About Us

Introduction to SCAUWG - the ORGANIZATION

 

 

Pat Carey cfii atp has addressed So Cal Airspace for decades! Local pilots who fly VFR often in the Los Angeles airspace are aware of the size and complexity of the regulated airspace. Visitors to the area can easily become confused with the mix of air carrier and VFR aircraft traffic. In addition to Los Angeles Int’l airport, four additional major airports in the basin handle air carrier traffic. The configurations of the Class B, C, and D airspaces are not consistent and the altitudes vary.

A midair collision between an AeroMexico DC9 and the Piper PA028 in August 1986 induced the FAA to raise the top of the TCA (Terminal Control Area) from 7,000 ft. to 12,500 ft.; and close the VFR corridor that enabled VFR travel north/south over the LAX airport. This created a barrier between the northern and southern parts of the LA Basin -- which caused great angst among the local aviation community. Something had to be done that would address both safety and functional airspace design. Pat took on that challenge!

The Solution

As a result, local aviation community governments, airport operators, pilots and other airspace users organized as a group under the auspices of the Southern Association of Governments to work with the FAA on making the LA Basin airspace a viable resource to the community. Click here to see a .pdf of the original SCAG document authorizing the formation of SCAUWG.

This group, along with AOPA and others, worked with the FAA to reopen the "LAX Corridor", renamed Special Flight Rules Area; and lower the TCA (now called Class-B airspace) to 10,000 ft. Over the ensuing years, SCAUWG has evolved into a self-functioning and more independent organization in response to the changing needs of Southern California's airspace. Along with the growth and evolution of the Los Angeles basin over the years, there has been some small changes in the stakeholder makeup of the group; but the goal of ensuring safe, yet open access to planes of all types throughout Southern California has remained the primary focus of the group.

About the Co-Founder

SCAUWG Co-Founder Pat Carey continues to work with dedicated effort to affect the changes needed in the Southern California Airspace that will help to insure a safer environment for all.

Pat began flying at the Hawthorne Airport, Hawthorne, California in 1963 obtaining a Commercial Pilot certificate in 1966. He entered the US Army in 1967 and attended the Army Rotary Wing Warrant Officer Flight School. He served in Viet Nam as a helicopter gunship pilot in the First Air Cavalry Division earning the Bronze Star and 38 Air Medals. A direct commission to First Lieutenant followed, and he continued his military career serving as a Flight Instructor, Artillery Unit Commander, General’s Aide and as an aviation maintenance test pilot. Staff and command assignments included Command of Libby Army Airfield, Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

In 1987 he retired as a Fixed and Rotary wing Master Aviator and resumed his civilian aviation career at the Northrop Aircraft Company as a Corporate Pilot and Test Pilot. However that was only the start of his accomplishments.  His career biography is EXTENSIVE!  Probably no one knows more about the SoCal airspace than Pat, who gained additional years of experience flying as a corporate ATP rated jet pilot, a helicopter check pilot, a senior FAA DPE, or as top level management with a variety of A-list aviation companies.  He brings all his vast experience to SCAUWG.

Quote from Pat: "I'm the only original SCAUWG member still active with the organization. Having said that, two of our original members' sons, both airline captains, are now active in the organization. The organization started in October 1986. I was still on active duty, but had previously been the Airfield Commander of Libby Army Airfield, Ft Huachuca, AZ that had a lot of special use airspace, and someone thought I could contribute. Next month the organization will be 34 years old. From the beginning 34 years ago, I have worked on 3 Class B redesigns, 2 with Walter White, and 1 with Ron Cagel, and 3 Class C redesigns. As a group we participated in the consolidation of the TRACONS, into SCT, the development of the Transition routes over LAX, the 2010-2012 Airspace Task Force, Metroplex, and numerous airspace projects over the years. The LA TAC chart is the gold standard of TAC Chart development, and as a group we had a lot to do with that."

 

About the Co-Chairman

 

 

 

Michael Williamson cfii serves as the co-chairman of the Southern California Airspace Users Working Group. Michael has been a pilot for nearly 30 years, and a flight instructor for over 20 years. He currently serves as the chief flight instructor for the McKnight Flying Club based at Whiteman Airport.

