Posted on 11/20/2003 5:23:10 AM PST by CarryaBigStick
Stop The Noise
Aircraft Noise Battle Becomes Lawsuit... A long-simmering feud over aerobatic flying near busy Hanscom Field, just outside Boston, Mass., has reached a new level, as a group of local residents is pressing a million-dollar lawsuit against several pilots based at the airport, alleging that they are creating a noise nuisance. One of the pilots named in the suit, Steve Pennypacker, told AVweb yesterday that he and his partners are planning to sell their airplane, as a direct result of the pressure. "Flying is just a hobby for me," he said, "but my concern is that this can be used against other pilots. It's a sign that intimidation has won out over rational discussion." At Hanscom, conflict has deepened in recent years as the airport has been growing, while at the same time the surrounding communities have grown more densely populated and more affluent. Aviation companies from cargo outfits to regional airlines have faced opposition to growth at the airport, as they seek out alternatives to the crowding at Boston's Logan Airport. The aerobatic pilots in particular have come under increasing pressure as a local group called Stop The Noise has characterized them as "dirt bikers of the air," and pressed their case for quiet with the FAA and local officials. At least 30 complaints were filed with the FAA, but no violations of FAA regulations were found.
...May Set National Precedent...
Mike Goulian, a national aerobatic champion and president of Executive Flyers Aviation, is also named in the suit, and faces tough choices. "It's going to cost us at least $20,000 to $50,000 to fight this," he told AVweb yesterday. "That's a big expense. The worrisome part -- besides the money, and my future and my living -- is the precedent this can set for others nationwide." Goulian said that pilots had been to meetings with neighbors to try to find equitable solutions to their concerns. "We thought we had some good ideas, and had been making progress," he said. The lawsuit came as a surprise. He has no choice, he said, other than "to just keep fighting it." Pennypacker also said that local pilots have tried to find compromises to satisfy the property owners, but it's been a challenge. "If you look at a sectional chart, the amount of airspace available is really very small," he said. "We've been working with the FAA to try to get waivers and open up more space, but it's not easy." In the five years or so he's been flying in the area, he's seen practice areas go away. "This is not going to get any better," he said. Pennypacker is setting up a fund to help with the legal expenses, he said. Contributors can contact him at 508-472-2617.
...As Pilots Search For Long-Term Solutions
This latest conflict at Hanscom, pilot Peter Schmidt told AVweb yesterday, "has been a real wake-up call that it's time for the aviation community to do something proactive." Schmidt, who flies a Pitts, has formed the American Free Skies Association to seek long-term solutions to such conflicts by building bridges between pilots and the people affected by the airport. Education can make a difference, he says. "Some of the people who are bothered find the noise irritating because it scares them," he said. "They hear changes in the engine noise and think the plane is going to crash. Once they learn that what they are hearing is normal flight training procedures, some of that can be allayed." Pilots need to be educated as well, he said. "Pilots need to understand that sometimes these concerns are legitimate," he said. "And they need to understand the potential consequences if they are not addressed." The problem is not restricted to crowded New England, he said. A pilot in North Carolina was hit with a similar lawsuit just last week. "This is not a democratic way to resolve these disputes," he said. "We want to support pilots so that this kind of intimidation becomes ineffective."
Boy howdy, do you folks ever have problems in the north east - and I don't just mean these pilots. People seem to think that if you're an aviator you've got deep pockets. That's not the case. Many aviation businesses operrate on a shoe string, especially after 9/11. Most in this business do it primarily because they love aviation, there's really not much money to be made in it. Many of us push our finances to the limit in order to enjoy the freedom of flight.
That freedom is being assaulted, just like so many other freedoms we enjoy. And it's mostly being done in the courts, what a shame.
Aviation - the surest way to make a small fortune ... out of a large one.
It's nice to see a free airshow every once in a while, from the comfort of home!
It's all relative, isn't it.
I live 5 miles off the end of the ILS runway at Burlington, VT Int. A/P (BTV) and a/c noise doesn't bother me in the least.
In fact, when Jet Blue's big A320 Airbus comes over the house, I got out and put the binoculars on it.
Hanscom was built in 1941 when the Bedford area population was a heck of a lot smaller than today becuase most people favored the growth of aviation.
There may be many old houses in the area going back hundreds of years but most of the occupants who are bitching today certainly knew the neighborhood when they moved in.
Keep 'em flying
In Titusville, FL, a member of the city council called pilots "just a bunch of rich playboys". That was when they voted to cut off all funding for the three local airports in the area.
The burden of operating the airports was shifted to those who rented hangars there.
Most of the folks who fly out of TIX are retirees on fixed incomes, people who work at KSC, or young kids learning to fly.
If you want to see rich playboys, visit the numerous city funded golf courses.
Hatred of men and women of ability is becoming hard to ignore these days, not just in aviation, either.
I've always strived to be a good neighbor when flying, by avoiding populated areas and carefully watching my propellor rpm's. I live right under the north downwind of the landing pattern to Phoenix Sky Harbour airport and a popular general aviation corridor around the PHX class B airspace is also over my house. I hardly ever even notice the noise, but when I do I usually go outside to look to see if it's a friend.:-)
We're about 1/8 of a mile left of centerline and 4 miles out from Nashville (BNA)'s Rwy 31 Approach. During the day, BNA uses the parallels (2/20 R-C-L), but after dark Rwy 31 is used for all arrivals. Everything that comes in flies almost directly overhead and about 1000-1250 feet up, sometimes a bit less. With binocks, you can read the serial numbers on the engine cowlings. Sitting out on the deck of a summer's eve with the dogs and the binocks is a fine pastime.
Michael
And nowhere was that con more expertly employed than in Irving/Grapevine Texas with DFW airport. DFW was built out in the middle of no-freakin'-where, and then the population built in around it. One of the biggest selling points for the builders was that "you're just minutes from the airport." Once people moved in, they discovered that (gasp), they were "just minutes from the airport."
I don't know the full outcome of all the lawsuits, but there were certainly plenty of them, especially people living under the approaches to 13/31.
Michael
-Bustard, who lives within smelling distance (literally) of IAD.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.