As a teenager, I lived in San Jose from 1956 through 1959, and Reid-Hillview (As I recall, we referred to it back then as Reid’s Hillview) Airport was one of my favorite haunts. I don’t know when the airport was built, but it was already a well established fixture at the time I lived in San Jose. If my memory serves, I believe that the only commercial enterprise, other than the FBO at the air port, was Clevenger’s Crop Dusting, operating highly modified Stinson L-5 aircraft. My Civil Air Patrol Squadron also operated out of the airport, and still does to this day. The only complaints regarding the airport’s location back then, were from pilots on short final being hit by golf balls from the adjacent golf course.
Water kills tens of thousands of people every year, that is a fact. Food kills half a million people every year, that is a fact. One data point can define a sphere, 2 data points can define a universe.
Unless you have context, then simple facts can lead you to some really absurd “conclusions”. GA fuels are not a health problem.
The San Jose Mayor penned this letter to the council members. Sounds like the FAA has conveyed some thoughts about this proposed closure to him. In a nuanced way, I think it points out some fallacies in their logic.
Pilots can be their own worst enemies. It would seem that some, if not many, go out of their way not to be good neighbors.
As a pilot, I would not be adverse if the local airport, a mile away, got closed. To many arseholes disrupting me and everyone around me. For no reason. Either ignorance or noncaring.
Triggered
Alert! The question is how bad.
In drinking water is one thing, frequent direct ingestion, probably worst from water standing in plumbing if it has much lead in the solder used to connect parts of the plumbing together.
In the air in what quantity? How much from small airplanes? Up to your to explain.
Oh, must eliminate that dihydrogen monoxide stuff.
Wait, hold on - it is the primary greenhouse gas, keeping earth warm enough for survival of humans.
Thankyou for facts, in contrast to the vague rabid types herein (don’t get into an airplane they are piloting).
“I don’t need [insert], so YOU shouldn’t be allowed to have [insert].”
Unfortunately, that’s the Leftist American way.
SJC is still a decent GA airport - maybe not as good as the seventies - but we are still there. We lost some tie downs for the new fire station - but for a busy class C airport in the 10th largest US city it could be worse. I left RHV a few years back when the writing was on the wall that they were going to close it down. I’m really happy being at SJC - once you have your badge, access is pretty easy and they do really bother us much.
Ment DON’T really bother us
Jerry, I would hazard a guess that the airport was there long before your airport hater moved in. It always amazes me that people never hear the planes overhead until after they have signed the papers on their new house.
“… at some point the TEL additive will become harder to obtain.”
You can revise that to say that at some point TEL will become impossible to obtain. Only one manufacturer left in the western world. If they have a plant fire or decide the economics are no longer there, we are lead free, one way or the other.
You’re right, Dale, lead in Avgas is a red herring. RHV is the target of land developers, and lead exposure is just part of the scare tactics used to kill it. Unfortunately the city council is equally willing to close it down because they see a potential windfall in property tax revenue when it is turned into businesses and/or housing. This is just another Santa Monica, and I suspect the same outcome will apply.
And the right, to be fair. Neither side is for freedom, they simply have different oppressions.
Actually, most of the deadly airborne lead is from low-altitude high-density high-velocity emitters.
I was there a bit after you, Robert, having been born in 1958. I got my license at RHV, and was a member of the John J. Montgomery Memorial Cadet Squadron 36 which still met there from 1975-1980.
There were three FBOs and one Red Baron Lounge at the field at that time.
John Mc,
Exactly correct. It’s worse though. I’d like to have someone take a decibel meter around to the houses where the complaints come from.
These idiots will show up with their pick ups and motorcycles sporting modified exhausts to complain about airport noise from an airport that was there years before their home was built or they were even born.