The costs to the NIMBYs to fly out to Minnesota to protest.

Next Monday The Republicans will stage their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. One can bet that some of these class warfare NIMBYs from South County will be flying out there to protest - against the very things we In Newport Beach hold dear, such as wealth accumulation, and corporate dominance.

For their convenience I checked around to see how much flights would cost to go from various airports in Southern California.

Naturally, their first choice airport would be John Wayne. As they takeoff over Newport Beach, they will press their face and middle finger against the window and flip off the people down below, and curse under their breath.

However, the cheapest flight to Minneapolis/St. Paul airport will cost $515 total and will take 8.5 hours to complete. The other option is 6.5 hour flight which will cost $536.

Next we have Long Beach Airport which is approximately 30 miles past El Toro, and a flight out of there will cost $515 and take 6.75 hours. The faster option is to pay $598 to travel there in 5.75 hours.

Now we check out Ontario Airport which would be 42 miles past El Toro, plus toll road fees. The cheapest flight out there is $523 and would take 5.5 hours.

Next, The NIMBYs have often said we should use March Air Force Base which is 52 miles beyond El Toro, plus toll road fees of course. The problem is there is NO air service available.
Since it is a military base wouldn't that really make it an "air station" instead of an AIRPORT? Well, the NIMBYs like to play semantics and make the dubious claim that El Toro is merely an "air station" as opposed to an (idle) AIRPORT.

Finally, we check out LAX which is 50 miles past El Toro. Hands down, it is the best deal and travel time all around. One can get a flight from LAX for $358 and arrive NON-STOP in 3.5 hours. Ironically and with no sense of shame these class warfare NIMBYs from South County will fly over poor people near LAX to go protest in St. Paul against "economic inequality".

By opposing El Toro, the class warfare NIMBYs only cut off their nose to spite their face. El Toro is tan, rested, and ready. Not to mention, crowd free, convenient, and close to home.

Were they to use El Toro, they would not have to pay $4 a gallon to travel out of county, or use any toll roads along the way. In the meantime, if they do want to fly locally and use John Wayne it will cost them almost $200 more than LAX! (Ouch! That has got to hurt!)

However, El Toro with its massive amount of space and runways sitting idle could attract a lot of airlines and due to the economies of scale, the costs would be very reasonable.

Instead, out of bitter spite for Newport Beach, the NIMBYs continue to resist El Toro, but they really only hurt themselves by paying for it with increased air fares and additional travel time.

Those of us from Newport Beach who are attending the RNC will be there as delegates or at least attending some great corporate parties, while the class warfare NIMBYs from South County will be out in the streets protesting.

Class Envy is not a rational aviation policy!

It is class envy of Newport Beach that fuels much of the hysterical extremist opposition to El Toro Airport. Whether it would be a letter to the editor or a post on a message board, the haters simply cannot resist taking a cheap shot at Newport Beach in the process.

Orange County, including South County is clearly a Republican stronghold. But one would never know that from reading the average letter or posting from South County. Their messages often read like that of redistribute-the-wealth Berkeley socialists. What we have here folks is the U.S.S.R.- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republicans, or a bunch of whiny RINOs.

The success haters should simply work harder, invest smarter, and be more innovative if they wish to acquire more wealth. A poor person does not create jobs or give money to charity. It is wealthy entrepreneurs who open businesses that employ people and donate to various philanthropies. They are the risk takers who make America great.

If it was Fullerton that had the jets instead of John Wayne, many of the residents of South County would not even have an issue with El Toro doing its fair share. But since John Wayne is near Newport Beach, these class warfare NIMBYs will continue to oppose El Toro Airport to the very bitter end. In the meantime, they are only hurting themselves as they must pay higher air fares locally, or drive far away for cheaper flights at $4 a gallon.

On the other hand, residents lived near John Wayne BEFORE there were jets!

The first picture from 1963 shows John Wayne Airport and the surrounding area. As one can see, it is the Newport Mesa area, NOT Irvine that has the homes. The second picture shows El Toro and environs in 1963 where NO residents exist other than Marines in base housing.

