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Owner of Above All Aviation tells commission employees have been harassed by unknown caller
Summary
At the May 21 Santa Barbara Airport Commission meeting, the owner of Above All Aviation reported repeated harassing phone calls to employees and requested that whoever is responsible stop; no formal action was taken.
At the May 21 meeting of the Santa Barbara Airport Commission, the owner of Above All Aviation reported that an unknown person has repeatedly called and harassed the flight school’s employees.
The owner, identified in public comment as Sean, told commissioners the calls began in July of last year and continued into recent weeks. Sean said callers obtained what the speaker described as private information about employees and have made threatening statements. “My employees do not deserve to be harassed by whomever is doing this,” Sean said, and offered to meet with the caller to explain flight patterns and operations.
Sean played audio excerpts for the commission, including a caller saying, “Please call whichever pilot is flying tonight and tell them to quit flying over Rancho Goleta as low as they are,” and another voice that said, “You got about 80 residents from this community who are coming to the airport commission this week. It's the last time.” The speaker said the caller also identified a flight instructor and referenced the instructor’s certificate expiration date.
Sean provided a contact phone number during public comment and said the business is willing to meet with concerned residents to explain why training flights operate as they do. Chair Glaser and staff did not announce any follow-up action at the meeting.
The concerns were raised during the public-comment portion of the commission’s regular agenda; commissioners noted the item and moved on to liaison reports and staff briefings. No formal complaint or investigation was recorded in the meeting minutes or on the public record presented at the meeting.
The commission did not take a formal vote related to the public comment. Director Hastert and other staff later discussed unrelated agenda items including upcoming pavement work, terminal construction impacts, and noise-mitigation efforts.
The commission’s next regular meeting date was not announced during the public-comment exchange.
