Efforts to close Whiteman Airport continue to move along, albeit slowly.
Since passing a resolution more than a year ago, the Los Angeles City Council has not taken up the issue of shutting down the general aviation airfield in Pacoima that is owned by Los Angeles County.
Monica Rodriguez, the City Council member who represents the northeast valley where Whiteman is located, brought the resolution to her fellow council members, which they unanimously approved in December 2020.
It was an accident in November 2020 that instigated the effort to close the airport. A small single-engine plane crashed that month on a street outside the airport.
“The accident is a tragic reminder of the trauma Whiteman Airport imposes on the community of Pacoima; a community that derives no value from its operation but is subject to all the negative impacts,” according to a release from Rodriguez’s office at the time.
Attempts to reach Rodriguez were not successful.
On Jan. 9, another crash occurred. This time the plane landed on the Metrolink railroad tracks near the intersection of Osborne Street and San Fernando Road. A train struck the rear portion of the plane.
Curt Castagna, a member of the county’s airport commission, which oversees Whiteman and four other airfields, said that there is a process in place to look at accidents. Before jumping to a conclusion of what the outcome should be, one needs to look at the facts of what transpired and evaluate them, Castagna said.
“Just because that accident took place doesn’t mean you make the stretch we should close that entire airport,” he added.
‘Tragic’ loss
Business owners were mum about the city’s efforts to close the airport.
“I don’t think it is the city’s efforts but other than that, no (I have no other thoughts),” said Penny Alderson, an owner of Vista Aviation, a maintenance and repair shop on the airport, and its flight school, Vista Air.
Nick Vartanian, chief executive of Helitender Inc., a helicopter maintenance facility at Whiteman, said he had no comment.
Attempts to reach other business owners were not successful.
Robert Rodine, a Sherman Oaks aviation consultant at Polaris Group, however, was not shy about giving his opinion.
“From an aviation standpoint, the loss of the airport would be really tragic,” Rodine said.
According to a county-produced economic impact report from two years ago, the direct number of employees working at businesses on the airport stood at 273, with wages totaling about $23 million. Total direct impact economic activity was nearly $61 million.
In a report for a committee of the Valley Economic Alliance in September, Rodine wrote that legally all the city could do was request the county to close Whiteman.
“Closure will be very expensive for the county,” he said, adding that that Federal Aviation Administration views every airport as critical to the national air transportation system.
Whiteman plays an important role in the future of aviation because of the flight instruction activities, Rodine continued in his report.
“There are at least two flight schools on the airport, but there are also volunteer programs where experienced pilots and flight instructors teach young student to fly,” Rodine wrote. “It is inexpensive to operate at (Whiteman) and costs are critical for flight schools.”
Balanced approach
Castagna compared the situation to closing an off-ramp on a freeway.
“What it does is redirect traffic to other airports,” Castagna said. “It doesn’t spread out the impacts and sometimes causes more congestion.”
Despite being the chief executive of Aeroplex/Aerolease Group, the owner of hangar and office space at Long Beach and Van Nuys airports, Castagna is not automatically dismissive of the complaints toward Whiteman.
“Evaluating what the airport’s role is in the San Fernando Valley is a critical function and a value because we know that it provides a link to other areas in the Valley,” Castagna said.
For example, Castagna related that during the Northridge earthquake in 1994, the control tower at Van Nuys Airport was inoperable.
“Whiteman Airport played a vital role in emergency management services to bring relief in and out of the area,” Castagna added.
The airport also helps in training young pilots and provides jobs, he continued.
Yet, at the same time one needs to recognize the inherent risks in operating aircraft, he said.
“How do you best mitigate those risks?” Castagna asked. “I think that’s what our focus should be on.”