Airport Condition
46 responses
Never see any improvements being done. Question where the airport funds go if not for improvements.
Taxiways are bumpy and full of Little Rock’s no good for props.
East T ‘s need a complete resurface.
The pavement infront of the hangers seldom if ever gets swept. I have slipped on loose gravel pulling my aircraft out of the hanger.
The injuries incurred will probably require surgery to fix, since physiotherapy isn’t working. The wash racks and gates are out
of service for months at a time. For what we are paying in landing and hanger fees, the funds exist to maintain the airport.
I also can’t count the times I’ve missed Taxiway C when exiting 29R at night, due to poor lighting and signage.
A DISGRACE TO THE CITY.
IT SHOULD BE FIRST CLASS!
There are poor viewing opportunities. And no eating areas
The Ramp is like a off-road course... It's probably one of the worst taxi areas I have ever been on!!! The asphalt has turned
into loose rock & dirt. I can scoop it up with a shovel!!! Does anybody in the Airport Management know what that can do to our
Airplanes? Probably not... or, they just don't care.
The pavement out to the T-hangars is literally an asphalt patchwork quilt, and there’s always loose asphalt around which is bad
for my prop. The ongoing fiasco with airport lighting is extremely disappointing.
The condition of the airport is largely due to the care of tenants and customers keeping it clean with a decent appearance.
Delays in repairs of lighting have been an significant impairment.
Recent years the most airports at Greater LA had replaced to LED lights. Torrance has poor lighting airport system by comparing
other airports. However I appreciate that we can still fly at night.
I’m used to use N-Pad and Antenna site every day since 2002. Last two years grass are tall and sometimes difficult to use the
grass area. I understand stuff shortage.
Airport lighting needs repair / replacement. Pavement and striping in fine condition. East Tee bathrooms and washrack are
poor compared to surrounding airports.
Definition of public areas as inside the gates need to be considered as oppose to the GAC.
No
Taxiway Charlie yellow exit line off 29R is very hard to see, if not impossible at night. Sling SMS committee had it re painted
last year but it is still next to impossible for safe Taxi off the runway
Certainly could use some upgrading
Lights are pretty bad. I had to cancel an IFR departure due to lack of lights.
When do we get AWOS?
I have rented at East Tees since 2008. Asphalt in the non movement areas has not been resealed since I have been a tenant.
Hangar repairs have generally been done in a reasonable length of time.
It looks and feels tired. GAC hasn't been refreshed in 40 years and it shows.
It’s been deteriorating gradually for years. Can’t see stripping well in the daytime let alone at night. Lighting is terrible
and getting worse. Bumps in paving all over. Hangars go unrepaired and unpainted.
Fire hazards are everywhere because hangars are overloaded with non aviation related materials being stored by tenants
It's ridiculous that the runway lighting has not been fixed. Also the addition of landing fees hurts the airport more than it helps.
The bathrooms by the East Ts look terrible though they are clean.
I have been flying out of TOA for 44 years and can’t believe how bad the ramp areas have gotten, especially east of the tower and
the east tee areas. There are many areas literally crumbling without any repairs. Not good for propellers.
I’m concerned about project management. The lighting and AWOS projects are especially concerning.
condition of ramp areas the worst in the 40+ years I have been here
The taxiways on the east end of the field cause prop damage to aircraft due to the loose nature of the asphalt. It may be due to
the City fire trucks driving on that taxiway to go to the Nike site. The taxiway lights are unuseable and need to to overhauled.
Ramp areas need repaving. Many times the runway lights don't come on when demanded. Airport office staff is kind of one way, it's
not user friendly at all. Hanger rental rates are going out of sight. I started renting a East Tee hanger a number of years ago
at +$40 0/month. Now, since 1st of August the rate is +$780/month. Hanger sliding door needs to be fixed, It took a month of
Sundays to get the interior light ballasts fixed. The list goes on and on. It seems as though the hanger tenants are there for
the airport staff's pleasure, not the other way around.
The asphalt on the whole airport is like a bad roller coaster and in bad condition. Many areas are still from right after WWII
when Torrance took over the airport from the Us Gov... The only 'repaving' was done back when Robinson Helicopter opened their
facility and that area was probably paid and done by Robinson.
Thankfully the fields got 'mowed' now that they have a new tractor.
