I'm a long time tenant and aircraft owner based at RHV. The County of Santa Clara is managing the airport in a highly irresponsible manner. I use my aircraft for business travel and visit smaller airports all over the western US. Most airports of this size and proximity to population centers are absolutely thriving and a huge asset to their community. The San Jose Airport (SJC) is the most practical option, but it is saturated with airline and larger business jets, which RHV relieves.
RHV provides critical capacity for emergency services and disaster recovery operations. RHV provides critical transportation services in central Santa Clara County. Numerous Civic and Youth groups are supported and based at RHV including San Jose State University Bachelor of Science Aviation Program. You can’t and won’t be able to replace the resources, opportunities, and benefits that RHV brings to San Jose and the Silicon Valley. Closing Reid-Hillview Airport is an irreversible mistake.
SJSU's Aviation program is also operated out of RHV and prepares students for careers in aviation and related operations. If the RHV airport disappeared there would no venue for these wonderful programs. Closing RHV would hurt our community for all of the reasons mentioned in the other opposition comments and also hurt our children and young adults who want to learn more about aviation and related STEM careers.
San Jose has prided itself on being the capital of the silicon valley and a hub for science and technology. Aviation is often one of the first stem subjects to appeal to children and motivate them to excel in STEM subjects. The Young Eagles program provides free flights to children and is operated out of RHV Airport. This program would not be available to help children get hands on experience with STEM and aviation if RHV closes.
KRHV is not only a historical site in San Jose it is a valuable asset to the city and the county. Closing the airport and developing the area into housing will create additional traffic congestion problems throughout the area. The traffic will generate far more pollution than the use as an airfield. Lead free aviation fuel is in development and will be available. In addition RHV serves as an important reliever airport in critical times.
Supervisor Cortese cites the value of the property RHV sits on as a reason to close the airport and re-develop it, estimating the property value as close to 1 billion dollars. The supervisors ignore the fact that the airport was expanded with FAA funds. As a result, *IF* the FAA approves shutting down RHV, the county will have to pay the FAA for the current fair market value of that property. This money should be spent on the real issues in this city/county. Stop wasting taxpayer money!
I co-own an aircraft at Reid-Hillview with 4 people. It is very quiet -- you can hardly hear it as it passes overhead -- and does NOT burn leaded gas. I use it to work on my Open Source aviation innovation project, "Airball", and to introduce young people to science and technology. I am disappointed that the County does not consider modern, clean aircraft like mine in making their choices, and is destroying a unique treasure.
After years of being excluded from the silicon valley community, San Jose is finally becoming a player with the arrival of Google and expansion of Adobe. It would appear that the role of Reid-Hillview as a reliever airport to SJC for business travel will increase exponentially in the coming years. To close such a valuable resource just when the city is finally taking it's rightful place as the hub of silicon valley seems very short sighted.
From SJC’s perspective:
*SJC would see more mixed-speed traffic, which would significantly decrease safety over the city.
*One of the first skills pilots learn is to make a deciison about “Go/No Go”, which is based on weather, equipment condition, physical condition, and other factors. SJSU students, if forced to drive an hour or more to train, would be in the terrible position of feeling that they would “have to” take a flight - disasterous for safety and counter to best practices.
Reid Hillview Airport is a valuable asset in times of emergency. With constant threat for a bad fire season, fire fighting aircraft and equipment can be staged and fueled at RHV to help fight fires. Also, scientists have warned that the Bay Area is long over due for a large earthquake soon. If a large earthquake does hit, many of the roads may be impassable. RHV would serve as one of a few places critical supplies could reach those in need and a place to air lift the injured out.
The closure of the Reid Hillview (RHV) Airport would be a big mistake. The RHV airport is a reliever airport to the San Jose International (SJC) Airport. If RHV were closed much of the traffic coming to RHV now would need to use SJC instead. This would cause delays to commercial jet traffic (South West, Alaska, Delta, American,etc ) traveling to SJC. This would mean large noisy jets flying around SJC airspace for longer periods of time burning more fuel (bad for the environment).
RHV airport is an asset to the Santa Clara County and the entire Bay Area.
Besides being a reilver Airport for SJC, it serves as launch platform for disaster relief as it did during Earthquake by providing very needed food, water and shelter for the Watsonville community.
RHV provides employment for many people, and together with the Business
At the airport plus the tenants, provide revenue for Santa Clara county.
