RESIDENTS HOPEFUL AIRPORT-CURFEW PLAN WILL FLY BOB HOPE: STUDY OK COULD LEAD TO FAA APPROVAL OF NIGHTTIME BAN BY 2009.

Byline: Rick Coca

Staff Writer

BURBANK -- Local residents moved a step closer to a quiet night's sleep Monday when Bob Hope Airport commissioners completed an FAA-required study that could lead to mandatory nighttime curfews for flights.

Nearly eight years and more than $6million in the making, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority voted 8-0 to move forward with the "Part 161 Study" for 45 days of public comment, which could lead to FAA approval of a curfew by summer 2009.

While that seems far off, for the commissioners Monday it was a huge step for what they believe will be one of the first mandatory curfews for an airport since a federal law went into effect in 1990 limiting such restrictions on modern, quieter aircraft.

"We did what we told the public we were going to do," said Carl Povilaitis, authority president. "We said we were going for the full nighttime curfew, and that's what we're doing. ... It's had some stops and some starts. I think I've lost some hair over this one."

The study's latest incarnation comes after the FAA sent it back to the commission for revisions in 2004. Since then, it was modified to include more homes affected by jet noise.

While optimistic, officials at the airport -- which serves about six million passengers annually -- warned that the FAA could return the application for more revisions. The curfew request also is likely to face stiff opposition from some airline carriers and general-aviation operators.

Various steps ahead

Commissioners recommended on Monday that the authority begin mobilizing the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena city councils, as well as elected leaders in Washington, D.C., to help their cause.

The public comment period will begin March 31. The commission will then vote June 16 on whether to send it to the FAA.

"This is not the end. ... I'm not even sure it's the beginning of the end," Povilaitis said.

Under the proposed plan, all flights in and out of the airport between 10 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. would be banned, with the exception of military and emergency personnel and aircraft with in-flight emergencies. Aircraft delayed by weather, mechanical problems or air traffic could take off or land during a 10-11 p.m. grace period.

By 2015, a projected 38 flights a night would be eliminated, according to the study, which estimates that the curfew would actually save federal authorities millions of dollars.

Recommended fines for a violation begin at $3,671, then double with a second violation, triple with a third and quadruple with a fourth, to a maximum of $14,684, if they all occur within a year.

After the fourth infraction within a year, the carrier could be banned or have its lease terminated for one year.

The latest proposal, put together by Jacobs Consultancy with the help of authority staffers, includes aircraft noise effects on a larger area outside the main targeted neighborhoods.

Residents cross fingers

Burbank residents are hoping that this time around, the mandatory curfew doesn't get delayed. Now, there is a voluntary curfew, which most commercial airlines adhere to but that remains a challenge for cargo carriers and private jets.

"It's a fantastic day for Burbank," said resident LaVerne Thomas, who attended Monday's meeting. "Let's move forward in a positive way and let's go for it."

Janet Strong, who still lives in the Screenland Drive home her parents purchased in 1939 just southeast of the airport, said planes flying overhead day and night have been a way of life for her.

When she was 12, a childhood friend who lived nearby shot the underbelly of a plane with his BB gun as it zoomed over the rooftop of his house.

"We could hear the ping (of the BB) -- that's how low it was flying," Strong said.

One of her biggest complaints now is that planes seem to fly by at the most inopportune times, including during her favorite TV shows.

"It bothers me when the show I've been waiting for all week -- you watch, here comes the punch line," she said. "And here comes five planes."

She hopes the commission is successful in its bid to "provide meaningful nighttime noise relief."

"I love the airport," Strong said. "I just don't want to be deaf by it."

rick.coca(at)dailynews.com

818-546-3304

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Photo:

(color) The plan calls for flights in and out of Bob Hope Airport to be banned from 10 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer