Residents, Romaine: No more noisy helicopters
County legislator's bill could mandate helicopters to fly above 2,500 feet
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Though Federal Aviation Administration officials said a bill sponsored by County Legislator Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) would hold no legal sway, Mr. Romaine said he and hundreds of local residents are still holding out hope the bill that aims to ban many, but not all, helicopter flights below 2,500 feet passes the Legislature.
"I'm willing to make this law go bye-bye if the FAA or Congress steps in and helps regulate this problem, but absent those regulations, this law will be there to assist my constituents," Mr. Romaine said. "This is one of the busiest air spaces in the United States, and I want to make sure my constituents are respected and not invaded with undue noise. People moved out here for peace and quiet, and they're not getting that."
Mr. Romaine plans to submit his bill for legislative approval following a second public hearing in Hauppauge on Sept. 16 at 2:30 p.m. More than 100 residents packed themselves into the Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center in Riverhead for a two-hour public hearing on the helicopter bill last Tuesday night.
Though the majority of residents attending the public hearing voiced support for the bill they say could help address the helicopter noise that often wakes them early in the morning and frightens their children, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said county government does not have the authority to regulate air space.
"The Federal Aviation Administration has sole ownership and management of the national air space system, and that has been upheld at the federal court level," Mr. Peters said, who added the FAA has neither regulations for noise levels nor height requirements for helicopters.
Residents said that while the county might not be legally allowed to implement a minimum height requirement, they praised Mr. Romaine's efforts and said the legislation could push federal lawmakers to turn up the heat on the FAA to change the way helicopters fly.
Still, this is exactly what the FAA is saying. FAA officials have fought locals on this issue before, and in an October 2007 letter from the FAA to Southold Supervisor Scott Russell, the FAA said the town had no jurisdiction to regulate airspace above Southold -- something the town had been examining. In 1998, New York City attempted to regulate the path for helicopter sightseeing tours but was defeated in court.
"Imagine the difficulty helicopter pilots would face in providing efficient transport if they needed to know hundreds of local airspace regulations in each state and county," said Robert Grotell, a special adviser to the Eastern Region Helicopter Council. "Imagine how confusing driving on the Long Island Expressway would be if each county -- Queens, Nassau and Suffolk -- established its own specific traffic rules and regulations and then dictated how cars should operate. Such a fragmented system cannot work."
Lawmakers and residents said they were disappointed some pilots have not honored an agreement brokered during the winter by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Tim Bishop with the Eastern Region Helicopter Council that aimed to have helicopters fly at a minimum of 2,500 feet. Despite this agreement, residents said, on weekend nights there's an almost constant stream of noisy helicopters that often fly below 2,500 feet.
"I wish that the voluntary agreement had done more," said Jon Schneider, a spokesman for Mr. Bishop. "It would be great if helicopters were flying at 3,000 feet and not bothering anybody. Even if this was the case, we'd still be pushing for regulation, because you need it."
Mr. Bishop has called for federal regulation of helicopters, and in 2007 he passed the FAA Reauthorization Bill. The bill mandates that the FAA conduct a study on helicopters over Long Island. The bill has not yet passed the Senate.
Once the study was concluded, Mr. Schneider said, the FAA would then have all the information it needed to effectively regulate helicopters. He said the congressman's office has received fewer complaints about the helicopters than last year.
Still, Peconic resident Bill Fibkins said there are plenty of people with concerns. Nearly 700 people recently signed a petition of his that called for a change in flight patterns -- Mr. Fibkins argued that too many helicopters fly over the North Fork to land at South Fork airports -- and helicopter noise. He gathered most of the signatures on Aug. 16 outside the King Kullen in Cutchogue.
"The helicopter traffic has been really out of control this year," said Mr. Fibkins, who sent copies of the petition to Mr. Romaine, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Schumer, County Executive Steve Levy, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Mr. Russell.
"You shouldn't have to put up with this."
agustafson@northshoresun.com
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