Those who believe closing RHV will bring low income housing are mistaken.
I urge the City Council not accept proposals to close Reid Hill view airport.
Reid Hillview Airport is a very important public resource.
We need airports, as much as we need housing, shopping malls, and freeways.
The airport should be included as a key element in plans for Housing, Economic Development, Public Safety and Transportation infrastructure.
Eighty years ago our leaders had the foresight to create and preserve Reid Hillview for our future. We must do the same.
RHV is a resource that once lost, will never be regained. We all have a normalcy bias that makes us think that everything will always be as it has been. But the world doesn't work that way. When there is an emergency that requires the airport, there will be no going back. That is beyond all of the essential training and charitable activity like Angel Flights that goes on there. San Martin is not a substitute. Please don't close RHV.
Once an airport is closed, it will never be re-opened. Just having the space that RHV occupies is worth something. There have been at least 4 studies on the closure of RHV, each one has concluded that an airport is the best use of the space. Any other use of the property will increase crime, accidents, traffic, congestion, etc. If the county goes through with the closure, the City will be left holding the bag for all the additional problems around the property, not the county.
The closure of the Reid-Hillview Airport is an irreversible mistake. RHV is an undervalued resource that requires investment rather than closure. RHV allows charitable organizations like Angel Flight to provide free transport for patients who cannot afford commercial flights to or from medical treatment; RHV hosted 29% of NorCal flights in 2017, 26% of those flew local residents. Additionally, the loss of local and accessible aviation career training is a detriment to our county's residents.
As a downtown CEO and business user of Reid Hillview airport, I believe closure of KRHV is a very poor decision for the city. San Martin airport is not a viable reliever for SJC due to its remote location and severe traffic congestion. A closure of RHV would cause us and many others to locate our aircraft at SJC, increasing congestion, delays and safety concerns. The city should take advantage of its ideal location for business aviation and disaster relief as a major asset for downtown San Jose.
It is vital to keep KRHV open as a general aviation airfield for emergency and disaster relief operations and to lengthen the runways and the airfield property to create a safety buffer for the neighborhood. City and County emergency services also needed the facility to conduct training for the natural disasters mutual aids drills at the capacity of a metro disaster capabilities.
I'm a long time tenant and aircraft owner based at RHV. The County of Santa Clara is managing the airport in a highly irresponsible manner. I use my aircraft for business travel and visit smaller airports all over the western US. Most airports of this size and proximity to population centers are absolutely thriving and a huge asset to their community. The San Jose Airport (SJC) is the most practical option, but it is saturated with airline and larger business jets, which RHV relieves.
RHV provides critical capacity for emergency services and disaster recovery operations. RHV provides critical transportation services in central Santa Clara County. Numerous Civic and Youth groups are supported and based at RHV including San Jose State University Bachelor of Science Aviation Program. You can’t and won’t be able to replace the resources, opportunities, and benefits that RHV brings to San Jose and the Silicon Valley. Closing Reid-Hillview Airport is an irreversible mistake.
SJSU's Aviation program is also operated out of RHV and prepares students for careers in aviation and related operations. If the RHV airport disappeared there would no venue for these wonderful programs. Closing RHV would hurt our community for all of the reasons mentioned in the other opposition comments and also hurt our children and young adults who want to learn more about aviation and related STEM careers.
San Jose has prided itself on being the capital of the silicon valley and a hub for science and technology. Aviation is often one of the first stem subjects to appeal to children and motivate them to excel in STEM subjects. The Young Eagles program provides free flights to children and is operated out of RHV Airport. This program would not be available to help children get hands on experience with STEM and aviation if RHV closes.
KRHV is not only a historical site in San Jose it is a valuable asset to the city and the county. Closing the airport and developing the area into housing will create additional traffic congestion problems throughout the area. The traffic will generate far more pollution than the use as an airfield. Lead free aviation fuel is in development and will be available. In addition RHV serves as an important reliever airport in critical times.
Supervisor Cortese cites the value of the property RHV sits on as a reason to close the airport and re-develop it, estimating the property value as close to 1 billion dollars. The supervisors ignore the fact that the airport was expanded with FAA funds. As a result, *IF* the FAA approves shutting down RHV, the county will have to pay the FAA for the current fair market value of that property. This money should be spent on the real issues in this city/county. Stop wasting taxpayer money!
