Quote of the Week:  “A citizens’ advisory committee will guarantee that residents who live in proximity to the airport have an opportunity to both hear and be heard on the future growth of Stewart Airport,”  from Sen. Schumer press release (see below) this week

Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter #430.........................................................................May 27,  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

Airport Expansions Sparking More Protests!!!

As Bill Sees It: (Editorial): The Internet Is Activists Best Weapon To Fight The Aviation Cabal: The Aviation Cabal (the airlines, FAA and their political agents) has pushed around towns, villages and even large cities because they were not united. Alone against a vicious aviation industry-controlled  government agency, with their political stooges, communities are almost powerless. However, this may be turning around because of the ability of the Internet to unite the aviation cabal's victims. We can see that we are not alone and that other communities, who have seen their quality of life diminished, are fighting back, and sometimes having small victories over the aviation cabal monster. The picture on the right is from an April airport protest on the youtube site. I am looking forward to seeing more protests against the aviation cabal on the Internet. Maybe the politicians which have been serving the airline industry so well over the years might start listening to their victims for a change. Sen. Schumer Proposes A Citizens Advisory Committee For New York's Stewart Airport!!! This week there were news stories about a press release from Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling for a "citizens advisory committee" after the Stewart Airport lease is bought out by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from the private British company that now controls it. This is a step in the right direction as local communities are complaining already about a "tripling" of air traffic at Stewart Airport!!! I don't see why the same people who will run the airport (the  Port Authority) should also select the "citizens" who will be the committee. I would hate to see another rubber stamp committee composed of businessmen and political stooges (always with so-called "environmentalist" credentials), which is the way many of these committees wind up after the politicians are finished milking their creation for press releases. As this committee is only an advisory committee, I don't see why it shouldn't be truly democratic and open  to everyone who is interested in the many environmental impacts an expanded Steward Airport will inflict on nearby communities. So far the Port Authority has not responded to Schumer's proposal. They also haven't responded to the letter written to them by a coalition of upstate New York environmental groups; which is no surprise to me. So much for their executive director's (Anthony Shorris) promise that he wanted to have local input influencing Port Authority decisions for Stewart Airport. I guess that all depends on what you mean by "local input." A few weeks ago a Port Authority spokesman used a meeting with businessmen, twenty-five miles from the airport, as proof they already had local input. I have seen how the Port Authority, like the FAA, uses politics, rather than science and fairness, when dealing with communities over noise and routing issues. Although I'm not a member of this coalition, I have been in contact with some of their members, and I am impressed with the way they are addressing the impending takeover.

Stewart Airport, New York: Citizens Group Pleased With Senator’s Call For Stewart Airport Advisory Group: Newburgh – US Senator Charles Schumer’s call to the Port Authority for them to establish a citizens’ advisory committee when they take over Stewart Airport at Newburgh late this year was prompted by a position paper drafted by Ulsterites Fight Overflight Noise. The group, which has developed into a regional umbrella organization for the Hudson Valley and Catskills, presented a position paper to the Port recently and it included creation of the committee. The group recently met with a Schumer aid and that prompted the call for the citizens committee. Group leader Maureen Radl said it is needed for the Port to get a read on what the community of the region is thinking. “If they want to create an airport that is really working for everyone’s benefit, they have to include the people who are most immediately affected by this development and they need to do that as soon as possible,” she said. “People need to be involved in the earliest stages of the planning, and  then a balance can be created between economic development and the people who are surrounding the airport.” There is no comment from the Port yet on the proposal. The Port expects to buy the 93 years remaining on the lease of Stewart from Great Britain’s National Express Group this fall.  http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/BUSINESS/70525013 Local People Trying To Save Recreation Lake From New York's Stewart Airport Expansion: Memorial Day ushers in the start of summer. Here in Orange County, we are again without an affordable  recreation area in a beautiful setting. Many of us have happy memories of taking our children to Crestview Lake for a day of fun with other families and friends. Local folks as well as people from all over Orange County have been using the lake for more than 30 years. Crestview Lake sits on land owned by the New York state Department of Transportation. Over the years, it has been leased out to union Local 445, the Town of New Windsor and Orange County Parks. Recently there has been renewed interest in this one-of-a kind facility. Crestview Lake is the only swimming and recreational area available for the residents of Orange County. In spite of recent construction on Drury Lane, the lake is in pristine condition. The DOT took me and three other interested women on a tour in November. We were pleasantly surprised at how lovely it looked. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/OPINION/705250303 

