The latest salvo in the continuing battle by the city of Santa Monica to close the Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) was fired by Atlantic Aviation, which owns the sole full-service FBO at the Southern California airport. According to Matt Thurber of Aviation International News, the FBO has filed a Part 16 complaint with the FAA in response to a resolution by the Santa Monica city council calling for the city to take over the airport’s two FBOs, which also include avgas provider American Flyers. In the complaint, Atlantic Aviation asked for expedited handling “given the nature of the violations herein alleged and the urgency with which corrective action is needed…”
The AIN report notes that the city council voted unanimously on Aug. 23 on a resolution calling for closing the airport by July 1, 2018. Read the full story here.
If we have learned anything from the Miegs Field raid then we should certainly know how to deal with these blatant idiots on the Santa Monica City Council!! Next chapter to come………
Sorry to hear all the trouble and turmoil you folds are putting up with, It reminds me very much of the Kingman Airport Authority here at the Kingman Airport. We to have a couple of half wits ( Kingman Airport Authority) screwing up the airport beyound comprehension. Neither of the two incharge of the airport are pilots, they continoue to tell us they don’t care, they hate pilots etc. They promised that if they took down the existing pilots lounge they would build a new one with all the modern conveniences. Well they took down our old pilots lounge and the KAA build a million dollar facility for a hand full of employees and told us to pound sand..No pilots lounge no nothing period. instead they raised the hanger rent to almost $350.00 a month with a automatic raise every year. Ran off the airline service, ran off business’s, multi million dollor business’s, So when I read about Santa Monica airport it makes me cringe with a capital ” F” Heres wishing you folks some releife..
The only reason the city want to take over the FBO’s is so they can raise fuel and parking prices beyond reason and provide such poor service to those who base there or visit there that they will be driven to other airports. When they can show low usage it is easy to justify the closing of the airport. Just think of landing there and finding that they are out of fuel but expect a shipment in a day or two because they did not order until the tank was dry.
I hope somehow the FAA takes the airport from the city. Seems like the government of Santa Monica and many of the citizens are complete nutcases and don’t deserve the money the airport brings to the city. Maybe they should give the expected revenue to LA instead until Santa Monica straightens up.
I grew up in the Seattle area, a Boeing kid, even delivered the Seattle Times for a while during the peak of the Viet Nam war. I mention this because it formed an appreciation for conservatism, in particular the idea that individual people are important, they have responsibilities, self-reliance is a good thing, the best government governs least, etc. I have always found that people in aviation tend toward these ideals and beliefs.
What I have a hard time understanding is how can anyone in the aviation community advocate for a landgrab and/or powergrab by a large federal bureaucracy?
And, by the way, there are lots of solid and highly intelligent people in and around the Santa Monica Airport. They recognize the adverse impacts of this airport. They do NOT benefit from its use. They also recognize LA Basin airspace and ATC would be improved if SMO was closed to jets. They know the facts related to the declines in airport operations, that a total airport closure would not diminish system efficiency, either, as there is plenty of capacity at KBUR, KVNY, KHHR and KLAX for those displaced bizjets and charters.
Let’s be honest here, the only reason the city wants to close the airport is it is an island of undeveloped land that developers are thirsting for. There is a lot of bribes (excuse me, campaign contributions) flowing to the local politicians to close the airport so the developers can get at the land.
“Jeff Lewis” is part of the group trying to close the airport. Corruption is at many levels.