Airport - City of Santa Monica

What Programs have been Implemented to Help?

Because of our Airport Neighbor's Input, our Airport Working Group, the 1984 Airport Agreement and a proactive Noise Management Staff; Santa Monica Airport has been able to implement programs and restrictions which promote "Flying Neighborly" whenever possible. Listed below are some of the requests/procedures Santa Monica Airport has in place compared to other General Aviation Airports around the country.

Santa Monica Airport	Other General Aviation Airports
Traffic Pattern Altitude is 1,400 MSL feet for Single Engine Aircraft and 1,900 for Multi Engine Aircraft. This higher pattern altitude keeps aircraft higher above our residents homes and helps to keep aircraft in the traffic pattern quieter.	Most General Aviation Airports have a Traffic Pattern Altitude of less than 1,000 feet AGL. Santa Monica's is 200-700 feet higher.
A 4 degree PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) This helps to keep aircraft on approach to Runway 21 higher above homes and helps to keep aircraft engines at quieter power settings.	Most General Aviation Airports have less than 3 degree PAPI's. Aircraft on a 3 degree PAPI approach at lower altitudes than they do at Santa Monica.
Departure Curfew. There are NO Aircraft Departures or Engine Starts between 11PM and 7AM on the Weekdays & between 11PM and 8AM on Weekends and Holidays except for bonifide medical emergencies, military & police flights.	Only a handful of airports out of the thousands of airports in the country have a nighttime departure curfew.
Listed Banned Aircraft. Stage II & Pure Jet Aircraft are listed banned aircraft. If you live near the airport; you know when a Stage II jet arrives/departs. These aircraft will generally use the airport only for Lifeguard Flights.	There is no airport in the country besides Santa Monica Airport which has been able to put together a listed banned aircraft list to prevent older/noisier Stage II aircraft from using their airport.
NO Helicopter Training Activities. SMO does not allow Helicopter Training at Any Time.	There are few, if any airports that have this rule.
NO Touch and Go Traffic on Weekends, Holiday or Evenings. Because aircraft flying/training in the traffic pattern can sometimes be noisy; the 1984 Agreement sided there should be none of this type of activity on the Weekends, Holidays & Evenings.	There are few, if any airports that have this rule.
VFR "Golf Course" Turn after departure. This 10 degree jog to the south after departure keeps aircraft flying under Visual Flight Rules from flying over homes immediately after departure.	There are a few airports in the country which have a similar type of turn.
95 dB Max Allowed SENEL. The Airport has two permanent noise monitors which measure the arrival and departure noise of all aircraft 1,500 feet off the ends of the runway. SMO's Noise 95 dB Noise Ordinance is the only one like it in the country; where an aircraft is warned; then fined $2,000, $5,000 & $10,000 for subsequent violations of the ordinance.	Though some airports have similar programs; few, if any, airports in the country enforce a Maximum Allowable Noise Limit as close to the runway & as strict as the Santa Monica Airport.

And, these are just a few of the programs currently in place to help best manage aircraft operations to have as little impact on our communities as possible.