Excerpt from a September 9, 2014, "hand delivered" package to Mayor Hall, each Carlsbad Council Member, Carlsbad City Manager and Carlsbad City Attorney.  Mayor Hall has elected to wait until the county's new Airport Master Plan is available to review before deciding the city's course of action.

 

2004

• Mr. Drinkwater, Director of County Airports "We're moving Palomar Airport toward the future."  The county eventually would like to extend the runway from 4,900 to 5,900 feet to accommodate small commercial passenger jets...

• The small-plane pilots, who represent the bulk (80%) of flights at Palomar Airport, say they're being edged out to make way for big business.

2006 - 2011

• $182 million was invested in McClellan-Palomar Airport.  But airport officials say the San Diego County airport had losses of roughly $2 million during this period.  Was the lost revenue because of the continual displacement of the small-plane traffic?

2007

• Bill Polick, county public works spokesman, discussing the future of the 737 at CRQ — The study says the 4,900-foot runway could be stretched to accommodate jetliners such as a Boeing 737, but Polick said the county has no plans to do that because the ground under that area is an old landfill.  Well today's plan proposes to remove the old landfill!

 

~ If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is a duck. ~

 

The CRQ's Airport Runway Extension Plan, as presented, specifically states on Page 0-1 to paraphrase, it is not feasible to modify the airport to a C-III Class airport.

 

As such, the County is saying a $60 Million improvement needs to be spent to extend the runway to allow ONLY .003% of the C-III jets to safely take off.  Not valid since CRQ will still remain a B-II Class Airport.  As such, C-III Class aircraft should not be routinely using the airport.

 

Why is the San Diego County Taxpayer being asked to support a plan that will most certainly place its health and safety in jeopardy?  If the County wants C-III plane traffic, it needs to retrofit the airport to comply with ALL the safety requirements of a C-III Airport Certification.