Quote of the Week:  "While the FAA does not consider the increase in noise or air traffic in Fairfield County to be significant, we do. " from New Caanan, Connecticut FAA Advisory Committee's 10 reasons they oppose the FAA's Airspace Redesign Plan

Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter #429.........................................................................May 20,  2007 Past newsletters can be accessed at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm  The PASSUR airport flight tracking system at many major U.S. airports  http://www.passur.com/sites.htm (you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the newsletter sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy rockaway@prodigy.net

It's Time To Change 1990 Airport Curfew Law!!!

As Bill Sees It: (Editorial): Its Time For A Change In 1990 Anti Airport Curfew Law!!! I'm always learning new things about the insidiousness of the Aviation Cabal (aviation industry, politicians and the FAA). I remember hearing a while back something about there being a federal law against local communities and airports putting a curfew on their own airports, especially at night. I don't know why I never investigated it further. However, last week I started doing research into it and found apparently there is such a rule in the 1990 Aircraft Noise and Capacity Act. I think it is outrageous that the federal government has taken away local control by communities over their own airports. Voluntary curfews are a joke. I have been looking at the Aircraft Noise And Capacity Act and found it full of confusing legalese obviously designed to sneak a no curfew rule past unsuspecting congress and communities. No doubt it was written this way by the airline industry and given to their congressional flunkies to push it through. However, any law passed can be amended or completely overturned. I think it is time to start on this one. Using the excuse that a community will interfere with the mysterious "national transportation system" (whatever that is) if they don't want loud planes going over their heads all night long shows the corrupt viciousness of  "our" government!!! I don't care if politicians who have sold out our health and quality of life stick it in a amnesty bill or a law that gives the FAA bosses salary increases, but I will not rest until local communities once again get control over their own airports!!! As far as I'm concerned any government employee, senator or congressperson who is not working to overturn this rule does not deserve to be feeding off our taxes. Maybe fighters for airport noise justice should start a countdown clock on THEM!!!

Is This The Part Of The 1990 Aviation Noise and Capacity Act That Prohibits Local Communities From Having A Night Curfew On Their" "Airport? Editor's Note: It's hard to tell what if this is the community prohibition as it seems to leave it up to the Secretary of Transportation. I suppose we will have to find out what the Secretary of Transportation recommended.

Page 480

(c) RECOMMENDATIONS - Not later than July 1, 1991, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress recommendations on- (1) the need for changes in the standards and procedures which govern the rights of State and local governments (including airport authorities) to restrict aircraft operations for the purpose of limiting aircraft noise; (2) the need for changes in the standards and procedures which govern law suits by persons adversely affected by aircraft noise; (3) the need for changes in standards and procedures for Federal regulation of airspace (including the pattern of operations for the air traffic control system) in order to take better account of environmental effects; (4) the need for changes in the Federal program providing assistance for noise abatement planning and programs, including the need for greater incentives or mandatory requirements for local restrictions on the use of land impacted by aircraft noise; (5) whether any changes in policy recommended in paragraphs (1) through (4) should be accomplished through regulatory, administrative, or legislative action; and (6) specific legislative proposals necessary for implementing the national aviation noise policy

Las Vegas, Nevada: New Night Flight Path Disturbs People's Sleep!!!  Residents hoping for a late night curfew on jets making the "right turn" might instead want to buy some earplugs and sleeping pills. Federal law makes it virtually impossible for McCarran International Airport officials to restrict departure times, according to Randall Walker, director of the Clark County Department of Aviation. Since March 20, on most days about 200 planes have been using the new flight path, taking off west and then arcing to the north -- a right turn -- before heading east. That flight path has divided the community. Those under the new departure path complain of sleepless nights, unusable patios and depreciating home values. The Federal Aviation Administration and McCarran noise complaint hot lines have been flooded with such complaints. Those living elsewhere in the valley say they have had to live with airplane noise for years, and it's about time residents under the new flight path share the burden. The city of Las Vegas has a lawsuit pending in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the FAA's finding that the flight path would have no significant impact on the environment. The city pitched restricted flight times as a compromise with federal and airport officials. But Walker said several issues make it impossible to limit the hours of flights. In particular, a 1990 federal law requires airports seeking to restrict air space for noise reasons to follow a lengthy set of rules. The rules demand that "the restriction is reasonable, nonarbitrary, and nondiscrimatory." Editor's Note: How long will the Federal Government (obviously run by the airline industry) and the FAA be allowed to destroy people's sleep and health? http://www.lvrj.com/news/7509682.html 

