TOUCH AND GO'S — Yes or no?

According to the Coalition for Torrance Airport Reform (COTAR), low altitude practice training flights, a.k.a.  'touch and go's,'  are NOT required for a student to earn a private pilot license; neither do they help meet the federal requirement of the 10 verified takeoffs and landings needed to obtain a license. COTAR and a group of residents support the abolition of this maneuver at Torrance Airport. They say it allows pilots to lift off from the middle of the runway rather than the end of it, thus flying much lower than they otherwise would over residences, and causing noise and ground shaking that negatively impacts the neighborhood below. Read more at ​
​takebacktorranceairport.org/. 

The City Council's agenda for Tuesday, October 17, will include a robust discussion of the use of this maneuver at Torrance Airport.  Pilots, members of the Torrance Airport Association (TAA) and many flight schools students are expected to adamantly assert that eliminating the touch and go maneuver would reduce the skills training that pilots need to practice for safe flying. They say there are already in place enough restrictions on flight patterns and days and times of airport usage to protect the residential neighborhoods  from noise pollution. Read more at ​   www.taainfo.org/.    
 
Both COTAR and TAA are urging their supporters to attend or call in during the Council meeting, or write an email ahead of time stating their opinions. The City Council is slated to vote on whether to ban the touch and go maneuver. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm.