Question:
Our local airport has a very vocal group of complainers who bought expensive homes next to the airport (which was built 20 years prior to any of them). Now they bitch about the noise. I can’t explain the stupidity especially considering that some of these people are in the upper stratosphere of industry and society.
Massachusetts has a law that states if anyone knows of any flaw or negative impact on a property, that they must file a attachment on the deed and any buyer purchases the property knowing up front of the defect. The Air Force commander and airport manager at one airfield has diligently complied with the law and attached such caveats to all the deeds of each new property that is subdivided into a building lot. The developers howled that their properties were reduced in value but the Air Force stated they were just being good citizens and obeying the law. Land which was perfectly fine for dairy farming, was not equally fit for building homes on. I am sure this went to court but I do not know what the results were. Has anyone heard any new news on this??? Steve
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WTF? The local pilots’ group would love to please these people, but they can’t be pleased. They get meaner and nastier every day. Cement block is the preferred construction method here, so they can’t be burned out. It sucks to feel so helpless.
There are few structures that will not burn if you drop enough napalm. Don — Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS PP-ASEL Chesapeake, VA – CPK, PVG
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IBM, others) have a major presence here and have stated they will move their offices and money elsewhere if the airport is closed so at least that will never happen as it would be political suicide due to the job loss that would result.
IBM closed shop here 10 years ago. The problem did get worse after that, but heavy growth in the area likely had a larger impact. D.
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is AOPA – they have a group called the Airport Support Network, here is a link to their website: http://www.aopa.org/asn/
AOPA has been very active, particularly in the fight against the control tower. There is now a control tower. Good luck, and by the way, I want one of those bumper stickers that says "stupidity should hurt."
I like that! D.
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works tracking aircraft in the terminal area, either. I was under the impression that only aircraft on ARTCC radar get tracked.
If the tracking is based on the national radar tracking, then you are correct. If it’s based on a feed from a local radar site, then every 1200 code will also show up, and the tower logs can be used to identify the alleged offender. This place sounds like Boca Raton. Is it?
Yes, and according to the press release, BCT is the fourth airport to provide free internet tracking to the local residents. IIRC, SJC and LAX are 2 of the others. D.
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I think we should do whatever we can to drive the prices of airport houses down–then we pilots can scarf them up so the trip to the airport doesn’t take 45 minutes <G
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The local airport board provides seats for these people. It’s counterproductive but it satisfied them for a while. Then they took over control of the board with some sneaky underhanded scheming.
Here’s a very tough question, Mr. Doug: When’s the last time you or one of your cronies attended one of the board meetings? I am on the Chamber board for our local airport. Not much power but I do hear about stuff before the rest of the population hears of it. This position is temporary since I have already solicited the mayor of my small town to put me on the board when a position is vacated. If there are no pilots on the board, and no pilots are soliciting your own mayor to get on the board, you have it coming to you, man. I dare say this kinda crap ain’t gonna happen at my local airport. Not while I’m still flying. Anyhoo, the answer to all of this: Get involved. If you are involved, get involved even more. — Jim Fisher Cherokee 180 www.EAAChapter615.org
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works tracking aircraft in the terminal area, either. I was under the impression that only aircraft on ARTCC radar get tracked. If the tracking is based on the national radar tracking, then you are correct. If it’s based on a feed from a local radar site, then every 1200 code will also show up, and the tower logs can be used to identify the alleged offender.
There aren’t any feeds from local radar, it is not recorded like the centers radar is. Even if it were there wouldn’t be any way of easily correlating the radar to a specific plane without sitting there and listening to the tower tapes minute for minute while at the same time looking at the radar display.
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There are, at this very moment, lots of upper-mid-class houses being built underneath the pattern of my airport (KMSL). I can easily foresee the very same thing happening to me that is happening to Doug. That’s one of the reasons I’m involved right now–I want to be there when that very first resident walks in the door and start bitching and, hopefully, put a stop to it before it starts. If we–all of us–aren’t doing this right now at our local airports, we deserve what we get.
so best thing would be producing a small flyer and hand it put to them to let them know that there is an airport and that airpanes produce noise. #m — Falling in love is bad. It causes you to make poor decisions. Paying too much for a plane is pretty mild; it has caused some people to get married and have kids.
