No-fly zone near Pangasinan capitol sought

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Annoyed by the noise of low-flying airplanes taking off and landing at the airport here, the provincial board last week began studying a proposed ordinance that would make the capitol a no-fly zone during flag-raising ceremonies and special occasions.

The capitol lies 400 meters from the runway of Lingayen Airport and is on any plane’s approach path. Two flying schools have been using the airport for flight training.

Low-flying airplanes continued to pass over the capitol compound as government employees held their flag ceremony, despite Gov. Amado Espino III’s request last year to reschedule flights, said Board Member Clemente Niño Arboleda, chair of the provincial board committee on civil aviation.

Job de Jesus, Lingayen Airport manager, apologized to the board, saying he had banned planes from taking off and landing at the airport’s two runways between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. every Monday as requested by Espino.

But a student pilot did not heed the new rule on Oct. 1, he said.

As a “nontower” airport, De Jesus said airport personnel had no way of stopping pilots from taking off because they could not communicate with them.

Since the airport has no ground-to-air radio communication, pilots are left to communicate among themselves when navigating through Pangasinan airspace, he said. —Gabriel Cardinoza