Viewfinder on El Toro Airport

* I congratulate Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), who has taken a common-sense approach to the El Toro airport issue by stating he will do everything possible to secure restrictions, thereby making it a more friendly neighbor to the community.

Orange County needs an additional airport. Cox offers the solution, which should be agreeable to everyone.

Work toward a smaller El Toro, secure a curfew so there will be no late-night flights, and impose restrictions on noise, number of flights and types of aircraft.

Now why didn’t Supervisor Tom Wilson think of that?

A. GALLAGHER

Costa Mesa

* The Times continues to propagate the myth that Orange County has air transport problems by publishing letters from those whose agenda is to close John Wayne Airport.

John Wayne Airport has a remodeled facility at 50% of its actual physical capacity, in which passenger demand has declined for 21 months in a row.

Its legal cap of 8.4 million annual air passengers expires in 2005. Afterward it could handle up to 12 million annual passengers without even adding a single flight, with planes allowed to be loaded to capacity.

With a few more flights it could reach its actual capacity of 14 million passengers, with minimal noise impact.

And that’s all Orange County needs, with a projected population of 3.3 million by 2020, where many of its residents are closer to other expanding airports than they are to John Wayne.

NICOLAS G. DZEPINA

Mission Viejo

* Our county needs an El Toro airport.

I am disappointed that those in charge of the planning process have not accomplished their designated goals on schedule. Should the delays result in forfeiting our opportunity for the new airport, there must be a full investigation regarding causes, and appropriate people must be reprimanded.

DOUG DAVIS

Fountain Valley

* In his Aug. 29 letter, David J. Arthur of Costa Mesa suggests that the supporters of the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative have a hidden agenda to expand John Wayne Airport.

That is simply untrue, as a reading of the text of the initiative establishes.

The opponents of an expansion of John Wayne or of any proposed large jail site have the same protections as those opposing the proposed El Toro airport.

In fact, that is the very purpose of this initiative: to empower all voters equally to have a say in the decision whether to construct large projects that severely impact their communities.

JEFF METZGER

Chairman, Citizens for

Safe & Healthy Communities

Laguna Hills