Besides serving at SCAUWG, Michael serves on the FAA safety team as an aviation safety counselor, on the Southern California Association of Governments/Aviation Technical Advisory Committee, and by invitation/appointment to 7 Local Runway Safety Action Teams, including Los Angeles International Airport. Michael’s area of specialty in aviation safety is Aviation Communications: Training and Testing Standards.

Michael has been a pipe organ builder for 50 years, and is also a classical musician. Michael is married to his wife, Shelley, who is a nurse, an d has 3 adult children, and 2 grandchildren.

History Chart

Long time SCAUWG member Al German, a CFII then representing AOPA in the SCAUWG, created a two-tier timeline depicting challenges and achievements of SCAUWG over the years. The time line, which begins in 1985, is related to the July and December issuance of the Los Angeles Area Terminal Chart -- which seems to most accurately reflect changes in the VFR airspace in Southern California.

The green triangles define the start and/or end of SCAUWGs involvement with respect to the event noted. Section 1 at the top depicts TACs 11 through 34. TACs 35 through 59 are depicted below in Section 2. A .pdf copy of this time-line graphic can be seen here. The graphic shows how, over the years, SCAUWG has been effective in balancing the needs the various Southern California airspace users interests.

 

About SCAUWG.ORG - the WEBSITE

SCAUWG.ORG is an independently owned and managed website.  Our goal is to actively reflect the mission of SCAUWG, and to be able to expand on that mission via bringing it closer to the general public and aviators everywhere.

We will focus on core SCAUWG topics, but add several extra doses of aviation flight related education, runway safety information, and aviation news as it relates to Airspace, Airports, and Aviation Charting.

At SCAUWG.ORG we actively invite pertinent input and authored content contributions.  We support our SHORT TAKES page with exactly that, and our SITE BLOG page as well.   One can send submissions to: contactus@scauwg.org

 

Director / Webmaster

 

 

 

 

Ron Berinstein cfii - longtime FAASTeam Lead Representative and "WINGS Pro." Ron is also a longtime affiliated SCAUWG member, having been positively influenced by Pat Carey years ago while attending a local FIRC.  Ron has authored over 100 aviation seminar compilations, and has a record of co-producing more than a hundred FAA WINGS sponsored seminars annually. Ron has been invited to present at airports that completely dot the LA Basin and in Apple Valley, Big Bear and San Diego as well.  Unfortunately, live performances have stalled until we get an all-clear sign that the pandemic health risk has been minimalized.  However, he continues to produce the monthly SCAUWG Zoom meetings, and tries to make SCAUWG.ORG a very valuable pilot's resource of the very best kind.  He places emphasis on quality content and quality artistic site design.

Together with cartographer Mike Carson, Ron has spirited the development of the flight planning application, ChartAware, which for the first time ever makes discovering the approximate boundaries of LA Area flight training areas, those published and those unpublished, possible and easy.

Ron is affiliated with CP Aviation in Santa Paula, CA as an instructor, and is a waivered pilot authorized to fly solo aerobatics in the Santa Paula Aerobatic Training Area.

 

Contributing Editors:

 

Tom Lasser

 

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Thomas Edward Lasser retired after completing 40 years of military service.  He spent seven years on active duty with the US Army and another 33 years with the California National Guard. Thirty years of that which was fulltime status with the California Military Department. He is now consulting for his own firm, T. E. Lasser & Associates, LLC.

 

Lee Unger

 

 

 

 

V. Lee Unger lives in Tucson, Arizona; FAASTeam Representative, WINGSPro, Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office (FSDO); CFII. Special interests include Runway Safety, safe operations at non-towered airports, safety culture, human factors, mentoring youth and adults in aviation careers, safe operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Air Space (NAS), learning from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports, exchanging safety information with others, and more. Thank you Southern California Airspace Users Group (SCAUWG) for your dedication to aviation safety and for sharing your knowledge and information. Your outreach to Arizona widens the Southwest U.S. aviation safety community and is greatly appreciated.  We at SCAUWG.ORG with so many examples have witnessed the tremendous acuity and breadth of knowledge that Lee brings to the aviation safety world.  We feel both privileged and enthusiastic about Lee's SCAUWG.ORG participation.