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Get the AOPA involved. They have some clout and they also know how to deal with these kinds of problems. They deal with them often. If the government ever provided money for the airport those residents might be in for a big surprise. Is there an ASN volunteer representing the field? ASN=airport support network – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our local airport has a very vocal group of complainers who bought expensive homes next to the airport (which was built 20 years prior to any of them). Now they bitch about the noise. I can’t explain the stupidity especially considering that some of these people are in the upper stratosphere of industry and society. The local airport board provides seats for these people. It’s counterproductive but it satisfied them for a while. Then they took over control of the board with some sneaky underhanded scheming. First they approved a golf driving range that faces the runway and parallell taxiway (several planes have been hit). Then they approved a movie theater next to the driving range. Then they installed a control tower. Then they still heard airplane noise (Duh!). Now they are providing internet flight tracking to the surrounding residents so that the residents can complain about specific aircraft. The tracking screen shows aircraft type, track, and altitude, but with a 10 minute delay for security reasons. After 1 hour, the registration number is shown. I figure the residents will target the jets of those who belong to the wrong country club first. Then they’ll go after the small planes. Then they’ll start infighting by bitching about their neighbor’s jet. The infighting will be fun to watch, but it will be the last step before the demise of the airport. WTF? The local pilots’ group would love to please these people, but they can’t be pleased. They get meaner and nastier every day. Cement block is the preferred construction method here, so they can’t be burned out. It sucks to feel so helpless. D.
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IBM closed shop here 10 years ago.
"Here?" Are you based around here?
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and KBED (no golf, but the anti-airport morons believe in free speech, unless you try to speak in support of the airport). I wasn’t aware that the airport protestors in Bedford had opposed anyone’s right to express disagreement with them. Could you provide any details, please?
reported in the Boston Globe’s Northwest section – a resident of one of the four area communities tried to get up at a meeting and talk in support of KBED was shouted down, harassed, and not allowed to be heard. (fyi – the Globe is just a "bit" biased in favor of the liberals, so their even reporting it was significant) The protestors I’ve spoken to there have not opposed GA flying or other airport uses that were part of the status quo. But they sought to curtail expanded airliner traffic.
Perhaps they "forgot" to tell you about the opposition to the construction of new T-hangars. Or their opposition to cutting down trees that are intruding on protected airspace. Or their opposition to any "increase" in the number of operations – even when the number is still way below the levels of the late 80’s. Those are not airliner traffic issues. — Bob (I think people can figure out how to email me… ) (replace ihatessppaamm with my name (rnoel) and hw1 with mediaone)
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If there are no pilots on the board, and no pilots are soliciting your own mayor to get on the board, you have it coming to you, man. I dare say this kinda crap ain’t gonna happen at my local airport. Not while I’m still flying. Anyhoo, the answer to all of this: Get involved. If you are involved, get involved even more.
Because I live in Woburn (not one of the 4 communities of beautiful people), I’m not considered to have in interest in the operation of KBED. But I probably live closer to the airport than most of the vocal anti-airport crowd. In fact, I live just inside the OM for one of the runways (the preferred runway). I’d love to get involved, but when the other side is simply interested in eliminating airplanes, there isn’t any compromise available. — Bob (I think people can figure out how to email me… ) (replace ihatessppaamm with my name (rnoel) and hw1 with mediaone)
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I got a bumper sticker in Tucson that says "I Love Airplane Noise". Displayed proudly…
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sympathies, Doug. It seems that residential lots near airports attract stupid people all across the nation. The only possible help I am aware of is AOPA – they have a group called the Airport Support Network, here is a link to their website: http://www.aopa.org/asn/ Good luck, and by the way, I want one of those bumper stickers that says "stupidity should hurt." Barry
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| | WTF? The local pilots’ group would love to please these people, but they | can’t be pleased. They get meaner and nastier every day. Cement block is the | preferred construction method here, so they can’t be burned out. Cement block walls are very good for hiding the bodies, er, soundproofing, however.
