On Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 9:00 a.m., the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is looking at an ordinance that will vet foreign flight students training at flight schools operating out of Gillespie Field. According to Advocates for Safe Airport Policies (ASAP), headed by Betty Chafetz and Sue Strom, of the ASAP Steering Committee, this ordinance was proposed by Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 9:00 a.m., the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is looking at an ordinance that will vet foreign flight students training at flight schools operating out of Gillespie Field. According to Advocates for Safe Airport Policies (ASAP), headed by Betty Chafetz and Sue Strom, of the ASAP Steering Committee, this ordinance was proposed by Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
ASAP is sending mass e-mails to its extended e-mail listing, to those concerned with the actions of these flight schools, and feel that there is a danger in allowing these schools keep operating without vetting foreign students. They are encouraging citizens to write, e-mail or call all the supervisors and go to the meeting.
In going through hours of interview tapes and a mountain of paperwork from locals on each sides of this issue, I have yet to make a determination on whether or not many of the allegations made towards the training programs at Gillespie Field are completely accurate, but there is one thing that concerns me.
A majority of the pilots in training are foreign, and a majority of these students come from non-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) countries. East County residents are complaining about low flying aircraft, noise and the lack of flying experience as these students fly over their homes. Though this is expected when you live near any air facility, the fact that the majority of these students are from China and other non-NATO countries without vetting is disturbing. And China is in a massive naval buildup and globally wanting a vast control over the globe’s commercial airways. It is training pilots here, and hiring American pilots to work in China.
Under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are many that feel that the feds are not doing its job. We need to remember that two pilots in the 9/11 attacks were trained in American flight training schools. Though this is no reason to stop foreign relationships, it is a reason to vet non-NATO student flight training. Many believe the federal government is lacking in protecting its citizens by not vetting. I do not think it is too much to ask local government to step in where the feds will not.
I have no qualms with the future plans of Gillespie Field. If what I hear and read is true, it can be a magnet for airport and aircraft manufacturing and supportive businesses that will help East County thrive and provide jobs desperately needed. Many believe that the future aerotropolis is merely a smokescreen to increase the ability of flight schools to expand, but I do not think that is the case in this matter. Though no definitive decisions have been made, there great ideas circulating within the planning this that will help East County, not destroy it.
I am curious to see what, if anything the Board of Supervisors can do to make this vetting process happen. The feds hold the trump in this situation, and Gillespie Field is just one of many cards at play in this game. It will take all community leaders from our cities to the White House to make policies that vet these students and it needs to be done. I already cringe every time I see a virtual map of air traffic and they do not show the traffic coming from training schools because they are not picked up on radar maps.
There are 11 flight training schools in San Diego County and in a quick search on the FAA site, more than 1,400 pilot schools come up in a search for certified pilot schools in the country.
This is not just a Gillespie Field problem. You can search and find many stories across the nation about training pilots from foreign countries and the citizens that are concerned. Do we have any idea how many non-allied student pilots are training in our airways? It is food for thought, and this meeting is one to watch.
