In 2004, the airport staff performed an informal survey of corporate pilots and taxi/limousine operators to get a perspective on which city their passengers visit in the Tri-Valley. The table below is a summary of that survey with the associated businesses and average aircraft operations per year as they relate to the individual cities. This list represents a roll call of valley businesses and enterprises.

These businesses employ thousands of valley residents and contribute
millions of dollars of corporate and sales taxes to the local communities.

Total Estimated Annual Corporate Aircraft Operations (all 4 Cities) : 1,582

(Source : Corporate Aircraft Usage Survey, 5-October-2004, City of Livermore)

While it is theoretically possible for the Livermore airport to have a local effect on property values, there is no actual data that supports this claim. While opponents have been asserting property value impacts for years, home prices in the neighborhoods closest to the airport have continued to rise at rates consistent with the overall market.

Critics of the airport have often cited a study that was presented to the Orange County Board of Supervisors by an opponent of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Base. Unfortunately, the premise for the study was the conversion of the air base to a major international airport. Furthermore, the research control was an office market study of rental property near the LAX airport.

Comparing the impact of a major international airport such as LAX with that of a small, general aviation airport such as Livermore is a completely false comparison.

Instead of playing theoretical games, let's take a look at some actual data!

One of the most strident critics of the Livermore airport lives in Glenn Commons. Glenn Commons is a townhouse complex approximately two miles from the Livermore airport. The chart shown above is a plot of the sale prices of comparable units in the five year period from 2000-2005. You can clearly see a substantial escalation in price. In fact, during the five year period shown, prices of the Glenn Common units have almost doubled.

If the airport had such a profound impact on property values,
why isn't that impact reflected in actual sales?

A number of ridiculous and unsubstantiated accusations have been thrown out by critics of the airport. None of which are true.

In 2002, CALTRANS traffic meters logged 184,000 vehicles traveling between Airway Boulevard and El Charro Road on Interstate 580 (source : AADT Report). 120,000 vehicles travel through Pleasanton on Interstate-680. (source : AADT Report). Another 20,000 vehicles use Highway 84 daily.

With over 300,000 vehicles traveling through the valley each day, why are critics concerned about less than 1,000 daily aircraft operations at the Livermore airport?

According to the Livermore Airport Master Plan documents, the City sells approximately 2,200 gallons of aviation fuel daily (850,000 gallons per year). Just across the interstate, Costco sells approximately 35,000 gallons per day (that's roughly 12 Million gallons per year!). Costco is only one of several high volume sellers in the valley. There are another 30 mid-volume retail fuel sellers. Concerns over pollution from aviation are simply unfounded.

Note the photo shown above of the traffic on I-580 west of Airway Boulevard exit. There are over 100 vehicles present on the stretch of road between Airway Boulevard and El Charro Road. In the time it took to walk to the center of the overpass and capture this photograph, only two aircraft landed at the Livermore airport.

Shown below are two photos. On the left are the queues for the fuel sales at Costco, Livemore. On the right is the self-serve fuel island at Livermore airport. Both photos were captured on Saturday, May 14 (approximately 12 minutes apart). While it is true that the city also dispenses fuel from full-service trucks, the total volume of fuel consumed at the airport simply does not compare with other fuel uses in the valley. Aircraft operating out of Livermore make a barely measureable contribution to SMOG in the valley.

What do you think is the greater pollution concern?
Costco Fuel Sales, Livermore 3:31 PM, Saturday, May 14 (35,000 gallons/day)	Livermore Airport Self Service Fuel Island 3:43 PM, Saturday, May 14 (2,200 gallons/day)

Pilot's fly at night for mostly the same reasons that people drive cars at night. They are flying to, or returning from somewhere.

Flying at night presents additional challenges to pilots. As a result, the FAA requires pilots to maintain their proficiency while operating their aircraft at night. Simply put, the FAA requires pilots to regularly train at night for safety. Noise considerations are secondary considerations to safety.

To be current to act as pilot in command while carrying passengers, every pilot must make at least three takeoffs and landings to a full stop in the preceding 90 days in the same aircraft category, class, and type. Within the definition of the regulation, nighttime is defined as the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise. (Source : CFR Title 14, Part 61, Para 61.57).

Livermore airport has a voluntary restraint from night flying from 10 PM to 6 AM. During daylight saving time, and particularly during the summer, it can be difficult to maintain currency without flying into the evening quiet hours.

There are two broad classes of flight rules - visual flight rules (VFR) and and instrument flight rules (IFR). For the most part, the differences between the rules are a function of whether the pilot and aircraft are certified to fly under marginal weather and visibility conditions.

All aircraft operating in the Class A aispace (above 18,000 feet) are required by the FAA to be operating under IFR rules. Given that most turbine powered aircraft are considerably more fuel efficient at higher altitudes, essentially every jet taking off from Livermore departs under IFR rules.

IFR departure clearances are very specific. They are assigned by air traffic control and pilots are not allowed to change them on a whim. For Livermore, the standard IFR departure is called the Livermore One Departure. The departure procedures are very specific,

DEPARTURE ROUTE DESCRIPTION:
TAKE-OFF RUNWAYS 25R/L: Climb runway heading to 1200', then climbing right turn heading 020 degrees and OAK R-060 to ALTAM intersection. Maintain assigned altitude.

Essentially - pilots are given VERY specific instructions to follow a VERY specific procedure from the air traffic control system. Pilots are only allowed to deviate from those instructions under very unusual and often safety related circumstances. Turning early for noise considerations is not considered an acceptable deviation.