Tehachapi Gliderport Under Assault

[raulb]

Lest you think it can't happen to you and your gliderport:

On the brink of the last tow from Sailplane Enterprises (on the 20th)
and the forcible eviction of gliders from Hemet-Ryan Airport, comes a
new assault.

Kern County (CA) has in hand a proposed EIR to allow the erection of
320 wind generators in the hills around Tehachapi. The windmills
themselves are not the problem, there are thousands already in the
area. The problem is that the proposed windmills in one area, Sub
Area 3, will infringe upon the Federally mandated glideslope
requirements for Mountain Valley Airport, a privately owned airport
where the Skylark North Gliderport is located.

If this project is successful, it will be the 2nd Southern California
gliderport forced to close THIS YEAR! We only have 5 left now as it
is, losing another will adversely effect the sport here!

One thing we can do is to join and be active in local and State pilot
groups. We can run or wrangle for seats on airport commissions. We
have to make soaring a higher profile sport or we will be forced to
grind our gliders into flox.

Soaring and soaring sites are under attack. We as glider pilots and
the SSA as our organization need to get active NOW, across the
country, and maybe we can prevent government from restricting soaring
and/or closing YOUR gliderport, as well as mine (Tehachapi). We
cannot wait and simply react. We have to be active and vigilant,
starting now.

[CindyB]

Post by raulb
On the brink of the last tow from Sailplane Enterprises (on the 20th)
and the forcible eviction of gliders from Hemet-Ryan Airport, comes a
new assault.
Kern County (CA) has in hand a proposed EIR to allow the erection of
320 wind generators in the hills around Tehachapi.  The windmills
themselves are not the problem, there are thousands already in the
area.  The problem is that the proposed windmills in one area,

<snipped> by C. Brickner

And below is copied and morphed (edited - by me, CB) from the KL94
news release, if we can impose on you to write an email to Kern
County, that would be a big help. Rather than read the news,
be part of changing the news. This has been posted to the SSA
website also, and sent to a few general aviation news outlets.

It is pertinent to airplane pilots, as well as glider pilots, so I am
passing the news through those groups also. Please share this
to the other airplane pilots groups you may know and ask them
to write. Amazingly, there is no way for Kern county to know from
whence the commentary originates, so all postings are valid.
Feel free to copy and paste from my listed points of negative impact,
and elaborate in your own words.

Threat to Mountain Valley Airport (KL94)
& General Aviation at KTSP in the Tehachapi Valley

Kern County Planning is reviewing a Draft Environmental
Impact Report for a project entitled "Alta-Oak Creek Mojave
Project" by Terra Gen. The proposal is for the construction
of 320 wind turbine generators approximately 500 feet tall.
The project is comprised of 3 subareas, two of which
(Subarea 1 and Subarea 3) are located close to MVA.
Details of the project are available on the Kern county
Planning website (co.kern.ca.gov.us/planning) if you click
on Alta-Oak Creek Project. The pertinent maps are in the
Project Description Section.

MVA's concern is that Subarea 3 is located approximately
one-third of a mile from the southeast end of our horizontal
surface and penetrates well within the 20:1 glide slope surface.
While the DEIR demands compliance with FAA Notices of
Proposed Construction and Obstruction Lighting, such
compliance does not negate the threat to all air traffic
(gliders and general aviation) approaching from the southeast
or transiting the Tehachapi Valley.

We are urging pilots to respond to the DEIR with concerns
and objections. Kern County DOES respond to sheer numbers
of responses. The only problem is that responses MUST be
made by Monday, September 21 at 5:00 pm.
They may be emailed or faxed to the following individual.
Please carbon-copy us too.
Kern County Planning Department
Attention: Christopher Mynk
Fax: [phone]
Email: ***@co.kern.ca.us

Please include in your response a brief description of your
aviation qualifications. If you are a visiting or Southern California
pilot, and have flown with us or through the Tehachapi Valley,
enumerate your transitions. Speak to the issues of flight safety
in glider approaches upwind from the west, VFR transitions
of the valley under winter skies with lesser visibility
(on mountain wave style days) and under cloud ceilings,
the concentration of VFR traffic through a lower elevation route,
the lessened visibility even in daylight of white turbine blades
against a bright sunlit westerly route and specifically against
lowered clouds as a typical local meterological phenomena.

