Latest news with #FullertonAirport
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Fullerton Airport welcomes public for Airport Day
Brendan J. O'Reilly grew up in Whittier and first visited Fullerton Airport when he was 6 years old, with his dad. Soon after, they returned for Airport Day and O'Reilly's passion for airplanes grew. Today, he oversees Airport Day in his capacity as manager of Fullerton Airport, operated under the city's Public Works Department. 'I credit this airport with starting my passion for aviation, so [I] definitely want to share that with others and especially with the kids,' O'Reilly said. 'There's so many things to get kids into trouble these days. They got to have something to look forward to and to learn about or to aspire to.' Fullerton's Airport Day is a free, open house designed to let local families and individuals see the workings of the municipal airport and possibly inspire future careers in aviation, along with educating about other city departments. This year's event takes place Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is slated to offer exhibits, displays, plus food available for purchase. Airplane and and helicopter rides will also be available for a fee. 'It's an opportunity to showcase all the other departments in the city that do vital stuff, like Public Works fixing streets and sewers, and they take care of all the water systems, landscaping,' O'Reilly said. 'They bring out trucks, like those big vector trucks that clean out rain gutters. And the kids … absolutely love that stuff.' He said the Fullerton Police Department also attends with SWAT demonstrations and often with their K9 unit too. The Fullerton Fire Department brings out a large fire truck and opens it up for children to tour. 'It's just a very good little family event,' he said. 'We love to see kids out here, so we market to all the local schools. … Last year, we had tons of families with kids, running around and very excited — so it's a lot of fun.' O'Reilly said Fullerton College's Drone Lab will also attend Airport Day with drones on display as well as demos with their robotic dogs. The International Plastic Modelers' Society will have model airplanes on hand to teach children how to put them together. 'I built a lot of models as a kid because I was fascinated with airplanes and helicopters,' O'Reilly said. 'That's always a really cool thing, too.' The airport, which was officially founded in 1928 — but dates back to as early as 1913 when crop dusters used the site as a landing strip — houses various organizations, flight schools, public safety agencies and private aircraft owners that fly out of there. Orange County Fire Authority, California Highway Patrol, Anaheim Police Department and Mercy Air ambulance all fly out of Fullerton Airport. 'We have two chapters of Civil Air Patrol here on the field, so the cadets meet every Tuesday night here at 6 p.m.,' O'Reilly said. 'Mostly Airport Day is just a chance for the public to come in and see all the stuff that goes on here really because just the layout of this airport, you don't really get to see much from outside the fence.' Cameron LaFont, chairman of the Fullerton 99s, part of the larger Ninety-Nines nonprofit, said their local chapter was founded in 1974 at the Fullerton Airport. 'The Ninety-Nines were founded in 1929 when a group of women pilots desired to convene in order to support each other and the advancement of aviation, and to create a central office to keep files on women in aviation,' she said. 'They struggled to establish themselves and grow but in 1931, Amelia Earhart was elected the first president and the group selected the name Ninety-Nines to represent the 99 charter members. It has been a growing organization ever since.' LaFont said this year at Airport Day, the Fullerton 99s will be offering short intro plane flights in General Aviation Aircraft for a donation of $50 per person. The funds raised go to support their scholarship fund. They offer two aviation training scholarships totaling $3,974 that they award each year. 'We will have four to six aircraft that will make many flights that day, introducing young and old to the amazing thrill of flight in a small aircraft,' LaFont said. 'All pilots start off in small aircraft and it's our hope that we will ignite the passion for aviation in a young person or two that day. We will also be at our booth educating the visitors about our organization.' The Aviation Explorer Program is also housed at Fullerton Airport and will be represented at the event. Tim Lloyd, advisor for Aviation Explorer Post 445, said the program offers hands-on activities and networking with aviation professionals in various careers. The program is for those ages 14 1/2 through 21 who are interested in a career in aviation or who enjoy airplanes. Aviation Explorer Post 445 has been part of the Fullerton Airport for more than 15 years. 'Participants experience firsthand what it's like to be a pilot, aircraft mechanic, flight engineer or air traffic controller,' Lloyd said. 'They learn about the educational requirements for a career in aviation and receive tangible advice on steps they can take to prepare and position themselves for a successful career in the field of aviation.' Aviation Explorer Post 445 members will be answering questions about aircraft on display during Airport Day. 'This event is important because it showcases a wide variety of aviation career opportunities, as well as having aviation as a hobby,' he said. 'We'll have private pilots giving rides as well as police and fire aircraft and pilots. The Aviation Explorers are experienced young people who know their way around an airplane and can ensure people enjoy the airplanes and at the same time protect the airplanes from damage.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plane makes emergency landing at Pacific Palisades golf course
A plane was forced to make an emergency landing at a golf course in the Pacific Palisades Friday afternoon after failing to navigate a landing at the Santa Monica Airport. The plane made the emergency landing just after 1 p.m., at Riviera Country Club on the 1200 block of Capri Drive. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the plane landed safely at the golf course and all three occupants were uninjured. L.A. and Santa Monica fire departments responded to the scene and were investigating the plane itself, officials said. Additional details remain limited at this time. Nearly the same time the plane made the emergency landing, a plane reportedly overshot the runway at the Fullerton Airport in Orange County. This emergency landing, like all aircraft emergencies, will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Riviera Country Club is a well known private golf course on the PGA Tour, and has hosted several high-profile tournaments throughout its history. It is the scheduled to be the dedicated site for golf during the 2028 Olympic games. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crews respond to reported plane crash in Fullerton
