East Venice residents urge action as prop‑plane training increases over neighborhood

Several East Venice residents told the Santa Monica City Council on Jan. 27 that a spike in local training flights at Santa Monica Airport has created repeated loops of low‑altitude, loud piston‑engine aircraft over their neighborhood. Speakers cited FAA operations data in testimony, described health and safety concerns tied to leaded avgas and noise, and asked the council to agendize the issue and create a staff‑community task force to pursue near‑term mitigation.Staff and others acknowledged ongoing operational limits on airspace design but said tower adjustments, runway operations and pilot practices can change patterns. Petition materials were submitted to the council and residents asked for city coordination with the FAA, airport operators and neighboring jurisdictions to seek equitable distribution of training traffic. Councilmembers asked staff to agendize follow‑up and work with community representatives.