> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Pilot program at airport takes planes on new path - URL: https://www.smdp.com/pilot-program-at-airport-takes-planes-on-new-path/ - Published: 2006-04-21T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T17:38:34.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Events, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import *Pilot program at airport takes planes on new path* WEST LA — When Leane Vandeman and her husband moved into their home just east of the Santa Monica Airport, they knew they were going to have to deal with the occasional jet roaring overhead as it made its way to the runway about 1,200 feet away from their front door. It was an annoyance they could live with, they thought — a trade-off for living in a nice neighborhood on the Westside. That was six years ago. Today, Vandeman and her neighbors say they are fed up with increased operations at the airport and what they feel is a lack of concern about health impacts on behalf of Santa Monica officials and those with the Federal Aviation Administration. “We’re just looking for some relief,” Vandeman said from her front lawn Thursday, holding her 21-month-old daughter Phoebe. “It’s scary thinking about the potential health effects of living so close to the airport. Of course, when we purchased our home we knew the airport was there, but in the last six years flights in and out of there have increased tremendously, so much so that in the summer, the fumes are unbearable. Relief may be on its way. On Thursday afternoon, U.S. Representative Jane Harman announced a trial program already underway at Santa Monica Airport that, if successful, could cut down on the time planes spend idling on the runway. The trial program involves a private jet company, NetJets, which is using a new flight path that does not conflict with flight paths at the Los Angeles International Airport, Harman said. By doing so, NetJets are able to take off without having to wait for clearance from LAX, which should cut down on time spent idling on the runway, and therefore, reduce air pollution. > “You’re always wondering if you should run back in the house, shut the doors and never go outside.” If the program is successful, the congresswoman said she will lobby the FAA to let others participate. It’s not a solution to all of the noise and air pollution residents have complained about, but it’s a start, Harman said. “My bottom line is, this airport has to be a good neighbor, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens,” said Harman, who accompanied Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl and Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution, or CRAAP, on a tour of Vandeman’s neighborhood. Airport manager Bob Trimborn said City Hall has been responsive to residents’ concerns and has been “proactive” by calling on the South Coast Air Quality Management District to conduct the first in-depth study on air quality at and around the airport. The study is currently underway, Trimborn said. “This study is the first of its kind, so clearly, the City of Santa Monica is concerned,” Trimborn said. “We’ve been very proactive. Some feel we aren’t doing enough, fast enough, but this work you don’t do fast. It takes a while to accumulate data and analyze it.” Trimborn said the relationship between the airport and residents is unique because housing was allowed to be built up to the perimeter of the airport and adjoining runways, with no natural buffers. This occurred during the peak years of Douglas Aircraft, which employed as many as 44,000 employees, many of which wanted to live close to work. There has been a delicate balance ever since, Trimborn said, with City Hall enacting the strictest noise reduction program in the nation. As far as airplane engine emissions go, Trimborn said the International Civil Aviation Association and the FAA are responsible for setting the standards. Long-time resident Virginia Ernst doesn’t care who’s responsible. She just wants to be able to eat lemons from her lemon tree without having to clean off the black soot that collects on her fruit from planes passing overhead. “It’s not just the noise, it’s the toxic fumes, the soot,” she said. “It covers everything. I have to have my house pressure-washed almost every year. We’ve complained since 1992 and nothing’s been done. We just want someone to do something.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/042106-02_01.jpg) (Photo: Kevin Herrera/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 21, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042106.pdf?ref=smdp.com)