First responders rushed to the Fullerton Airport Friday afternoon following reports of a possible plane crash. The plane was reported down around 1:05 p.m., on the 4000 block of West Commonwealth Avenue, according to the emergency alert app PulsePoint. Details about the crash itself are limited, but video from Sky5 at the scene showed little activity in or around the airport. Emergency radio traffic seemed to indicate that the plane may have overshot the runway, but no serious injuries were reported. Earlier this year, an experimental aircraft crashed into the roof of a warehouse near the Fullerton Airport, killing the father and daughter occupants and injuring 19 workers at the facility. In November, two people narrowly avoided serious injury when their plane crashed into a tree near the same airport. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Pilot's door was open moments before Fullerton plane crash that killed 2 and injured 19, investigators say
The door to a pilot's plane appeared to be ajar as it took off from Fullerton Airport, moments before it crashed into a warehouse, killing two and injuring 19 others, according to investigators. The Jan. 2 crash killed a Huntington Beach man, who had been piloting the plane, and his 16-year-old daughter and injured 19 workers in the facility, officials said. The two killed were identified as Pascal and Kelly Reid. Citing witness statements and video, investigators said the left door of the Van's Aircraft RV-10 was left ajar after the plane had taken off, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. A witness at the airport saw the plane go by him after takeoff, noticing that the 'left door was open and up. He then saw an arm reach up and pull the door down,' according to the report. The witness assumed that the pilot had closed the door, the report says. Modifications had been made to the door, including to the standard locking system, which affected the warning system that was designed to alert the pilot when the door isn't closed, according to the report. The door had solid steel locking pins instead of kit-supplied aluminum pins, the report said. The plane's UHMW polyethylene door blocks had also been replaced with chamfered aluminum blocks, according to the report. Read more: Shock, questions after Fullerton plane crash kills 2, injures 19 Another witness, who knew the pilot, saw him taxi the airplane from the southeast corner of the airport's runway, according to the report. Security video showed that the left front door was "in the down position" but was "not flush with the fuselage." After takeoff, the pilot transmitted a signal to the control tower for an 'immediate landing' and the tower controller asked whether he could make a left turn, according to the report. The pilot reported that he would land on Runway 24, climbing to about 950 feet and completing a left turn. The plane then passed the threshold for Runway 24, and an "unintelligible transmission was heard" from the plane. The plane crashed into the roof of a Michael Nicholas Designs furniture warehouse store, about 1,500 feet from the approach end of Runway 24, according to the report. Other witnesses said they saw the plane flying lower than normal during its final stages of flight, the report said. The plane rolled to the left and then to the right as its nose dropped and dived toward the warehouse, "where it collided in a fireball," according to the report. Just before the crash, the witnesses said, they saw a "white piece fall from the airplane" that appeared "panel-like" as it "floated" to the ground. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
30-01-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Pilot's door was open moments before Fullerton plane crash that killed 2 and injured 19, investigators say
The door to a pilot's plane appeared to be ajar as it took off from Fullerton Airport, moments before it crashed into a warehouse, killing two and injuring 19 others, according to investigators. The Jan. 2 crash killed a Huntington Beach man, who had been piloting the plane, and his 16-year-old daughter and injured 19 workers in the facility, officials said. The two killed were identified as Pascal and Kelly Reid. Citing witness statements and video, investigators said the left door of the Van's Aircraft RV-10 was left ajar after the plane had taken off, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. A witness at the airport saw the plane go by him after takeoff, noticing that the 'left door was open and up. He then saw an arm reach up and pull the door down,' according to the report. The witness assumed that the pilot had closed the door, the report says. Modifications had been made to the door, including to the standard locking system, which affected the warning system that was designed to alert the pilot when the door isn't closed, according to the report. The door had solid steel locking pins instead of kit-supplied aluminum pins, the report said. The plane's UHMW polyethylene door blocks had also been replaced with chamfered aluminum blocks, according to the report. Another witness, who knew the pilot, saw him taxi the airplane from the southeast corner of the airport's runway, according to the report. Security video showed that the left front door was 'in the down position' but was 'not flush with the fuselage.' After takeoff, the pilot transmitted a signal to the control tower for an 'immediate landing' and the tower controller asked whether he could make a left turn, according to the report. The pilot reported that he would land on Runway 24, climbing to about 950 feet and completing a left turn. The plane then passed the threshold for Runway 24, and an 'unintelligible transmission was heard' from the plane. The plane crashed into the roof of a Michael Nicholas Designs furniture warehouse store, about 1,500 feet from the approach end of Runway 24, according to the report. Other witnesses said they saw the plane flying lower than normal during its final stages of flight, the report said. The plane rolled to the left and then to the right as its nose dropped and dived toward the warehouse, 'where it collided in a fireball,' according to the report. Just before the crash, the witnesses said, they saw a 'white piece fall from the airplane' that appeared 'panel-like' as it 'floated' to the ground.
