Air Tanker Convention to Bring Big Planes, Big Noise to Los Alamitos

The skies above Los Alamitos are about to get interesting.

The Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base issued a noise advisory for the community from Thursday through Sunday as cargo planes, passenger plans and giant tankers will fly into the base for an annual Airlift/Tanker Association convention in Anaheim.

Residents can expect to see an increase in air traffic as early as Tuesday “preliminary mission-support aircraft,” begins arriving for the event, according to base spokeswoman SFC Jessica Inigo. Roughly 35 planes will arrive for the convention, said Inigo. Most will arrive and take off during the air field's normal hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. M-F and between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

“During duty hours, noise is expected to increase especially on Nov. 1 and Nov. 4, as aircraft land and depart on these two dates. There is also the potential for an increase in noise outside of the normal operating hours these two days, according to Maj. Jeff Sibley, the airfield general manager,” Inigo said in a written statement. “According to their website, the ATA is dedicated to ensuring that American military forces continue to possess the air mobility capability required to implement U.S. national security strategy. International in scope, the ATA has chapters and members throughout the world.”