The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Committee condones air cargo at Moffett

But nonbinding panel puts conditions on use

By Natasha Collins

Air cargo may be a viable use of Moffett Federal Airfield, according to a report prepared by the Community Advisory Committee on Moffett Airfield.

After nearly a year of meetings, discussions and fact-finding, a majority of the 19-member panel voted in favor of allowing the airfield to be used for the transportation of NASA commercial space products and air cargo by carriers such as UPS and FedEx. Eleven members found the proposal "conditionally" acceptable, or allowable with major qualifications, limitations, conditions or mitigating factors.

The committee said that it would be acceptable to have air cargo at the airfield if NASA:

* controlled the noise levels, especially at night;

* controlled the hours of operation so there are no night flights;

* make it mandatory that all approaches and take-offs are made over the bay;

* controlled the frequency and number of flights;

* made sure that Federal Aviation guidelines are followed; and

* continued to seek community input on the operation.

The committee was founded in 1996 after NASA indicated that it was running the airfield at a shortfall of more than $3.5 million a year. The purpose of the committee, made up of Sunnyvale and Mountain View citizens and council members, was to recommend ways NASA could use the airfield to help cover their costs.

The use of the airfield for air cargo would limit the impact on existing industries while raising $1.2 million a year in revenues for NASA, according to the CAC's report. It would also be compatible with existing facilities at Moffett Field.

"We recognized that if we wanted to maintain NASA, we needed to find a way for them to meet their needs," said Sunnyvale Councilman Jack Walker, who sat on the committee. "We had to figure out what it would take to make the proposal acceptable."

If the problems with noise and the frequency of the flights could be mitigated, Walker said he thought air cargo could be a way of solving NASA's finacial problems.

"You have to pick the demons you like best," he said. "NASA being there is going to be the lesser of the evils. Plus, it will be an economic seed for the community."

There are those, however, that feel air cargo with or without the limitations is unacceptable.

"The conditions are a joke and cannot be met without a plane crashing," said Myra Ota, who lives under Moffett's flight path. "Everyone knows they will not be able to always use the Bay approach, and curfews will be broken. The airlines will break the rules and simply pay the fines and continue on."

Many other residents and participants in the CAC discussions believe the area would be better utilized as a space museum, a convention center or a location for additional housing.

"It would be wonderful to have an aerospace museum there," said Cupertino Councilman Wally Dean, who has been involved in discussions with NASA and was an alternate member of the CAC. "The aerospace industry started in California, and it would be an asset to all the surrounding communities."

Building museums or housing at Moffett concerned Walker because he fears those type of developments will increase traffic on Sunnyvale streets.

"I would like the area to be left as open space because no matter what they build, it will have major traffic impacts," Walker said. "It sounds like a good idea now to build something out there, but people will be complaining that there is traffic running through their neighborhoods."

NASA has not reached a final decision as to what to do at Moffett.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 16, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.