Chino Airport Tenants: Let a Coalition Oversee the Air Show

CHINO, Calif.:  The group of tenants suing the operators of the annual Planes of Fame Air Show is calling for the County of San Bernardino to appoint a coalition of tenants to oversee any future air shows at the Chino Airport.

The plaintiffs are not anti-air show. That’s something they really want the public to know. They are against the way this air show is being operated. They want to clarify that this suit will not end air shows at the Chino Airport. It will stop Planes of Fame from single-handedly operating them in a way that harms the tenants.

Five businesses that lease space at the county-owned airport filed suit in San Bernardino County Superior Court last week.  The lawsuit, filed in San Bernardino Superior Court, alleges that the Air Show physically blocks and obstructs various airport businesses from operating by erecting fences and other barriers that keep would-be customers from accessing their businesses; creating huge traffic jams that keep customers away; and by shutting down the air space, which grounds flight schools and other businesses not affiliated with the show.

This year, the show’s announced schedule is the weekend of May 6 and 7, however, the show actually begins setting up the Monday before the event and is not finished dismantling it until the Tuesday after the show.

A motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled to be heard on April 20^th.  “We tried to settle these issues on countless occasions prior to filing the suit. Our invitation to sit down and resolve these issues prior to the hearing is still on the table but Planes of Fame has made no attempt to talk with us,” said Christen Wright, Director of Yanks Air Museum.

Wright believes that the county should grant the special air show license to a coalition of tenants who will oversee the show with the concerns of all tenants in mind, which would not exclude Planes of Fame from participating but enable participation from all tenants.

If the County of San Bernardino appoints a coalition of tenants to oversee the air show, this could be a win-win for everybody.