New airport for San Diego: on a floating city?

[Foxtrot]

I knew eventually the off-shore plan would come into consideration, after the 90-mile away desert site, the Marine Base and the Tijuana cross-border proposals were considered. But this is really interesting, the question of course always is, will it work. But they need a new airport badly down there, that's for sure.

Source: http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009...ifornia-coast/

[ced ampo]

Well, Kansai international airport has done it already...

[Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by ced ampo

Well, Kansai international airport has done it already...

Right, but that island isn't four stories high and isn't based on oil-rig platforms.

[Cam]

From the story:
In the midst of this pickle, along comes a fellow named Adam Englund. He’s a local lawyer who studied international law at Cambridge and has long nurtured a fascination with the idea of floating cities. He’s got an idea–a $20 billion business plan, even.

I hope he had some outside help with all the "nitty-gritty" stuff...like engineering and the like...

[AA 1818]

Truly Ingenious idea and concept, but I have to ask - would environmentalists be as apt to such an idea? I am sure protests are to ensue. Anyway, I hope to see this project mature and go forward to be completed. Sadly, the Marine base would has been the forerunner (logistically) for the time being, but with recent backlash against the idea (which has been spoken about numerous times) the idea is dead.

[Big777jet]

What happen if bad weather big wave ocean and boat or ferry would have cancel to the airport. How could airline make money if no passengers arrive airport? It won't make it that way. I doubt it. It will not happen float airport in San Diego. I heard San Diego want to built same airport and change new runway and new terminal north of runway. That's all about it.


Stuart

[Eric Diffoot]

I heard the same thing that they were thinking of building the terminal on the other side of the airport but even if that, they're confined to that little space with no room to expand, just like KLAX, with residential housing and Interstate 5 surronding it. With only one runway and strict quite hours, San Diego really needs it, and I'm all for the idea!

The floating airport would certainly allow more international travel in and out of San Diego, which would benefit the city a lot, and people wouldn't have to drive or fly to Los Angeles and catch a train or drive back down to San Diego.

The major issue has to be how passengers get from the mainland to the airport. Although VHHH is away from Hong Kong, it's at least near land and easy for passengers to get there. I would think they may have to move it closer or just copy what Qatar and Bahrain and make a long bridge connecting the airport to the mainland, make it perhapse a high speed rail transit.

They'll probally come up with something to deal with the waves, waves aren't as bad in socal, and it's only when el nino comes around when storms and waves are really bad, and that happens every couple of years. Hurricans down south near baja california die before reaching san diego anyway.

I hope this idea does become a reality.

[SAMRPICS]

Interesting idea but will have to see what happens. I think 13 miles off the coast is rather too far.

[Deadstick]

Having lived in San Diego for 30 years and flown from Lindberg many times, I can tell you what a lovely setting it is and how perfectly idiotic it is for a major airport location. Airline pilots have to have an endorsement to land there because of the steepness of the approach through downtown and over Balboa park. There's also a parking garage literally in the final approach path that you can stand on the roof level and hit an approaching aircraft with a thrown rock. The FAA calls it an obstruction.

Miramar has been the only logical alternative but the rich La Jollans don't want those big bad airplanes flying over their McMansions making all that nasty noise. The terrain of the surrounding area is such that there simply is nowhere else you can put an airport. High speed rail to LAX is not a feasible alternative as was mentioned earlier, LAX is already at capacity and a pain to get through.

The military doesn't need Miramar and it's really underutilized as it is. There is already good freeway access and plenty of land for a large scale commercial airport. It has two runways of 8k and 12k feet and lengthening them to the west would be no problem. Lindberg has one usable runway of 9400 feet, and it's particularly thrilling riding a heavy out when departing toward the east. This runway can't be lengthened.

In my time there I spent many hours on the ocean sailing sloops. I have been in swells of 14 feet within three miles of the coast. I can just see granny riding through these to get to her flight eight miles off shore. Hell I'd be throwing up my toenails as I often did in rough seas. I also don't see how the transport of fuels, waste and other items needed daily at an airport operation is going to work. Instead of this, why not just flatten San Clemente island and ferry people over there? Yeah right.

