Residents surrounding Hawthorne Airport deserve better. After eight years of effort working with the City of Hawthorne and Hawthorne Airport LLC on noise, nighttime operations, and pollution concerns, the situation is only getting worse.
Noise complaints are widespread across the seven communities surrounding the airport and we are out of patience. The City and airport operator have not produced a single breakthrough on noise reduction, pollution control, or community protection. Instead, residents face delays, finger-pointing, and meetings that make no progress. The airport was commercialized in 2013 without our input and now we need to figure out a path forward.
We appreciate Archer Aviation engaging with residents and pledging to meet regularly. Their arrival presents opportunities and urgency: Hawthorne must resolve its pattern of marginalizing residents impacted by the commercialization of their airport.
Residents have raised our concerns about Hawthorne multiple times
- The airport became a commercial airport without public input
- Jets flying low and unsafe over neighborhoods
- Departures after midnight waking families across multiple cities
- Leaded aviation gasoline and jet fuel emissions pollute neighborhoods
- Departure paths negatively impacting 30,000 residents in multiple cities
Despite clear issues at Hawthorne, other LA County airports have made measurable progress on noise, nighttime operations, and pollution mitigation. Torrance, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, and Long Beach have made tremendous strides reducing noise. Hawthorne has not.
It is increasingly clear that small municipal airports such as Hawthorne lack the technical, managerial, and financial capacity to meet modern noise-control and safety expectations. That is why we are calling on State, County, and Federal partners to step in and help us.
Residents know what needs to be done
1. Rush Federal, State, and County resources to the 500 residents within the 65 CNEL and the City has yet to help with the soundproofing they are entitled to. These neighbors are being ignored, an environmental injustice.
a. We call on the California Attorney General’s Bureau of Environmental Justice to review the area’s noise and pollution conditions and determine residents’ entitlement to mitigation under FAA standards.
b. The review should include exposure to lead emissions and jet fuel pollutants.
c. Since the Airport has failed to implement the required soundproofing program, and Archer’s expansion is urgent, the State and Los Angeles County should assume responsibility and expedite delivery.
d. Hawthorne residents live closer to a runway than almost anywhere else in the state, some as close as 100–200 feet. Jets frequently depart 100 feet above homes between midnight and 5 a.m.
e. Hawthorne Airport sits in one of the most densely populated residential neighborhoods within the busiest approach airspace in the nation. The City has the most incompatible mix of land uses and that will become more challenging as eVTOLs ramp up.
f. The County should implement a world class noise monitoring, reporting, and automated pilot-deviation notification system funded by the Federal government. Archer will need the system installed in the near term to collect eVTOL noise data as well.
2. Develop a completely new KHHR community roundtable to help airport operators, residents, and FAA actually accomplish things efficiently.
a. In our experience, we know what an unproductive roundtable looks like. We encourage the City, FAA, and Archer Aviation to completely re-envision the community roundtable to make noticeable improvements and improve our quality of life.
b. Since the City and Hawthorne Airport LLC have not led a productive roundtable, we believe facilitation and support should shift to a new, mutually agreed upon third-party facilitator. They should have expertise in community engagement, a track record of getting things done, and expertise in transportation.
c. We desperately need to work on a curfew as priority one.
d. The FAA needs to reprioritize noise reduction in flight paths and operations. Continuing to rely on the outdated 65 DNL standard is untenable. The agency’s own 2021 Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES) confirmed that significant community annoyance occurs well below 65 DNL, yet the FAA has deferred decisions by not completing the Noise Policy Review.
3. Provide residents with our own, independent subject matter expert
a. Residents should not be left all on our own to navigate FAA regulations, technical information, and airport policies.
b. The deck is stacked against residents as the City, airport operators, and FAA talk to us endlessly without delivering results. We’re listening and learning but feel they’re taking advantage of our lack of knowledge to delay improvements.
c. Residents should have an independent expert funded and assigned to us who can guide us through the FAA’s noise control processes, advise us on strategies, and let us know what’s feasible and what’s not. We’re open to creative funding ideas.
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Archer Aviation absolutely deserves a chance at success. The company and their investors are bringing innovation, jobs, and opportunities to our communities. They’re risking major investments to get their planes flying. While they create a new way to travel, we cannot continue sacrificing the health, safety, and well-being of our neighborhoods.
Quotes indicate where people stand
- Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas at a recent council meeting, “We want to support (Archer) as much as we can…. We should celebrate this… All the performers are going to want to land here at our airport and use Archer to get to Sofi, LAX, and Intuit Dome. It is the FAA that makes the rules, so if you want something done you should talk to Congresswoman Maxine Waters because she’s our Federal representative.“
- KHHR Community Network Chair Donny Sandusky, “There are times when I’m sure that unfortunately our aircraft wake people up. They try not to go out that early or late but there are times when they need to be somewhere with an airplane logistics wise. I apologize if one of our airplanes woke people up.”
- National press – “Archer Aviation Buys Hawthorne Airport.” We understand the need for attention grabbing headlines, click bait, and impressing investors, but please news outlets get your facts right.
As best as we can understand it, Archer is taking over the Hawthorne Airport LLC lease for $126M; assumption of a ~$16M bank loan; and up to $21M in Archer stock if milestones are met. Future payment of another $25M to Jet Center Los Angeles for 100% of the fixed base operations is also possible. The lease between the City and Hawthorne Airport LLC started in 2005 and ends in 2055.
We need state, county, and local officials to help urgently since Archer is on their way. As the airport’s neighbors, we deserve better and Archer deserves a chance to succeed.
Residents: now it’s your turn! Let officials hear you loud and clear we deserve their support by signing below. We can’t wait any longer and neither can Archer.
Hawthorne Quiet Skies 