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LONG ISLANDERS, PILOTS, AVIATION INDUSTRY OFFICIALS AGREE: PROPOSED FAA HELICOPTER REGULATIONS SHOULD BE GROUNDED BEFORE TAKEOFF
than five out of six responders give thumbs down to FAA scheme that would deny pilots flexibility to change routes in response to noise complaints
June 29, 2010 (Washington, D.C.) – The Eastern Region Helicopter Council today joined several major aviation trade groups, pilots, and citizens in criticizing the FAA’s proposed regulation imposing mandatory routes for helicopters operating on Long Island.
In formal comments filed before the FAA, the group called the FAA’s proposal “flatly at odds with the federal government’s limited role in addressing aircraft noise.” The ERHC urged the FAA to work collaboratively with the helicopter industry to mitigate noise concerns, writing that, “The FAA should neither become a national clearing-house for local noise complaints, nor regulator in the first instance of local noise abatement procedures.”
“The FAA’s proposal would have the unintended effect of concentrating noise and traffic, to the detriment of safety,” added Jeff Smith, Chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council.
The FAA proposed rule has generated a firestorm of controversy. Virtually every major aviation trade group, including the ERHC, Helicopter Association International (HAI), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA), General Aviation Manufacturing Association (GAMA), and National Air Transport Association ((NATA) expressed opposition and sought a 60-day extension to prepare comments, which the FAA denied. Within 30 days, the agency has received 690 comments, with 86% opposing the proposed rule.
According to the FAA’s docket, everyone from leading aviation associations to Long Island residents have called the rules unnecessary and misguided. “We’re hoping the FAA will return to the drawing table with us to explore voluntary approaches way to further mitigate noise and build upon our outstanding safety record,” Smith added.
The ERHC, along with several groups, urged the FAA to “withdraw its proposal in its entirety.”
Comments included:
Pilot Nadine Fetsko: “It's unconscionable that the FAA would actually consider implementing this in the absence of any sound studies, radar returns, or any quantifiable data that support the premise that a major issue exists. This rule simply denies all logic and could potentially create an enforcement nightmare for FAA on both the federal and local levels.
NBAA called the rule “unsafe, unwise and unnecessary.”
HAI said the rule “has no merit, safety or airspace utilization enhancement, nor benefit for aircraft operators or the communities of Long Island, and is absent any technical, safety, and operational analysis.”
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Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC) is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1979 by local helicopter pilots.
Since its inception, ERHC has always had an active community outreach program to address the concerns of residents relating to helicopter and heliport issues and was awarded the first ever Fly Neighborly Award by HAI.
Our first priority always has been, and remains safety
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