Unfair, Racist and Politically Influenced JFK Airport Routing To Get Even WORSE? (Thanks to NJCANN president Robert Belzer for sending me this story) The May 23 issue of Aviation Daily includes a story (subscribers only) by my colleague Adrian Schofield on how a new working group headed by IATA -- including airlines, airport and FAA representatives -- hopes to help cut delays and handle expected traffic growth at JFK Airport. The JFK operational review and improvement team is intended to find short-term solutions to congestion at the airport, Cerda said. There are plenty of long-term efforts underway -- such as airspace redesign -- but airlines want results sooner. The working group spurred a new runway configuration proposal. During the early afternoon arrival bank, two of the four JFK runways would be dedicated to arrivals, and one to departures. The evening departure banks would see this configuration reversed, with two runways earmarked for departures and one for arrivals. FAA is currently evaluating this proposal, and MITRE and Delta are running simulations. If these studies show no problems, the new procedures could be implemented this summer, Cerda said. He believes there would be no safety implications using three runways simultaneously, but using four would require much more study. Editor's Note: I'm sure the "evening" (FAAspeak for late night/early morning ) departures will continue to be dumped on the poor and minority areas of Rockaway while carefully avoiding the wealthy, white and politically-connected  Long Island communities. The Airspace Redesign Scheme also carefully avoided mentioning the unfair, racist and politically influenced routing of JFK Airport. That is so the increased JFK flights  will continue to be CONCENTRATED on those lease able to fight against them. I wonder when Sen. Schumer is going to call for citizens advisory committee for JFK and LaGuardia Airports?    http://aviationweek.typepad.com/airports/2007/05/iata_leads_work.html 

Boulder, Colorado:

Naples, Florida: Noise Expert: Airports Not Obligated To Conduct Studies: The federal government does not mandate the noise study that residents are advocating in their attempt to convince officials to change the flight path out of Naples Municipal Airport. “There is no obligation for an airport to conduct a Part 150 study,” airport noise expert Ted Baldwin told residents this afternoon at City Hall during an airport noise forum. However, he said the Federal Aviation Administration does review Part 150 noise studies and is more likely to accept noise abatement procedures adopted by airports that have conducted them. Old Naples residents who believe that a new Part 150 study would provide information to make a case to change the current flight path out of Naples Municipal Airport. They have not yet been able to persuade the Naples Airport Authority, which runs the airport, to move forward with the study. But there are several new faces on the authority commission since the residents’ lobbying effort began in 2005. Today, pilots are asked to make a southwesterly turn over Old Naples after takeoff over neighborhoods where residents who are advocating the new study live. Old Naples residents believe a new Part 150 study could justify a new takeoff pattern over Naples Bay. But that would bring the jets closer to the communities of Port Royal, Aqualane Shores and Royal Harbor, something residents there say they would not like to see. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/may/23/noise_expert_airports_not_obligated_conduct_studie/?breaking_news  Editor's Note: If Naples Airport is the best I wonder about the worst!!! Once again it seems politics is used by the FAA, who must approve any airport routing decision, instead of fairness and science.

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                                    Important Aviation News Stories This Week

Ulsterites Against Overflight Noise (UFO) Letter To Sen. Schumer's Hudson Valley Regional Director

TO:        Mike Morey

              Hudson Valley Regional Director for US Senator Charles E. Schumer

FROM:  Maureen Radl

RE:        Discussion Regarding Stewart Airport on May 17, 2007

Date:      May 21, 2007

 I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for arranging a meeting with representatives of Ulsterites Fight Overeflight Noise and SPARC on issues pertaining to the Port Authority’s planned development for Stewart International Airport and to review some of topics we discussed on Thursday.

• Many of our concerns are outlined in our letter to Anthony Shorris, Executive Director of the PA, but the first and most immediate is to create an advisory board of citizens to work on the redesign of Stewart. This will provide an opportunity for the surrounding communities to help create an airport that will balance development with the needs of the residents who will be most impacted by it.  The committee should be composed of representatives of citizen groups that fall under the shadow of the airport.  Any of the groups who signed our letter to Mr. Shorris would be able to make valuable contributions, but we also feel representatives of local resident associations close to the airport, such as the New Windsor Residents’ Association, should be invited to participate. Inclusion should be community driven rather originating from government or business. This advisory board should be formed as soon as possible.

• The scope of this project requires that the PA undertake a revision of the master plan for Stewart which will be subjected to environmental review. This must include an examination of the local infrastructure and its ability to handle the proposed development.

• Information meetings should be held as soon as possible to answer questions from the public and to permit open dialogue on Stewart’s development. Public officials should also be invited to address the issues.