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I’d love to get involved, but when the other side is simply interested in eliminating airplanes, there isn’t any compromise available.
Respectfully, Bob, that sounds like a cop-out. There are, at this very moment, lots of upper-mid-class houses being built underneath the pattern of my airport (KMSL). I can easily foresee the very same thing happening to me that is happening to Doug. That’s one of the reasons I’m involved right now–I want to be there when that very first resident walks in the door and start bitching and, hopefully, put a stop to it before it starts. If we–all of us–aren’t doing this right now at our local airports, we deserve what we get. — Jim Fisher Cherokee 180 www.EAAChapter615.org
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Iowa City had airline service into the 1970s. When the airlines approached the city to extend the runways (to allow jet service), the city balked. Too many activists jumped aboard the noise band-wagon, and (as always happens in this town) the vocal minority stopped progress cold.
Man! Times were different then. Do you think activists would come out of the woodwork it that same proposal was made today? To hear your fussings about the socialist establishment of your little town, prolly so. There’s a substantiated rumor floating around my town that a jet engine maintenance plant is seriously looking at my little airport for a base of operations. They’d haul in 747s, overhaul the engines, then fly them back out. I get a mental boner thinking of the sweet sound of large Pratt &Whitney engines overhead . . . Anyway, our local slightly liberal paper recently printed the news and, so far, I haven’t heard anyone bitching but, as I stated in another post, I’m standing here with my figurative guns loaded if someone dares to open their mouth in opposition–especially those folks building $300,000.00 houses underneath the pattern. Ya’ gotta expect this stuff and be prepared for it, you know. — Jim Fisher Cherokee 180 www.EAAChapter615.org
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Now they are providing internet flight tracking to the surrounding residents so that the residents can complain about specific aircraft.
I don’t understand how this is going to help. It won’t show VFR aircraft. So maybe that’s one way to negate anything they might hope to achieve by using this system – just arrive VFR whenever possible! I don’t know how well that stuff works tracking aircraft in the terminal area, either. I was under the impression that only aircraft on ARTCC radar get tracked. This place sounds like Boca Raton. Is it? — Larry Fransson Seattle, WA
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This place sounds like Boca Raton. Is it? Also sounds eerily similar to Reid-Hillview airport in San Jose, CA. I bet it could be any one of dozens of places.
and KBED (no golf, but the anti-airport morons believe in free speech, unless you try to speak in support of the airport). — Bob (I think people can figure out how to email me… ) (replace ihatessppaamm with my name (rnoel) and hw1 with mediaone)
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and KBED (no golf, but the anti-airport morons believe in free speech, unless you try to speak in support of the airport).
I wasn’t aware that the airport protestors in Bedford had opposed anyone’s right to express disagreement with them. Could you provide any details, please? The protestors I’ve spoken to there have not opposed GA flying or other airport uses that were part of the status quo. But they sought to curtail expanded airliner traffic. –Gary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — Bob (I think people can figure out how to email me… ) (replace ihatessppaamm with my name (rnoel) and hw1 with mediaone)
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The protestors I’ve spoken to there have not opposed GA flying or other airport uses that were part of the status quo. But they sought to curtail expanded airliner traffic.
