Clutter’s Park

A couple of Saturdays ago Tom suggested that we watch airplanes at Clutter’s Park, which is south of LAX.  The park, according to what Tom had read, is an airplane enthusiast’s haven off of Imperial Highway.  Tom loves taking pictures of airplanes, so he hoped this would be a good place for photography.

Clutter’s Park, named after the late El Segundo councilman Jim Clutter, is up on a hill with clear views of the south runway of LAX.  There are no obstructions to the sweeping view of the airport – no trees or buildings to get in the way.  There is no grass, either.  The park is a concrete sidewalk with a fence that runs 250 feet.  A few benches run parallel to the fence and there are a couple of small tables there as well.  It’s clearly not a real park, but more of a lookout point.

When we arrived, we were able to park within just a few feet of a bench.  We were nearly in the direct line of sight of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.  Tom took hundreds of pictures of planes while I spent time with our lab Remi.

Toward the end of our hour at the park, Tom noticed fire trucks in the distance, spraying water in an arch over an airplane that was coming in.  The photographers and videographers who were set up a few yards away from us noticed as well.

What was going on?  Tom guessed correctly that it was some type of celebration, perhaps to honor a pilot who was retiring.  As I found out, these  water celebrations are called water salutes.

But later in my research, I discovered the real reason for this particular water salute.  The Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) had just been completed and VivaAerobus was the first airline to use its buildings at LAX.  We happened to be at Clutter’s Park when VivaAerobus was being celebrated for its inaugural use of the facility.

The new concourse is an extension of the Tom Bradley terminal on the west side and will be accessible by a passenger tunnel.  According to Justin Erbacci, Interim CEO of the Los Angeles World Airports, the MSC will be one of the most technologically advanced concourses in the world.  It will be fully operational by this summer.

Within the last couple of weeks, there has been a name change, which I agree is easier to say than the Midfield Satellite Concourse.  This new concourse will be referred to as the West Gates.  Yesterday (5/12/2021), Allegiant Airlines announced that it will be joining VivaAerobus at the West Gates.

The fifteen extra gates there will facilitate additional air traffic in 2028 when the Summer Olympics are held in LA.  As of a few months ago, 1.4 million work hours had been logged in to complete this $1.73 billion project.   The construction of the concourse began in 2016.

In the last year, so many celebrations have been relegated to Zoom calls or skipped altogether.  On May 1, it was refreshing to witness something different and exciting even if we didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the accomplishment or of its celebration at the time.  Maybe if we use the services of the West Gates sometime, we’ll appreciate the significance of that celebration a little more.