8/1/2004 -- Since its creation by the City Council in June of 2003, the Seaside Airport Advisory committee has taken a number of steps to improve safety and address noise issues at the airport.

"There aren't too many complaints about the airport, but we do occasionally hear from a local resident about about issues such as noise or low flying," said commitee Vice Chairman Randall Henderson. "As an advisory body, it's not our role to police the airport. But we can help get the word out to pilots about the noise and safety concerns that are specific to the airport and the surrounding community."

One such step was the installation of signs at the ends of the runway advising pilots to climb to 1000 feet before making any turns, to reduce the noise impact of planes flying over local neighborhoods. 1000 feet is twice as high as the FAA's "standard" turnout altitude, and even though the final decision of when and where to make turns is ultimately up to the individual pilot, most are willing to make adjustments in order to comply with requested local guidelines, according to Henderson. "Pilots want to want to be good neighbors," he said.

Another issue addressed by the committee was the TV cable that runs along Lewis and Clark Road, just south of the runway. The cable was below the normal approach and departure paths, but was nevertheless a cause for concern among some pilots using the airport. Shortly after being contacted by committee member Roy Bennett, Charter Cable relocated the cable underground. "This had been a concern among pilots for a long time, but Charter never knew it," said Bennett. "All it took was for someone to bring it up with them, and they were more than willing to move it to a preexisting conduit under the bridge."

Other recent safety improvements include a new fire hydrant next to the aircraft parking area, a new pilot information board displaying airport operational information, and repairs to the runway lighting system.