Well, Gary, that’s where it starts. Then success breeds success. Iowa City had airline service into the 1970s. When the airlines approached the city to extend the runways (to allow jet service), the city balked. Too many activists jumped aboard the noise band-wagon, and (as always happens in this town) the vocal minority stopped progress cold. So, the airlines took their toys and left (for Cedar Rapids), never to return. And now the city can’t justify the expense of a G.A. airport…so they want to, well, you know the rest… — Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993
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I think we have relatives of those same people around here. If you ever fly into HPN look off the south end of 16-34. Those are not inexpensive homes, those start at over $1 million. Well over $1 million. The buyers had to sign agreements with the developer stating they understood there would be noise from the airport, but they still are very vocal about it. Some very large corporations (GE, IBM, others) have a major presence here and have stated they will move their offices and money elsewhere if the airport is closed so at least that will never happen as it would be political suicide due to the job loss that would result. I wouldn’t mind a house near the airport, but I wouldn’t be so stupid as to put one right off the end of the main runway.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our local airport has a very vocal group of complainers who bought expensive homes next to the airport (which was built 20 years prior to any of them). Now they bitch about the noise. I can’t explain the stupidity especially considering that some of these people are in the upper stratosphere of industry and society. The local airport board provides seats for these people. It’s counterproductive but it satisfied them for a while. Then they took over control of the board with some sneaky underhanded scheming. First they approved a golf driving range that faces the runway and parallell taxiway (several planes have been hit). Then they approved a movie theater next to the driving range. Then they installed a control tower. Then they still heard airplane noise (Duh!). Now they are providing internet flight tracking to the surrounding residents so that the residents can complain about specific aircraft. The tracking screen shows aircraft type, track, and altitude, but with a 10 minute delay for security reasons. After 1 hour, the registration number is shown. I figure the residents will target the jets of those who belong to the wrong country club first. Then they’ll go after the small planes. Then they’ll start infighting by bitching about their neighbor’s jet. The infighting will be fun to watch, but it will be the last step before the demise of the airport. WTF? The local pilots’ group would love to please these people, but they can’t be pleased. They get meaner and nastier every day. Cement block is the preferred construction method here, so they can’t be burned out. It sucks to feel so helpless. D.
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My sympathies, Doug. It seems that residential lots near airports attract stupid people all across the nation. The only possible help I am aware of is AOPA – they have a group called the Airport Support Network, here is a link to their website: http://www.aopa.org/asn/ Good luck, and by the way, I want one of those bumper stickers that says "stupidity should hurt." Barry
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In article Our local airport has a very vocal group of complainers who bought expensive homes next to the airport (which was built 20 years prior to any of them). Now they bitch about the noise. I can’t explain the stupidity especially considering that some of these people are in the upper stratosphere of industry and society.
Peter principal. Not all of the anti-airport jerks are like the long island looney bird. The local airport board provides seats for these people. It’s counterproductive but it satisfied them for a while. Then they took over control of the board with some sneaky underhanded scheming. First they approved a golf driving range that faces the runway and parallell taxiway (several planes have been hit).
what did the insurance companies do? [snip] WTF? The local pilots’ group would love to please these people, but they can’t be pleased.
they can indeed be pleased. Just stop flying over the houses of those beautiful people. — Bob (I think people can figure out how to email me… ) (replace ihatessppaamm with my name (rnoel) and hw1 with mediaone)
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Our local airport has a very vocal group of complainers who bought expensive homes next to the airport (which was built 20 years prior to any of them). Now they bitch about the noise. I can’t explain the stupidity especially considering that some of these people are in the upper stratosphere of industry and society. The local airport board provides seats for these people. It’s counterproductive but it satisfied them for a while. Then they took over control of the board with some sneaky underhanded scheming. First they approved a golf driving range that faces the runway and parallell taxiway (several planes have been hit). Then they approved a movie theater next to the driving range. Then they installed a control tower. Then they still heard airplane noise (Duh!). Now they are providing internet flight tracking to the surrounding residents so that the residents can complain about specific aircraft. The tracking screen shows aircraft type, track, and altitude, but with a 10 minute delay for security reasons. After 1 hour, the registration number is shown. I figure the residents will target the jets of those who belong to the wrong country club first. Then they’ll go after the small planes. Then they’ll start infighting by bitching about their neighbor’s jet. The infighting will be fun to watch, but it will be the last step before the demise of the airport. WTF? The local pilots’ group would love to please these people, but they can’t be pleased. They get meaner and nastier every day. Cement block is the preferred construction method here, so they can’t be burned out. It sucks to feel so helpless. D.