New Canaan, Connecticut Committee Gives Reasons It Opposes FAA's Airspace Redesign Plan!!! The  FAA Advisory Committee this week released “Ten Reasons to Oppose the FAA Airspace Redesign Plan.” The committee, after conducting research on the issue and attending the FAA’s Public Information Session in Stamford on Tuesday, April 24, concluded that the plan as proposed by the FAA will have a “significant negative impact” on the quality of life in New Canaan and Fairfield County. “We prepared this document so that the people of New Canaan will have a better understanding of the impact that the FAA’s plan will have on our community,” Selectman and Committee chairman Paul Giusti said in a press release. “We want people to be informed so that we can work together to oppose the implementation of this plan.” “The FAA’s plan will dramatically increase the number of airplanes over New Canaan and Fairfield County,” Mr. Giusti said. “We need to make certain that our elected representatives in Washington understand loud and clear that we are opposed to this plan. Implementation of the FAA’s plan will cause a deterioration of our quality of life and that is simply not acceptable.” Read article below or go to: http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/newcanaan/18111.shtml 

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                                    Important Aviation News Stories This Week

Those under the new departure path complain of sleepless nights, unusable patios and depreciating home values. The Federal Aviation Administration and McCarran noise complaint hot lines have been flooded with such complaints.

Those living elsewhere in the valley say they have had to live with airplane noise for years, and it's about time residents under the new flight path share the burden.

The city of Las Vegas has a lawsuit pending in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the FAA's finding that the flight path would have no significant impact on the environment.

The city pitched restricted flight times as a compromise with federal and airport officials.

But Walker said several issues make it impossible to limit the hours of flights. In particular, a 1990 federal law requires airports seeking to restrict air space for noise reasons to follow a lengthy set of rules. The rules demand that "the restriction is reasonable, nonarbitrary, and nondiscrimatory."

That condition would make it impossible to eliminate early morning or late night right-turn flights without also eliminating all other departures at those times, Walker said.

Since the law's passage no airport has successfully met the federal requirements to restrict aviation space, Walker said. As a result, the airport is not going to look at restricting flights, he said.

"We're not going to spend money on a task that's impossible," Walker said. "Under the rules, that would basically be a non-starter."

Del Meadows, FAA air traffic manager for the Las Vegas district, said the busiest hours for the airport, and the hours when the right turn is most needed for efficiency and capacity, are between 10:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.

"We didn't create (the new flight path) to take the noise and move it someplace else. We did this for airspace reasons," he said.

Ultimately, though, any decision to restrict hours of operation would have to be made by the airport, Meadows said.

Airports with restricted flight times, known as curfews in the aviation community, had them in place before the 1990 law and the restrictions were grandfathered in, Walker and Meadows said.

Anne Kohut, publisher of the Airport Noise Report, a national newsletter, agreed that airports cannot put mandatory restrictions to curb noise.

But she said other airports have had voluntary noise procedures put in place, such as using only certain runways late at night. Those voluntary procedures would have to be agreed upon by community representatives, airport officials, the FAA and airlines, she said. Getting that kind of consensus is unlikely in Las Vegas' contentious debate.

Clark County and the FAA have recently stepped up their defense of the departure path, saying it improves efficiency and capacity at the airport.

"Let me say, without equivocation and without hesitation, the new departure is every bit as safe as the previous one and every other procedure in use at this airport," Meadows said.

In response to Meadows' statement, Mayor Oscar Goodman said: "I'd like to interrogate him under oath."

Goodman has said his major concern about the flight path is safety.

Councilman Steve Wolfson said he has set up a meeting with Walker for later this week to discuss options for noise abatement, including limiting flight times.

"The community is as bothered and annoyed and appalled as ever," Wolfson said.

But FAA and McCarran officials said some of the complaints that have poured in since the change are unfounded.

The FAA gets complaints about the right turn on days when that configuration is not in use, Meadows said.

Some complaints have come in from residents near Palace Station, at Sahara Avenue near Martin Luther King Boulevard. A takeoff pattern over that area has been used for decades when high or shifting winds force the airport to use different runways for departures.

Other complaints have been about planes at 4 a.m., when there are no flights making the right turn. That noise is from flights going to the Nevada Test Site as they have for years.

"Any airplane in the northwest area now that's up there for any reason, people are attributing to the right turn," Meadows said.