I co-own an aircraft at Reid-Hillview with 4 people. It is very quiet -- you can hardly hear it as it passes overhead -- and does NOT burn leaded gas. I use it to work on my Open Source aviation innovation project, "Airball", and to introduce young people to science and technology. I am disappointed that the County does not consider modern, clean aircraft like mine in making their choices, and is destroying a unique treasure.
After years of being excluded from the silicon valley community, San Jose is finally becoming a player with the arrival of Google and expansion of Adobe. It would appear that the role of Reid-Hillview as a reliever airport to SJC for business travel will increase exponentially in the coming years. To close such a valuable resource just when the city is finally taking it's rightful place as the hub of silicon valley seems very short sighted.
From SJC’s perspective:
*SJC would see more mixed-speed traffic, which would significantly decrease safety over the city.
*One of the first skills pilots learn is to make a deciison about “Go/No Go”, which is based on weather, equipment condition, physical condition, and other factors. SJSU students, if forced to drive an hour or more to train, would be in the terrible position of feeling that they would “have to” take a flight - disasterous for safety and counter to best practices.
Reid Hillview Airport is a valuable asset in times of emergency. With constant threat for a bad fire season, fire fighting aircraft and equipment can be staged and fueled at RHV to help fight fires. Also, scientists have warned that the Bay Area is long over due for a large earthquake soon. If a large earthquake does hit, many of the roads may be impassable. RHV would serve as one of a few places critical supplies could reach those in need and a place to air lift the injured out.
The closure of the Reid Hillview (RHV) Airport would be a big mistake. The RHV airport is a reliever airport to the San Jose International (SJC) Airport. If RHV were closed much of the traffic coming to RHV now would need to use SJC instead. This would cause delays to commercial jet traffic (South West, Alaska, Delta, American,etc ) traveling to SJC. This would mean large noisy jets flying around SJC airspace for longer periods of time burning more fuel (bad for the environment).
RHV airport is an asset to the Santa Clara County and the entire Bay Area.
Besides being a reilver Airport for SJC, it serves as launch platform for disaster relief as it did during Earthquake by providing very needed food, water and shelter for the Watsonville community.
RHV provides employment for many people, and together with the Business
At the airport plus the tenants, provide revenue for Santa Clara county.
Those who believe closing RHV will bring low income housing are mistaken.
I urge the City Council not accept proposals to close Reid Hill view airport.
Reid Hillview Airport is a very important public resource.
We need airports, as much as we need housing, shopping malls, and freeways.
The airport should be included as a key element in plans for Housing, Economic Development, Public Safety and Transportation infrastructure.
Eighty years ago our leaders had the foresight to create and preserve Reid Hillview for our future. We must do the same.
RHV is a resource that once lost, will never be regained. We all have a normalcy bias that makes us think that everything will always be as it has been. But the world doesn't work that way. When there is an emergency that requires the airport, there will be no going back. That is beyond all of the essential training and charitable activity like Angel Flights that goes on there. San Martin is not a substitute. Please don't close RHV.
Once an airport is closed, it will never be re-opened. Just having the space that RHV occupies is worth something. There have been at least 4 studies on the closure of RHV, each one has concluded that an airport is the best use of the space. Any other use of the property will increase crime, accidents, traffic, congestion, etc. If the county goes through with the closure, the City will be left holding the bag for all the additional problems around the property, not the county.
The closure of the Reid-Hillview Airport is an irreversible mistake. RHV is an undervalued resource that requires investment rather than closure. RHV allows charitable organizations like Angel Flight to provide free transport for patients who cannot afford commercial flights to or from medical treatment; RHV hosted 29% of NorCal flights in 2017, 26% of those flew local residents. Additionally, the loss of local and accessible aviation career training is a detriment to our county's residents.
As a downtown CEO and business user of Reid Hillview airport, I believe closure of KRHV is a very poor decision for the city. San Martin airport is not a viable reliever for SJC due to its remote location and severe traffic congestion. A closure of RHV would cause us and many others to locate our aircraft at SJC, increasing congestion, delays and safety concerns. The city should take advantage of its ideal location for business aviation and disaster relief as a major asset for downtown San Jose.
It is vital to keep KRHV open as a general aviation airfield for emergency and disaster relief operations and to lengthen the runways and the airfield property to create a safety buffer for the neighborhood. City and County emergency services also needed the facility to conduct training for the natural disasters mutual aids drills at the capacity of a metro disaster capabilities.