Placement is the issue, not renewable power production.

Mitigation efforts with night lighting do not compensate for
a high-traffic route, a construction style that provides extremely
minimal visibility and extreme risk, recalling the German's
Rommel's Asparagus of Normandy.

We are sorry for the short notice. But we've only had about
a week to respond ourselves. Thanks for your help and
if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Larry and Jane Barrett
Mountain Valley Airport
Skylark North
***@earthlink.net
September 17, 2009

- - - - -

I hope this is enough "SSA proactivity" to result in some
citizenry activity also. And I agree with Raul's comments
about glider folk needing to be involved in their local
politics to help cement relationships and visibility for
future 'governmental' interactions.

Cindy B
Governmental Liaison Committee, SSA

[BT]

Las Vegas Valley Soaring Assoc in Jean NV could also be forced to move,
close, fold in 2017.
Clark County Department of Aviation wants to build a new airport on the
"Roach Dry Lake" with plans to open in 2017.
The new "Ivanpah Airport" would have a north south runway and be only 4nm
south of the existing runway at Jean.
The "final approach" would bring heavy jets over the downwind for the Jean
airport at approximately 1500ft AGL.
The New Class D airspace would encroach on Jean.
Any Class C or Class B airspace created to support the new airport would
close the Ivanpah Valley to gliders.

The CCDoA has said that the Jean airport would not close as long as the
operations can be safely maintained.
New restrictions from a Class D tower 4 nm away for take off and landing
clearances?
Gliders are restricted from Class C or Class B airspace. The airport may not
close for powered aircraft, but the airspace restrictions would eliminate
the gliders.

The CCDoA is working the environmental, airspace and water use impact
statements.
All was supposed to be completed to go to US Congress in 2010 for
appropriation dollars to build the new airport.
At last report about 1 yr ago, the 5 year study was 18 months behind.

A new airport is under construction at St George UT, scheduled to open in
November 2010.
Mesquite NV has an ongoing study for a new airport to be built on Mormon
Mesa, near the current MMM VOR.
Traffic count of GA Aircraft is down approximately 50% from last year.
Traffic (airline and passenger foot traffic) is down about 20-25% at
McCarran since their peak 2 years ago.

BT

Post by raulb
On the brink of the last tow from Sailplane Enterprises (on the 20th)
and the forcible eviction of gliders from Hemet-Ryan Airport, comes a
new assault.
Kern County (CA) has in hand a proposed EIR to allow the erection of
320 wind generators in the hills around Tehachapi. The windmills
themselves are not the problem, there are thousands already in the
area. The problem is that the proposed windmills in one area, Sub
Area 3, will infringe upon the Federally mandated glideslope
requirements for Mountain Valley Airport, a privately owned airport
where the Skylark North Gliderport is located.
If this project is successful, it will be the 2nd Southern California
gliderport forced to close THIS YEAR! We only have 5 left now as it
is, losing another will adversely effect the sport here!
One thing we can do is to join and be active in local and State pilot
groups. We can run or wrangle for seats on airport commissions. We
have to make soaring a higher profile sport or we will be forced to
grind our gliders into flox.
Soaring and soaring sites are under attack. We as glider pilots and
the SSA as our organization need to get active NOW, across the
country, and maybe we can prevent government from restricting soaring
and/or closing YOUR gliderport, as well as mine (Tehachapi). We
cannot wait and simply react. We have to be active and vigilant,
starting now.

[a***@socal.rr.com]

I don't fly at Tehachapi, or Hemet, but I will contact the appropriate
parties and protest like I did for Hemet. I have bitter memories of
what happened to Miegs in Chicago.

My problem is, WHERE IS THE SSA??

AOPA at least tries to take a stand, it seems the SSA is mute on this
issue.

Aerodyne

[CindyB]

Post by a***@socal.rr.com
My problem is, WHERE IS THE SSA??
AOPA at least tries to take a stand, it seems the SSA is mute on this
issue.
Aerodyne

And who do you think posted the information here for you to use
to contact the Kern County Planning Commission?