• The description of Stewart as a “regional airport” and the role that cargo will play in its development must be clearly defined from the start.

• Tax revenues for mass transport could be put to better use by creating rapid rail connections between Boston , New York , and the District of Columbia , than by creating extraordinary means to bring metropolitan passengers to Stewart.

• Since the Port Authority is a public entity, the public has the right to expect complete transparency on the part of the PA.  We, therefore, request copies of its agreement with National Express Group and all other documents pertaining to it.

Thank you for the advice and suggestions you offered during this initial meeting.  It was encouraging for us to find someone who is attentive and open to discussing the issues we raised. We look forward to hearing from you within two weeks and to working with you and Sen. Schumer on this project which, perhaps more than any other, will have a profound impact on the Mid-Hudson / Catskill Region over the next decade.

Maureen Radl

Ulsterites Fight Overflight Noise

New York’s Senator

CHARLES E. SCHUMER

  313 Hart Senate Office Building • Washington , DC 20510

Phone:  (202) 224-7433 • Fax: (202) 228-1218 • Web: schumer.senate.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                 CONTACT: Alex Detrick

May 24, 2007                                                                                                               (202) 224-7433

WITH STEWART AIRPORT RAPIDLY GROWING, SCHUMER CALLS ON PORT AUTHORITY TO INCLUDE HUDSON VALLEY RESIDENTS IN DISCUSSIONS ON FUTURE DIRECTION OF AIRPORT

With the Recent Addition of Jet Blue and Air Tran Service and a Spike in Ridership, Stewart is Expected to Grow

As PA Prepares to Run Stewart, Local Residents Must Be Included in Plans for Future Growth

Schumer Calls on PA Director to Create a Citizens’ Advisory Committee so Local Residents and Citizen Groups Have a Place at the Table

With air service at Stewart International Airport rapidly increasing and its role in the Hudson Valley Region only expected to expand in the future, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called for giving local residents and citizen groups a greater voice in the discussions over the airport’s future. As the Port Authority (PA) of New York and New Jersey prepares for the operational takeover of Stewart, Schumer stressed the time was ripe for the PA to create a citizen’s advisory board, allowing community members a place at the table to ensure the airport’s expansion is conducted in a smart and balanced manner.

“By including community groups and local residents in the debate over the future growth of Stewart Airport , we’ll be able to strike the right balance of expanding the airport while preserving the region’s quality of life,” said Senator Schumer. “In establishing a citizens’ advisory committee, the Port Authority will make sure the voices of residents and communities affected by Stewart are both heard and considered when discussing the airports’ expansion.”

Passenger numbers at the airport tripled this past April from 26,296 in 2006 to 85,450 in 2007. This year alone, Jet Blue and Air Tran began offering flights from the airport and Delta Airlines resumed service.  By years end, the airport expects to emplane 475,000-525,000 people, 3 times more than the 154,000 people who boarded plans at Stewart the previous calendar year. With the airport’s expansion in the region and local economy, surrounding communities need to be protected from an influx of travelers and other quality of life concerns.

Although commissions consisting of local representatives and government appointees have been established in the past, to date there has not been a committee formed by community groups and residents. The Senator stressed that such a committee is instrumental to ensuring the airport’s growth is managed in the smartest way possible.

“A citizens’ advisory committee will guarantee that residents who live in proximity to the airport have an opportunity to both hear and be heard on the future growth of Stewart Airport,” said Schumer.

In a letter today to PA Executive Director Anthony Shorris, Schumer stated the importance of establishing a citizens’ advisory board to ensure the region’s and airports symbiotic relationship continues through smart growth. Schumer wrote, “While I believe the overall growth of Stewart is good for the Hudson Valley residents and its economy, I also recognize that as the airport continues to grow, the concerns of local residents must be incorporated into the planning. A citizens’ advisory committee will ensure that the operators of the airport are well aware of the concerns of local residents, while at the same time making sure local residents are informed of the overall redesign of the airport.”

Schumer has been a longtime advocate for Stewart Airport , working to bring low-cost, consumer-friendly carriers to the airport, as well as calling for an increase in the number of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) passenger and baggage screeners to prevent growing security lines from crippling the airport.

Over the last year, Stewart has welcomed brand new service from two national low-cost carriers. On December 19, 2006, JetBlue began the first roundtrip flights to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando , and on January 5, 2007 expanded to two round trips, plus a round trip to West Palm Beach . In October, 2006, AirTran announced its new service to provide two daily roundtrips to Atlanta , which is AirTran’s hub, and one daily around trip to Orlando , Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa .