LETTER TO THE EDITOR RE: FLIGHT DEMOS
JUNE 20, 1998
This letter was received from a viewer, who also
wrote
that, "I flew fighters (F-14's) in the Navy at NAS Miramar (San Diego)
for 8 years and have been a commercial pilot for the past 10 years,
with
a major airline."
From: "Frank Furbish"
To: <eltoroairport.org>
The Orange County Register reported Friday, June 12th, that there would be flight test conducted at El Toro Airport. It is imperative that the test is conducted fairly and consistent with the flight profiles slated for the commercial airport the county is planning.
Power settings and climb gradients are two of the most important variables that contribute to noise. It would be very easy to "light load" (no passengers, no cargo, little fuel) a Boeing 757 and take off at significantly reduced power with a steep climb gradient which would produce only a fraction of the actual noise that would be created on a passenger flight. A light loaded plane can takeoff at or below the amount of power used in cruise (we do this to save on maintenance on the engines).
You would also be able to climb on a much steeper climb profile thereby crossing over homes (and mountains) at a higher altitude that would be possible under normal conditions. This would obviously reduce the noise levels.
This type of deception was demonstrated at the El Toro Airshow when UPS flew by at idle power making virtually no sound. You could have done the same demonstration with an F/A-18, F-14, whatever. Load up a 747-400 to its MTOW (maximum takeoff weight) and see how much noise it would REALLY make.
We must also insist that the same type of aircraft is used for the test is the same type that is under consideration for operations at El Toro. Don't test with MD-90's which have the quietest engines in the industry (stage III) and then plan to fly DC-8s, 727s or DC-10s with one of the noisiest (stage II).
It's time for the county to be honest with all the tax payers and we must ensure that they do.
Frank Furbish (714) 589-7440
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