Santa Monica Airport
Office of the Director
3223 Donald Douglas Loop South
Suite 3
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 458-8591
FAX (310) 572-4495
April 10, 2008
Re: Santa Monica Airport – Implementation of Ban on Category C and D Aircraft.
Dear Santa Monica Airport User:
On March 25, 2008 the Santa Monica City Council adopted an ordinance restricting aircraft operations at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) to aircraft designated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as Category A and B aircraft. The Santa Monica Airport is designed to handle such aircraft, which have approach speeds of less than 121 knots. Operations by Category C and D aircraft are prohibited by the ordinance.
The new ordinance will go into effect on April 24, 2008, after which only aircraft in the FAA designated A & B categories will be allowed to operate at SMO. Attached for your reference
is a table explaining FAA aircraft approach speed categories. Also you can visit the following FAA link to determine which category your aircraft falls under:
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraff...char_database/.
Note: In general, the new ordinance provides that, except in the case of a bona fide emergency, no person operating a category C or D aircraft, as defined by FAA’s standards, shall land or depart from the Santa Monica Municipal Airport after April 23, 2008.
Penalties for violation of the Ordinance include misdemeanor prosecution with punishment of a fine not greater than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) or imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or both. The Ordinance is available for viewing at
www.smgov.net or
www.santamonicaairport.org (airport website).
Users of Santa Monica Airport, who utilize fractional share aircraft, may want to consult with their fractional share operators. As noted on their websites, the following fractional operators allow their participants to change to aircraft in compliant categories:
Netjets:
http://www.netjets.com/The%20NetJets...m_overview.asp
Flexjet:
http://www.flexjet.com/home.html;
Flight Options:
http://www.flightoptions.com/about_overview.html
I also advise that you periodically check the Santa Monica Airport’s internet site at
www.santamonicaairport.org for updates.
Sincerely
Robert D, Trimborn
Airport Director
Santa Monica Airport
FAA Designated Approach Categories
According to FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13, Airport Design, an aircraft’s approach category is based upon 1.3 times its stall speed at the aircraft’s maximum certificated weight.
The five approach categories used are as follows:
Category A: Speed less than 91 knots
Category B: Speed 91 knots or more but less than 121 knots
Category C: Speed 121 knots or more, but less than 141 knots
Category D: Speed 141 knots or more, but less than 166 knots
Category E: Speed greater than 166 knots