El Toro Chief: Base-Sharing Plan Won’t Fly

Marine Brig. Gen. Robert Magnus, commander of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, said Wednesday that it is “highly unlikely” the military will support the county’s idea to allow commercial cargo flights out of the base before the Marines pull out.

Such a joint use “would interfere with our training and operations and could pose safety problems, which has to be a top concern,” he said in his first interview since the idea was raised earlier this month. “We will still have significant helicopter and fixed-wing operations until early 1999.”

Despite his doubts about simultaneous civilian and military use of El Toro, Magnus said he would review any specific joint use ideas for the surplus base.

In addition, Magnus said an interim use is possible, meaning that cargo flights could use the base after Marine squadrons have left. The earliest that would happen is April 1999, he said. But any interim use of the base would require an environmental impact study, according to officials.

Magnus’ statements came a day after a divided county Board of Supervisors directed staff to formally explore flying commercial cargo jets from the base before the Marines depart.

Supervisors directed county officials to begin discussions with the military, the Federal Aviation Administration and the cargo industry to determine the feasibility and environmental consequences of having cargo flights at the base.

Backers of cargo use argue that the county loses $4.9 billion annually by having cargo shipped from airports outside the county. Only 4% of goods manufactured in the county for export are flown out of John Wayne International.

The supervisors’ move infuriated opponents of the county’s plan to develop an international airport at El Toro. They say permitting cargo flights would be a significant first step in realizing the international airport.

But there are problems to overcome if cargo planes and military aircraft are to share the base.

The base lacks enough air traffic controllers to handle any commercial flights, Magnus said. As military activities wind down, the remaining controllers will be reassigned to other bases.

For joint use to work, the county would have to hire and train additional air traffic controllers--a task Magnus said he doubted could be completed before the base closes.

He said there is only one military base in the country operating both military and commercial flights. That base, in Yuma, Ariz., separates the flights on different runways with different air traffic controllers.

Another obstacle for joint use, he added, is the 1990 federal law by Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) prohibiting such an operation.

He said the Marines supported Cox’s legislation when it was approved and still do because it ensures safety of military flights.

“We like it,” Magnus said. “We think it protects us.”

El Toro Reuse Planning Authority Chairman Richard Dixon, an airport foe, said Wednesday that the county is getting ahead of itself in pushing for cargo flights at the base. Since the federal government will not turn over the base to another owner--presumably the county--until fall 1999, it is wrong for the county to seek to use the base sooner, he said.

“Until that record of decision [to turn the base over] is issued, it’s completely irresponsible to move forward with any kind of use for the El Toro Marine base,” Dixon said. “It is a stereotypical Orange County staff end run doing whatever they can do to guarantee that there is an airport at El Toro.”

In other developments, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority’s board voted to sue the county to get information it requested on runway configurations, reports on aviation demands, airport feasibility and planning alternatives for the 4,700-acre base.

ETRPA officials requested several records from the county last month, but they were informed Tuesday that the county would not provide that information, saying that the documents are either in draft form or not completed.