From the sddt.com:
San Diego County’s supervisors are considering whether to consider lengthening the runway at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad.
The board voted Tuesday to direct the county’s chief administrative officer to report back in 90 days on the scope, cost and time needed to conduct a study on whether the extension would be feasible.
Palomar Airport, which is county-owned, covers 487 acres and has one 4,897-foot runway. Stakeholders in the airport say the runway is not long enough to satisfy their needs to keep up with airport expansions. The county added a new terminal, parking area and restaurant to the airport using Airport Enterprise Funds and Federal Aviation Administration grants, and has attracted $100 million in private investments from airport tenants and lessees.
Supervisor Bill Horn said these lessees and airport stakeholders, along with “key members” from Carlsbad, asked the county to consider the runway expansion.
The airport is “an economic driver for North County and a crucial part of the regional aviation system,” Horn said in his agenda item for the board.
An economic vitality study on the airport in 2008 had “staggering” results, he said, showing about $116.6 million in business revenue came from airport industries in the Palomar Airport area and $61.8 million in business sales came from visiting passengers.
The airport also employs 360 people, making it one of the top 20 employers in Carlsbad, Horn said.
However, there are multiple potential environmental and engineering challenges involved in extending the runway, including the fact that its expansion would cover an old landfill, which has rarely been done before, according to Horn.
I always wondered why they didnt extend it to the east, over El Camino Real. There is a large plot of land that is vacant which could extend the takeoff length. Not sure if it helps with landing.
Palomar Airport is already pretty busy and noisy so I’m not sure how much NIMBY resistance you’d get to an expansion. Certainly anybody living in NCC that isn’t directly impacted by the flight path would love to have a closer regional airport option. The nearest major airport can be an hour away depending on traffic.
If they can cover up old landfills with housing, what’s the issue with covering one with an airport runway?
I had assumed it had to be expanded as part of the new cal-PAC airline which was featuring larger regional jets. As stated above, it was for takeoff as landing technology (brakes/reverse thrusters) were said to handle the job. Think I heard 1,000 feet but haven’t seen the current proposal.
Is there a link to the report or application?
Ps: from the depots i read, these new, larger, jets are quieter than current planes using the airport. Besides most of the noise is on takeoff, not landings.
The E-170 Jets that Cal-Pac is planning to use can takeoff and land on the existing 4900 foot runway. . .they were certified by Embraer for the London City Airport which also has the same length runway. It would of course be helpful to have more runway to extend range of those and other jets, but it you get to 5700 feet (Orange County Airport runway length), then it would invite Southwest or other 737 operators to come in – then the NIMBY’s would have a revolution!!!
The 52 freeway east of I-15 is built over the south end of the Miramar landfill and every few years it has to be rebuilt when the hills and valleys get too extreme from differential settlement. Can’t land a passenger jet on dips and hills like those that appear on the 52.
Anyone know when CAL-PAC air is actually going to be flying???