LEGACY OF LAUGHS: The La Jolla Comedy Store, entering its 35th year, had its start in Pacific Beach. Page 8
BLIND FAITH: Youngsters with vision impairments learn self-defense skills. Page 5
Thursday, January 6, 2011
www.beachandbaypress.com
PBTC announces January events BY DEBBIE HATCH | BEACH & BAY PRESS
Copper chopper Sgt. Paul Connelly (left), head of the San Diego Police Department’s (SDPD) Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE) unit, and Sgt. Robert Gassmann stand in front of the SDPD’s EuroPAUL HANSEN | Beach & Bay Press copter Astar B3 helicopter.
January kicks off a new year of business for the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC). The council is under the leadership of its newly-elected president, Joe Wilding, and its vice president, Jerry Hall. The PBTC’s first two public events for 2011 include an installation of officers and directors and a community forum.
Installation reception The PBTC will invite the public to its 60th annual Installation of Officers and Directors Dinner on Jan. 15. The honorary mayor of Pacific Beach, selected by former honorary mayors, will be announced to the community as well. The main quality sought in the honorary mayor is someone who is committed to service within the community, Wilding said. SEE PBTC, Page 5
Police helicopters: Flying in complex airspace, their crews save lives and protect the populace BY DEBBIE HATCH | BEACH & BAY PRESS The Octotron is a new eight-armed, whirling ride now awaiting visCOURTESY PHOTO itors at Belmont Park in Mission Beach.
When beach residents hear a helicopter flying overhead, chances are it’s a police helicopter. “We are considered to be one of the best aviation law enforcements in the country,” said Sgt. Paul Connelly, head of the San Diego Police Department’s (SDPD) Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE) unit. The ABLE unit flies inside one of the busiest and most complicated air spaces in the country, said ABLE’s Sgt. Robert Gassmann. The pilots share airspace with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, sightseeing flights and news choppers as well as other public and private pilots. “You happen to be in a corridor that gets a lot of air traffic,” Connelly said of the beach community air space. In addition, the unit contends with ocean and mountain range boundaries, an international border, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Gillespie Airport and crossing the flight paths of Lindbergh Field. SEE CHOPPER, Page 3
Belmont Park has a new ride
Sgt. Paul Connelly studies the instrument panel inside the cockpit of a San Diego Police Department heliPAUL HANSEN | Beach & Bay Press copter.
Visitors to Belmont Park will find a new ride — The Octotron. This colorful, eight-armed, dual-passenger ride is geared up for thrillseekers. Riders may sit at the helm of this whirling ride, which sits on a coaster-like track, according to a statement from Joice Truban Curry, spokeswoman for the San Diego Coaster Company. Thrill seekers can move forward or backward as fast or slow as they choose. The cost to ride the new dizzying attraction is $5 per ride. However, unlimited ride wristbands can be purchased. Riders must be 48 inches tall to ride. The San Diego Coaster Company, operators of the historic Giant Dipper Roller Coaster and other rides within the seven-acre Belmont Park, want the public to be aware that its business is not involved in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of the Wave House LLC, Curry stated. The Octotron is located within Belmont Park, near the corner of Mission Boulevard and West Mission Bay Drive in Mission Beach. For more information, visit www.belmontpark.com. — Debbie Hatch