Still with all the money that is pulled in from car sales, hanger rents and now landing fees, they can't even spare a nickel
on improvements here. Embarrassing. Just goes into the general fund and the new proposal on the Nov. ballot aims to divert
everything right into the City coffers.
The airport is very poorly maintained. Why do I say this:
1.) The trash bins are not cleared frequently enough. Their solution: Put up a sign telling us to wait and hold the trash in
our hangar instead of increasing the frequency of pick up.
2.) The vast majority of East Ts hangar tenants are men. We have ONE bathroom to share. There is another one midfield but they
won't refurbish and open it up to alleviate the demand on the one we have. Their excuse: It is septic, not sewer. However,
after doing some research, I find that the one we do have, is also septic.
3.) The east ts access gate frequently breaks. When it does, it is WEEKS to fix and a major inconvenience for East Ts tenants.
I have never seen such a poorly managed airport in my entire life !
This airport is not treated as an asset to community, it is a burden on the city counsel. The residents complaining around
the airport get more attention then any of the pilot groups.
All of the airport asphalt Is Deteriorated ...Causing damage to all prop driven aircraft. Must be removed and replaced.
With all the "excess funds" the airport has available, it would be nice if they'd refresh the restrooms, do trash collection
more often than it occurs now, and get the lighting replacement and AWOS fast-tracked.
We need better facilities to integrate and welcome the public to aviation, such as a park / public space, restaurants on field, static displays, indoor exhibits, etc.
Nicer bathrooms would be awesome, but I think the bigger issue is how the city values the future of the airport and whether there is a vision of any kind for what Torrance Airport could be. There is a very clear turnover of technology and mission definitions coming in the GA world, and I think the Torrance Airport will be a valuable asset in that future, but only if the city decides to make it what it truly can be. Airports can be a blight on the community, or shining pinnacles of technology, transportation and innovation. There is a big conflict over the value and place that Sling Aircraft brings and has at the airport, but one thing that is undeniable - their operations are bringing a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm from the next generation of aviators, and I believe its a great example of how innovative thinking and engineering is creating great opportunities for the airport and the city. We need more of that.
I suggest a rent strike until the lights work correctly.
This is a great community airport that has been let go, it isn't as nice as it used to be. Previous city administrations took better care of it.
We need Jet fuel. I know pilots that want to land at TOA but can't fuel up so they go elsewhere. The landing fees suck. Also tunning business away.
The city needs to slurry again in the east tees.
In the almost twenty years we have kept our aircraft at TOA I have noted little more than casual attention to the condition
of the airport in general. Specific examples include:
1) The East Tees pavement and taxiways are in a sad state with only occasional poor patches
2) The East Tees gate has been a source of continuing frustration and the frequent repairs render same non-functional for
extended periods of time.
3) The rest room at the East Tees gate seems to be frequently devoid of towels, soap, and paint.
4) The faucet was replaced with a full-flow long delay single actuator faucet that must have been found in a closet and is
likely illegal in California for the waste of water. I suspect it uses two to four times the water of its predecessor.
6) The fuel station is constantly in a sad state particularly as the shut-off sticks.
In short the City has treated the airport as a bastard child whose only saving grace is its income generation - which the
City takes for use elsewhere. Sadly, unlike others like Camarillo, for example, the use of that money to enhance the airport
as a destination, which would bring in far more money than present, is beyond the City's understanding.
Cheap slurry seal job done years ago between East T hangars continuously releases lots of sand that blows into the hangars.
The controlled movement areas are okay but the free movement areas are a mess. The pavement is lumpy and broken in many places.
Especially at the east end where the large fire trucks and police trucks have crushed and torn up the hangar aisle and leave
gravel all over the place. My prop is aging quickly thanks to all the gravel out there. Can't the public service vehicles enter
and exit via the Crenshaw gate rather than destroy the taxiways??
Obvious signs of continuous neglect and deferred maintenance. Lack of adequate facilities vs usage. Unresponsive city support
for requested maintenance.
I would like a partial refund of my hangar rent for the times I could not fly at night because the city had not
maintained/repaired the runway/taxiway lighting. This was understood to be a "service" for which I paid a fee.
Ditto the resurfacing of the decrepit taxiways in and around the East T Hangars.
Blacktop servicing east Ts in poor condition
Taxi ways to hangers need slurry coating. Loose surface material blows everywhere.