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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

New Leadership in Tower at Van Nuys Airport

Management change has arrived at Van Nuys Airport. Jess Romo left as airport general manager in July and Flora Margheritis, the assistant airport director, was named interim replacement for Romo until a permanent successor is appointed. Romo will take over as director of Long Beach Airport effective Sept. 6. He became Van Nuys airport manager in 2010 and split his time between the Valley airfield and Ontario International Airport. “I wanted to be the best airport manager that I could be, responsive to the needs of the community, responsive to the needs of the users and to get Van Nuys on a good, solid operational and financial footing,” Romo said. Curt Castagna, president of the Van Nuys Airport Association, said that the organization worked with Romo on such as issues as the new customs facility, runway repairs, tenant rents and security “Establishing a collaborative relationship is a great credit to both Jess and Flora,” Castagna said. “We would not have been able to evolve the association without his work.” The two projects that stand out to Romo during his six years at Van Nuys were the repairs to the main 16R runway in 2013 and bringing back customs service to clear international passengers. The runway repair project required that Romo negotiate with the airfield’s main tenants to minimize the time the runway would be closed. The airport originally was looking at closing for two to four weeks but an alternative was suggested by the tenants to do an asphalt overlay instead of tearing up the airfield that would require a closure of 10 days. “I was glad I was able to work with our internal stakeholders, our engineers and planners, and work with the tenants group and users that allowed us to come to a positive compromise,” Romo said. “Everybody was challenged, everybody had to give a little bit and I was honored to be part of that team that brokered the agreement.” The customs facility opened last year in a space made available by Signature Flight Support after a nine-year absence at the airport. The challenge involved strict requirements by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on its specifications for a customs facility, Romo said. “We were patient, we were persistent and we, collectively, were able to put before CBP what they wanted,” he added. Margheritis has been assistant airport manager since 2012 and also served as chief of operations. She has thus far done a great job, Romo said. She said she was absolutely interested in becoming the permanent airport manager. “Who wouldn’t want to manage one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world?” Margheritis said in an email to the Business Journal. “In the end, Los Angeles World Airports will ensure the selection of the most qualified and rounded candidate.” Drones & Choppers The Valley Industry & Commerce Association Aviation Committee received an update on drone and helicopter noise policies from the Federal Aviation Administration at its Aug. 10 meeting. Steve May, a special advisor in the FAA’s Wester-Pacific Regional Administrator’s office, provided the overview on the two topics. Later this month, new rules will go into effect for non-hobbyist commercial operation of drones. The rules will determine the size of the aircraft, their maximum altitude and speed, hours of operation and the transporting of payloads. Prior to the issuance of Rule 107, drone operators had to get an exemption to operate from the FAA. That will no longer be required and the petitions for an exemption already in the pipeline are no longer being processed, May reported. “That is a huge benefit to the UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) industry to fly under this rule,” he said. The issue of helicopter noise has been one that the FAA has tried to tackle for nearly four years as complaints by residents have stacked up from the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood Hills, and from audience members at the Hollywood Bowl. But the new rules will affect residents outside the Valley. A recent update to the Los Angeles helicopter route chart has added two routes for operators to fly 750 feet from the coast line. May said. The Palisades route goes from the Point Dume area of Malibu to Santa Monica, and the South Bay route goes from Santa Monica south to San Pedro and the harbor area. Following the routes are completely voluntary for helicopter operators and there are no violations if they do not follow them, May said. The FAA is also looking to extend for another year a contract for operation of the Automated Noise Complaint System that includes a website and 1-800 number for logging complaints about helicopter noise in Los Angeles County. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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