Miramar is the only answer to this problem and the La Jollans are just going to have to live with it. A slight turn to the north after departure takes most of the noise over the less populated Torrey Pines area and eases the problem.

[Vnav]

Originally Posted by Deadstick

. Airline pilots have to have an endorsement to land there

Would you care to elaborate on this?

[3WE]

Originally Posted by Dipstick

Airline plots have to have an endorsement to land there.

Originally Posted by Vnav

Would you care to elaborate on this?

I'm sure they do.

[Eric Diffoot]

You're right Deadstick that other than Miramar, there's no real place to build a whole new airport, and there's plenty of land around Miramar to be expanded if it was to be converted. The people of La Jolla, those opposed to making a large airport at Miramar, remind me of the city of Santa Monica that hates large private jets landing and Santa Monica Municipal and prevented it until the FAA ruled that they couldn't. I agree that people in La Jolla just have to shut up and just deal with it, just ask people living next to KLAX.

[Big777jet]

Originally Posted by Eric Diffoot

You're right Deadstick that other than Miramar, there's no real place to build a whole new airport, and there's plenty of land around Miramar to be expanded if it was to be converted. The people of La Jolla, those opposed to making a large airport at Miramar, remind me of the city of Santa Monica that hates large private jets landing and Santa Monica Municipal and prevented it until the FAA ruled that they couldn't. I agree that people in La Jolla just have to shut up and just deal with it, just ask people living next to KLAX.

I just looking at Google Earth other days ago. I saw Miramar airport. There is a lot of empty south of runway. Why don't just built new terminal area? Also, they can extened new 2 runways. That's very simple to built there. WTH? Why should we need this dumb float the airport cost more $billion$ Crazy, isn't?

Stuart

[Eric Diffoot]

Exactly, there's plenty of space south of the southern most runway, the only hurdles are the navy and local govt. They could easily build at least two large runways, a terminal or two, and possibly cargo facilities. Then, to limit noise a bit, just make departures and approaches similar to KSNA. The people around there have to ask themselves what do they want, peace and quite and long trips to los angeles, or great potential of income from tourists and shot trips to the airport.

[SAMRPICS]

Having lived near a major airport for many years. I hardly even notice jet noise anymore except for when i am actually watching jets land. Now i think a lot of this is a case of the nimby's again.

[Opsguy]

I lived in San Diego back in the 80's and flew in and out almost weekly. The approach is definitely one of the most unique I have experienced in my many years of flying. Being able to look into the rooftop restaurants at the various hotels and be able to see faces from your aircraft is an experience you don't forget. The discussion of moving SAN to Miramar was going on then as well. With the growth of the area in the past couple of decades, there are not a lot of options. While the option of another floating airport is intriguing, it isn't going to happen for numerous reasons, mainly cost. The cost of building such an airport would be staggering and then you have to look at building the infrastructure to get there....another enormously expensive proposition. Miramar seems to be the only logical choice. Whether the residents living under the flight path have enough continued clout to stop it is yet to be seen.

Opposition to aircraft noise is universal. I work for a Midwestern airport and any expansion or changes in flight patterns always bring out the CAVERS (Citizens Against Virtually Everything). A good example is the new 6th runway that has just opened at ORD as part of the long discussed modernization plan. Residents are complaining because the original agreement was that the runway would primarily be used by regional aircraft and the heavier jets would be kept off it. But like any airport, particularly one in the north that has to deal with winter ops, weather and wind conditions have forced ORD to use the runway for all size aircraft during the heavier bank of arrivals.

The general good of the public and the safety of aircraft and their passengers have to be the overriding concern. There are far too many airports in the US like SAN that have outgrown their footprint. Most were built decades ago and are now landlocked. The US will have to make some tough choices over the next 10 to 20 years as it's airports continue to age and a decision on SAN is long overdue.

[Leftseat86]

What about expanding North Island and building there? Is that getting much use right now?

Miramar would really be the best idea, unfortunately we allowed people to vote on it.