OVER 8% OF TORRANCE AIRPORT OPERATIONS "PROHIBITED"???

The agenda for the 4/9/2026 Airport Commission is out. One of the major items on it is the Torrance Municipal Airport Noise Abatement Report for Quarter Four 2025. In addition to the number of noise violations (0.2% of operations), it contains a report on the number of "prohibited" operations for the quarter.

As you remember, in early 2024 the City passed changes to the Torrance Municipal Code (TMC) that "prohibited" several normal flight operations-- in spite of warnings by the FAA, AOPA, NBAA and others that the City had no authority to do so. Touch and goes were banned at all times and missed approaches, go-arounds and full-stop-taxi-backs were banned on weekends and evenings. For years, TMC has banned any turns on west departures until reaching the beach or 1500 MSL

As a result,1901 flight operations (8.3% out of 22,871 total ops for 4Q2025) are listed in the report as "prohibited." This raises a number of questions that should be asked at the Commission meeting:

1. Does the City pay someone to sit at the airport and count these "prohibited" operations?
2. What does that cost?
3. How many pilots made these "prohibited" operations?
4. Does the City plan to prosecute these pilots as stated in the report?
5. What will that cost?
6. How many of these "prohibited" operations were approved by the FAA ATC (tower or ground control)?
7. How many of these "prohibited" operations resulted in citations by the FAA?
8. How many of each kind (low approach, T & G, taxi back) were recorded?
9. What basis does the City have to believe that the FAA's exclusive authority to regulate the airspace in the U S does not apply at the Torrance Municipal Airport?
10. Has the City ever contacted the FAA's Aviation Litigation Division to see if the City has this authority?

We all need answers!

Editor's note: See The Airport Report for 11/16/2025 (Encroachment on FAA's Exclusive Authority to Regulate US Airspace)