claiming residents outside of the city limits have no right to comment on issues at the airport. An internet search revealed that he is an instructor for the school that wishes to obtain this lease, as well as a business partner planning to solicit foreign flight students. The entity proposing the flight school is RAM Aviation. Check out their website, which includes a description of their program for training Indian pilots. (And enjoy the snow-capped peaks allegedly behind our airport!)
The establishment of a flight school at the airport would sacrifice the health and well-being of thousands of area residents for the benefit of a business that will give $258 a month to our City in return for the following: training pilots who will take their skills elsewhere, an increase in lead and noise pollution and significant safety concerns. In doing so, the City government is reneging on agreements made with local citizens, a serious breach of trust.
We feel that the current level of activity of the airport is what we all signed on to when we bought our homes. Flight training should not be part of an area designated residential/agricultural. While we respect the right for commerce and entrepreneurial activity, this proposal would have a negative impact on our whole community. Do we really want circling aircraft to be part of our landscape?
There are many issues facing our community that could imperil the small town ambience that we cherish and which makes Healdsburg and its surrounding valleys a wonderful place to live. Legal counsel has told us that once one flight school is approved, it will be discriminatory for the City to deny others in the future. Other communities like ours have had many adverse consequences from the increased air traffic due to pilot training programs. Dozens of area residents have joined Safe Skies Healdsburg, a grassroots community organization that is working to preserve the safety and tranquility of our rural neighborhood. Please join us in asking the City Council to vote NO on the proposed flight school at Healdsburg Airport.
Walt Maack,MD and Bretta Rambo are Healdsburg area residents.