Some will counter that John Wayne has been around for a long time. True. However, jets were NOT added until the late 60s well AFTER homes were established in the area. In contrast, El Toro has had jets there long BEFORE Irvine was even incorporated in 1973! Some as loud as F-18s. South County residents have received housing discounts and double paned windows because of this.

Civilian aircraft replacing fighter jets at El Toro is quite an improvement not to mention convenient, crowd free, and close to home. But wait, there's more! El Toro has a massive buffer zone. Therefore, South County residents really have nothing to legitimately complain about.

Another shortcoming of John Wayne is it has a mere 5700 foot runway and was never meant to have jets in the first place. John Wayne, along with Fullerton are meant to be general aviation airports for Orange County. Nothing more, nothing less.

Since El Toro is now available and the park has failed quite miserably and will never be built, there just happens to be a pair of 10,000 foot and 8,000 foot fallow runways sitting on 4700 acres ready for our utilization. After all, our taxes paid for it.

El Toro Airport was built BEFORE the NIMBYs moved next door!

The picture above is El Toro and surroundings circa World War II. As one can see the airport was there before the houses were constructed where NIMBYs would move next door to it only to incessantly whine about it.

In Real Estate the general rule is "Let the Buyer Beware". Irvine and South County residents got their homes DISCOUNTED because they live in a flight zone with noisy military jets. They are living on the cheap. Otherwise, many of these same people could not afford to live in Orange County. If anything, they should be grateful for the presence of El Toro Airport.

El Toro is a 10 billion dollar taxpayer asset that is sitting idle. The so called "Great Park" after three years and 60 million dollars has a mere 27 acres to show for it. The taxpayers of America deserve a return on their investment. The citizens of Orange County need improved airport access that is not a 2 hour drive to another county. "Far away from Orange County" is not the answer as some posters have suggested. The whole idea of an airport is to have convenience and create jobs. If you do not like El Toro Airport, then move! It was here first!

Agran's Irvine Folly

OC Register Letters
August 20th, 2008

Agran's Irvine folly

I congratulate Larry Agran for the wonderful job he is doing putting the Great Park in the hole before it is even built. By now Orange County could have the best airport in the world. It would have brought more revenue and business to this great county than the Great Park ever will. The Great Park looked so good in the advertisement, but now there is a balloon ride that sometimes works and sometimes does not, mostly the latter.

I hope when bonds are put on the ballot for more money, people in Orange County will reject them. The city of Irvine should have to finance the entire park because the land was a gift from the United States Navy to it. Irvine, you get what you vote for.

Don D. Williams

Newport Beach

The Great Park is not dead, it is just "resting".

This Great Pork ordeal resembles the Monte Python skit about a dead parrot. To sum it up, a customer returns a dead parrot to a shopkeeper for a refund. The shopkeeper strenuously denies that the parrot is dead and insists it is only "resting".

This is the same kind of bullcrap the voters and taxpayers are being fed by the city of Irvine on an almost daily basis. Any impartial observer can see that El Toro has runways, hangars, and aviation facilities and that it is indeed an (idle) AIRPORT. It is NOT a Great Park! Irvine the shopkeeper keeps insisting to the gullible voters that is a "resting" Great Park of the Norwegian Blue variety. Where is the Great Park? A floating orange gasbag and a hangar on 27 acres does not make El Toro a Great Park!

The voters were sold a bill of goods. The Register had an article that this so called park will need ANOTHER $377 million dollars! Lennar will be dead in a matter of time and will not be resting. They clearly cannot afford it. There is no money for Great Pork! It is not resting, IT IS DEAD!

Irvine politics should not trump public safety!

Such incredible timing! The City of Irvine announces the latest CEO of the Great Pork, while a jet had to make an emergency landing at John Wayne Airport today. The 5700 foot runway is the shortest of any commercial airport nationwide! One of these days a jet is going to roll off that runway onto the Corona Del Mar freeway and explode into a fireball.

We need an airport at El Toro now, not some lame 27 acre, 60 million dollar pork that hardly anyone visits. With two 10,000 foot runways and two 8,000 foot runways El Toro can easily handle emergency landings, not to mention all of our county's passengers and cargo needs for the foreseeable future.