Your Region 12 SSA Director did so, who only learned of this action
about 2 pm this afternoon, and not from the the operator of the
airfield.
I was informed by two pilots who fly there who sent me email.

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I had to fly to eat today.
SSA doesn't pay me to sit and troll newsgroups, to supplement
my flow of information. They don't pay me at all.
(I already spent my money and time to travel to Dallas this
week to an SSA Board meeting. I also spent about 30 minutes on the
phone today with an SSA member trying to fight a ticket for
landing in a park.)

Did you know that I forwarded the same directional news
release to AOPA for national email distribution? Maybe it
will hit the streets tomorrow, or over the weekend.
Did you try to ask me for help?

You have, of course, already written your email to help fight this?
And copied a set of your comments to Larry & Jane?
Thanks for taking the same amount of time to write to
Kern County as you did reading this thread.

Did you check the MemberNews section of the SSA webpage?
It is posted there also.
If I take another minute, I will cross post to the other aviation
newsgroups, to enlist the airplane pilots to post on this also.
They're a bigger potential respondent pool, and can network more
help in sending e-mails or faxes.

I got in touch with the SoCalSaoring webmaster, and this evening
he put out the email blast to the listing of enrolled pilots ( no
cost)
to provide the same data directly into the hands of 700 folks.
Apparently enthusiastically, as I got duplicate send messages.
Sorry for the extra bother, folks.
And the call for help is posted on that page. Thanks, Mike.

I also provided a list of LOCAL pilot organization contact leads back
to the two SSA members who contacted me, and copied the
glider school. But all that work is seemingly invisible,
and garners little support for "the SSA".

Similar exchanges of effort went along behind the scenes for Hemet.
Similar efforts go on, week after week, across the continent,
like Miami-Dade leases, or Oregon airport managers seeking sample
operational plans. Or airspace agreements updated, or Class B
modifications fought.

But I guess you didn't read to the bottom of my post to find the
signature line. And, yes, you hit MY hot button. Kick a quiet
nest and expect to get stung.

But hey, rec.soaring has been way too polite and hence boring lately.
Maybe going soaring tomorrow will improve my disposition.

Cindy Brickner
SSA Region 12 Director
Governmental Liaison Committee

[Bob Kuykendall]

Post by a***@socal.rr.com
My problem is, WHERE IS THE SSA??

Good question, Mike. Look within, the answer is there.

Thanks, Bob K.

[JS]

We're fortunate to have an active aviation community here.
CB gave up a very good flying weekend to attend SSA meetings in Texas.
We've already fended off a subdivision off the East end of the
runways, and increased height for a cell phone tower under the pattern
for 09L at Mountain Valley.
A tall building proposed directly off 11 at Tehachapi Muni was knocked
on the head too.
We'll get on top of this one. (then head North, perhaps turn
Basalt...)
Jim

[Frank Whiteley]

Post by raulb
On the brink of the last tow from Sailplane Enterprises (on the 20th)
and the forcible eviction of gliders from Hemet-Ryan Airport, comes a
new assault.
Kern County (CA) has in hand a proposed EIR to allow the erection of
320 wind generators in the hills aroundTehachapi.  The windmills
themselves are not the problem, there are thousands already in the
area.  The problem is that the proposed windmills in one area, Sub
Area 3, will infringe upon the Federally mandated glideslope
requirements for Mountain Valley Airport, a privately owned airport
where the Skylark North Gliderport is located.
If this project is successful, it will be the 2nd Southern California
gliderport forced to close THIS YEAR!  We only have 5 left now as it
is, losing another will adversely effect the sport here!
One thing we can do is to join and be active in local and State pilot
groups.  We can run or wrangle for seats on airport commissions.  We
have to make soaring a higher profile sport or we will be forced to
grind our gliders into flox.
Soaring and soaring sites are under attack.  We as glider pilots and
the SSA as our organization need to get active NOW, across the
country, and maybe we can prevent government from restricting soaring
and/or closing YOUR gliderport, as well as mine (Tehachapi).  We
cannot wait and simply react.  We have to be active and vigilant,
starting now.

http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewPost/115511

Looks like it worked out.

OBTW, looks like the groups.google.com archival search has returned.
At least it was there for this post.

Frank Whiteley