Redlands Airport Association

November 13, 2025 By Niki Britton -AOPA

It’s been over seven months since the FAA determined that Santa Clara County’s 2022 ban on the sale of 100LL aviation fuel violated the California county’s federal grant obligations. AOPA raised concerns over deliberate delay tactics by the county and the FAA’s slow response.

On March 24, the FAA announced its long-awaited decision on the 2022 Part 16 complaint against Santa Clara County filed by AOPA, along with local pilots and aviation businesses. The FAA ordered the county to submit a corrective action plan (CAP) within 30 days, and further directed that the plan include the removal of the countywide ban on the acquisition, storage, and sale of 100LL fuel at the two county-operated airports: Reid-Hillview of Santa Clara County Airport and San Martin Airport.

In April, the county filed an appeal of the determination, while simultaneously submitting its proposed CAP to the FAA. The county also requested that the appeal be placed in abeyance for 90 days to continue discussions of the CAP with the FAA.

In July, the county submitted a revised draft of the CAP to the FAA. Despite having the draft for three months, the FAA did not respond or request clarification until October, at which point the county requested an additional 90-day extension. 

AOPA filed an opposition to the extension request on October 27, alleging that the county’s repeated requests for delay show its intent to avoid complying with FAA grant assurance obligations. Additionally, the opposition states that AOPA and the other complainants have yet to receive any assurance that the CAP is “probable or even possible,” and continues to call out that the “Respondent County is achieving through delay what grant assurance obligations prohibit.”

The FAA granted the county’s request for extension on October 30. Despite AOPA requests to the county and FAA, complainants were not provided with a copy of the proposed corrective action plan; however, neither the FAA nor the county is obligated to provide it. It is AOPA’s opinion that the repealing and reversing of the actions that banned the availability of 100LL at the airports should not take this much time to negotiate. 

• Signed definitive agreements to acquire control of one-of-a-kind aviation asset in LA, Hawthorne Airport, for $126M^* in cash. The airport is located in the heart of the City, less than three miles from LAX, and the closest airport to some of the city’s biggest destinations — SoFi Stadium, The Forum, Intuit Dome, and Downtown LA.
• Archer plans for the airport to serve as its operational hub for its planned LA air taxi network and, as a test bed for the AI-powered aviation technologies it is developing and plans to deploy with its airline and technology partners. United Airlines’ Chief Financial Officer, Michael Leskinen, remarked, “Archer’s trajectory validates our conviction that eVTOLs are part of the next generation of air traffic technology that will fundamentally reshape aviation. Their vision for an AI-enabled operations platform isn’t just about eVTOLs, it’s also about leveraging cutting-edge technology to better enable moving people safely and efficiently in our most congested airspaces. Through United’s investment arm, United Airlines Ventures, we’re investing in companies like Archer that pioneer technologies that will define and support aviation infrastructure for decades to come.”
• Raised $650M of new equity capital, reinforcing Archer’s sector-leading balance sheet taking its total liquidity to now over $2B.
• Showcased several key performance milestones with its Midnight aircraft– including flights surpassing 50 miles in range and 10,000 feet of altitude.
• Closed acquisition of Lilium patent portfolio, expanding Archer’s global portfolio to over 1,000 assets, giving it one of the most robust portfolios in the industry.
• Deployed aircraft in the UAE for test and demonstration flights and strengthened its international reach through marquee partnership announcements with Korean Air, as well as Japan Airlines’ and Sumitomo’s joint venture, Soracle, in Tokyo & Osaka.

Reposted from : https://investors.archer.com/news/news-details/2025/Archer-To-Acquire-Los-Angeles-Airport-As-Strategic-Air-Taxi-Network-Hub-and-AI-Testbed/default.aspx

With the help of many volunteers from the RAA and the San Gabriel Valley 99’s we completed our compass rose project. Thank you to all that helped with this project. This was a large project, but we had lots of help and I think the volunteers all had a great time. 

The finished compass rose is impressive!  It is attractive and functional and will serve our airport community for many years. You can view photos of our volunteers in action creating our compass rose at this link: Compass Rose Project October 2025. There are additional photos on the RAA Facebook and Instagram pages.

Thanks again to all our volunteers. We can’t do things like this without your help!