Sling Pilot Academy, a flight training institution located in Torrance, CA, and the City of Torrance have settled a dispute in State Court over Sling’s business license.
In October 2023 Sling received a letter from the City of Torrance saying that Sling’s business license would not be renewed in 2024 due to a never-enforced 1977 resolution limiting the number of flight schools at Torrance Airport. The resolution had been made, but never enacted as an Ordinance, by a 1977 City Council responding to complaints from residents about noise from airplanes flying over their homes.
Facing irreparable harm, Sling filed a complaint in California State Court. On December 21st, 2023 Judge Curtis Kin of the Superior Court of the State of California issued a Temporary Restraining Order against the City of Torrance, preventing them from blocking the issuance of Sling’s 2024 business license. The day before, the City of Torrance City Council voted to enact an Ordinance and Urgency Ordinance limiting the number of flight schools at Torrance Airport to 6 flight schools. As in 1977, the City Council was responding to complaints from residents about noise from airplanes flying over their homes.
On January 12th, 2024, Judge Kin again sided with Sling’s attorneys and issued a Preliminary Injunction against the City of Torrance restraining and enjoining them from taking any action to block the issuance of Sling’s 2024 business license on the grounds that there can only be 6 flight schools at the airport. This injunction protected against the irreparable harm that would have come to Sling’s 90+ employees and 200+ students had Sling’s business license been cancelled.
After some movement regarding businesses registered as flight schools at the Torrance Airport it was determined that Sling fell “within the 6” (flight school limitation), and the City of Torrance reached out to Sling to settle the dispute and dismiss the case in California State Court as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 16 Complaint that Sling had filed with the FAA. On April 12th, 2024, Sling and the City of Torrance signed a Settlement Agreement and filed for dismissal of both complaints.
Sling Pilot Academy remains committed to working with the City of Torrance and the residents surrounding the airport. Sling believes in its mission to offer flight training to the residents of the local region and to uplift their lives by enabling the path to the life-changing career of an airline pilot. The severe pilot shortage has created a desperate need for pilots in this segment of our Critical Infrastructure. Flight Training is specifically called out as part of our Critical Infrastructure and Sling has in the past been a recipient of a $500,000 Federal Grant designed to create pilots for the aviation workforce.
Sling will continue to engage with local residents to better understand the annoyance of airplane noise. Sling will continue to work on voluntary procedures to mitigate this problem and Sling will continue to work on the “Whisper Sling” project to make its quiet airplanes even quieter and more pleasing to the human ear. Sling Pilot Academy intends to become the world’s quietest flight school with these technical advancements.
