This morning, a flight training aircraft crashed into a north Phoenix neighborhood near Deer Valley Airport, injuring several people. Thankfully no one was killed, but incidents like this are a reminder that extremely high volumes of repetitive training operations over residential areas are not just a noise issue. When training activity becomes heavily concentrated over neighborhoods, parks, and schools, the exposure to risk increases.
This is exactly why the upcoming March 23 Mesa City Council meeting is so important for our community.
Here in Northeast Mesa, Falcon Field is experiencing unprecedented levels of repetitive flight training, with hundreds of thousands of operations each year concentrated over residential neighborhoods. Most of us have lived near the airport for decades without issue. What has changed in the last few years is the scale and intensity of industrial-style flight training now occurring over our homes.
One of the key steps being considered is the implementation of landing fees to keep Falcon Field financially self-sustaining, ensuring Mesa taxpayers are not forced to subsidize the heavy wear and infrastructure demands created by extremely high-volume training operations.
We need a strong showing from the community on March 23.
In the coming weeks, please continue to help by:
• Invite as many people as you can to the March 23rd city council meeting.
• Emailing the Mayor and all City Council members (even if you have already reached out before).
• Submitting an online comment card for the March 23 meeting so your voice is part of the official record.
• Share the petition and Facebook group with friend, family, and neighbors.
• Reporting all noise complaints to the city and FAA.
The level of congestion over our neighborhoods continues to increase, and now more than ever it’s important that residents show their support for a balanced, self-sustaining Falcon Field that works for both aviation and the surrounding community.
March 23 is approaching quickly, let’s make sure our voices are heard!