In the words of Bon Homme Richard's captain, naval hero John Paul
Jones, when asked to surrender, "I (we) have not begun to fight".

The County is scrambling...I wouldn't want to be in today's EDA staff
meeting.

LT



Glider pilots react to Oct. 1 deadline to move from Hemet-Ryan
airport

Valley News Staff

Friday, September 18th, 2009.
Issue 38, Volume 9.


RIVERSIDE - Local glider pilots were "freaking out'' today after
learning they must move their equipment out of Hemet-Ryan Airport by
Oct. 1.

The county wants to stop all glider operations at Hemet-Ryan, citing
safety concerns and potential future conflicts the gliders might have
with water-dropping air tankers, law enforcement aircraft and commuter
flights at the airfield.

Glider enthusiasts say the airport is currently under-used and that
glider traffic brings more revenue to the area.

Earlier, they were told they would have months to move their gliders,
but this week they learned that Riverside County officials want them
to move the equipment in less than two weeks -- a deadline one pilot
called ``completely unreasonable.''

"There are a lot of guys freaking out here,'' said Larry Tuohino, an
aviator and president of the Orange County Sailplane Association. "One
of our members just had emergency knee surgery. He's not going to be
able to move his stuff. We've got some members with age and medical
issues, and having additional time makes a big difference.''

During the Sept. 1 Board of Supervisors' meeting, board Chairman Jeff
Stone said glider pilots should have three to six months beyond the
Oct. 1 deadline previously set by the county's Economic Development
Agency to haul away their sailplanes and associated equipment.

"This airport is transforming itself,'' Stone said during the Sept. 1
meeting. "We've had more (firefighting) air attack airplanes go into
Hemet-Ryan than anywhere in California. It's strategic. We're not
going to get away from the compatibility issue.''

He agreed the Oct. 1 deadline to remove the 30 to 50 gliders stored on
an 8-acre lot at the airport was too soon and requested that EDA grant
the additional time.

But Tuohino said in the last several days, members from his
organization and other glider pilots were informed the original
deadline will stand.

According to EDA spokesman Tom Freeman, the agency received a letter
shortly after the Sept. 1 meeting stating "in very strong language''
that glider operations were to be halted immediately.

"Unfortunately, we're not able to honor the supervisor's extension,''
Freeman said. "It's simply because we must comply with the guidelines
placed on us.''

He said the letter came from either Caltrans, which has inspecting
authority over public airfields across the state, or from the Federal
Aviation Administration.

"It's extremely difficult for me to believe that's true from a process
point of view,'' said Tuohino. "That sounds completely fallacious.''

His organization has demanded the county provide copies of
correspondence between it and any other state or federal agencies
regarding sailplane operations at Hemet-Ryan.

The airfield, located just west of Hemet, has been a hub for
recreational flying and fire suppression operations for more than 40
years.

Earlier this summer, Larry Howell, who runs Sailplane Enterprises
Inc., asked the county for an early termination of his lease at the
airport, saying business had dropped significantly during the recent
economic downturn.

The board, following EDA's recommendation, agreed to end the lease --
and at the same time ordered a halt to glider flying in general.

Freeman said too many safety hazards have cropped up, resulting in
"fatalities, injury and serious violations of regulations.''

Last weekend, a 70-year-old glider pilot was fatally injured during
takeoff from an airport in Lake Elsinore, possibly because the glider
detached prematurely from the airplane that was towing it into the
air.

"The county has been completely unreasonable. Their style is
appalling,'' said Tuohino. "Do we have our incidents? Every airport
has its incidents. We've had glider operations going on there since
the early 70s.

Nobody has come down on us until now. Why? Because they want to
redevelop the airport into a jet port.''

Tuohino questioned the wisdom of expanding Hemet-Ryan to facilitate
commuter operations when French Valley Aiport, 12 miles away, provides
the same services.

"French Valley Airport is a white elephant,'' he said. ``The county's
not making any money. Half or less of the space there is leased.''

He complained that county budget officials fail to discern the
economic benefit of glider pilots, trainees, their families and
friends coming to Hemet-Ryan and spending money on gas, food and
lodging. He said sailplane owners also pay the county annual fees to
park their aircraft at the field.

"We are the most active operation at Hemet-Ryan,'' said Tuohino. ``We
do more operations on the glider side than everything else on the
power side.''

According to the aviator, the hazards Caltrans has listed in
connection with sailplane operations are "extremely correctable.''

He said one of the biggest issues is tow-plane pilots using a
makeshift runway extension.

"Why that hasn't been corrected is beyond us,'' he said. ``The county
has dug up meaningless safety issues and thrown them at us because
that's the only way they could get us off the field.''

With airport expansion expected to take another three to five years,
Tuohino found it ``bizarre'' the county would rush to terminate
sailplane operations.

He said the Orange County Sailplane Association and other aviator
groups are appealing the county's decision to the FAA.

"The FAA requires that public airports support all forms of aviation
so long as they are safe -- that's their basic mantra,'' Tuohino
said.