Saturday, December 19, 2009

Friday 12-19-09

Two F/A-18 Hornets landed in formation on rwy 30 at about 5:05pm and parked at Signature.

A third F/A-18 Hornet landed about 5:20pm and also parked at Signature.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday 12-14-09

AML Leasing LLC Gulfstream G550 N55AL (c/n 5229) arrived from Van Nuys (KVNY) at 4:25pm and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

Wilmington Trust Co Gulfstream G-IV(SP) N251MM (c/n 1495) returned from a test flight at 7:54pm and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Airport breaks ground on new parking garage

LONG BEACH - Officials broke ground Thursday on a nearly 2,000-space parking garage at Long Beach Airport that is expected to ease congestion at a facility long plagued by a lack of on-site parking.

The $48 million structure, expected to be completed by early 2011, will add nearly 1,000 spots to an area just steps from the main terminal, said Maricela de Rivera, an airport spokeswoman.

The first phase will add 247 slots by summer, with the entire structure adding 989 spots where less than 1,000 now exist on two ground-level lots (known as lots B and C) off Donald Douglas Drive, the airport's primary entry route.

The five-level, 1,989-slot structure is being financed through a 30-year bond expected to cost about $4.2million annually. Money generated by parking fees will pay for the bonds.

In addition, Lot D, a site the airport rents north of the property, will be closed once the new garage is complete.

Officials have also made plans to increase the garage's size to accommodate another 3,000 or so parking spots, but only after 2016 and only if necessary, de Rivera said.

Right now, the airport handles a maximum of 41 passenger flights and 25 commuter flights daily - averaging about 3.5 million passengers annually.

Currently, airport parking is a mishmash of small, uncovered lots, a mid-sized garage and an off-site lot requiring shuttle service to the main terminal.

The new garage is part of a makeover of the 1930s-era airport, given a green light earlier this year following the city's legal victory in a federal courtroom.

A group known as the Long Beach Parent-Teacher Association, which included the Long Beach Unified School District, had sued the city, arguing an environmental impact report examining the effects of terminal and parking garage expansion didn't properly account for potential noise impacts on area schools.

In May, California's Fourth District Court of Appeals rejected the argument, paving the way for Thursday's ground-breaking.

(Press Telegram)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Thursday 12-10-09

Gulfstream G-IV HB-IWY (c/n 1176) arrived from Palm Beach Intl (KPBI) at 2:29pm and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

A NASA T-38 departed at 3:10pm after being parked at Signature.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Monday 12-7-09

Southwest Sportsjet LLC Boeing 757-236 N757SS arrived from Dallas Love Field (KDAL) at 5:10pm and parked at Signature. The plane brought in the Dallas Stars hockey team.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thursday 12-3-09

NetJets Gulfstream G-IV(SP) N408QS (c/n 1308) arrived at 4:51pm from Mc Clellan Airfield (KMCC) and parked at Gulfstream.