--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "11/18 SJ Business Journal" <batn@xxxx> wrote: Pubished Friday, November 18, 2005, in the San Jose Business Journal FAA will probe takeoff safety Trio of airlines say tall buildings pose real danger By Andrew F. Hamm A potential take-off hazard at Mineta San Jose International may have been uncovered by airlines complaining about the height of a proposed San Jose condo tower. At least three airlines complained to the Federal Aviation Authority that the 22-story Almaden Towers condominium complex may pose a threat to an airliner with engine problems. But a study by Almaden's developer shows at least three other San Jose buildings in the vicinity may already pose the same threat. The study commissioned by Spring Capital Group of Eugene, Ore., showed two of the three Adobe buildings on Park Avenue near Almaden Boulevard and the former Opus Center on Santa Clara Street are at least as big a hazard as the proposed Almaden project at Santa Clara and Notre Dame streets. The three existing structures are not, however, on the federal National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration maps that are widely used by the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines when developing takeoff and landing procedures. "We don't know what is out there," says Kevin Wiecek, flight operations engineer for Southwest Airlines which along with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, are known to have complained about Almaden Towers. Southwest told the FAA that Almaden Towers' height of 309 feet above sea level could cause a safety hazard -- and cost the airline money by forcing it to reduce the number of passengers and amount of belly freight on certain flights. American and Alaska have said they may have to do likewise. There are currently no weight restrictions on any takeoffs from Mineta San Jose. Now, Southwest says it may have to adjust its weight limits, anyway, because of the existing downtown San Jose buildings. The Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to review aeronautical studies to determine whether Almaden Towers would be a safety hazard and whether other buildings are already a danger. "Most critical conditions like these are not discovered until there is an incident," says Doug Rice, senior vice president of the California Pilots Association and a commercial airline pilot. "The FAA does not have the data, the computing power nor the knowledge base to do this for every airport." Under FAA regulations, all airlines are required to have a plan in place that would allow an aircraft to survive the loss of one engine. Individual airlines have wide latitude to develop their own emergency procedures. Those procedures vary widely, as do such other factors as the type of aircraft, weight and terrain. Because of the economics involved, dropping weight -- literally taking off with empty seats or empty space in the cargo bay -- is a strategy used only when every other remedy has been exhausted. However, many airports -- including San Francisco International and Los Angeles International -- already have weight restrictions on certain flights, Mr. Rice says. Mr. Rice estimates that "more than 99.9 percent of the flights" coming out of Mineta would not be affected. Aircraft there usually take off in a northerly direction, away from the downtown area. But wind shifts require southern takeoffs about 20-to-25 percent of the time, airport officials say. The building height issue apparently is not a safety factor on landings at Mineta San Jose. The developers of the 330-unit Almaden Towers are facing deadline pressure. Under the city's incentive program to bring residential units to downtown San Jose, the development is exempt from San Jose's affordable housing requirements only if construction begins before June 30. A 330-unit condominium would normally be required to offer 66 units at "affordable" prices, says John Weis, deputy executive director of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency. "I think losing that incentive would adversely affect the project significantly," Mr. Weis says. The Almaden Towers is one of as many as 10 high-rise condominium project slated to be under construction by June 30. The projects, along with the San Jose City Hall project, are considered critical for the city's larger downtown revitalization effort. However, the San Jose Airport Commission and the Santa Clara County Land-Use Commission have asked the San Jose City Council to consider the economic impact on the airport these taller buildings will have on Mineta San Jose. "There seems to be a disconnect between what happens downtown and the impact it will have on an airport that we will be spending $1.5 billion on to make it more desirable," Airport Commission Chairman Steve Tedesco says. Andrew F. Hamm covers transportation for the Business Journal. He can be reached at 408-299-1841 --- End forwarded message ---