East Hampton Helicopter Noise

The airport take-off and landing patterns are designed to keep order and safety in aircraft traffic around the airport. Helicopters approach the airport in all directions flying treetop level, flying under the pattern altitude thereby creating a chaotic and unsafe environment for those in the air and on the ground. This past Monday, Memorial Day, I captured on video, a close call between a helicopter and airplane intersecting paths. Based on my observations an accident is inevitable and if this administration does nothing, the blood will be on their hands. The time to act is now.

Helicopters were approaching one right behind the other the entire Memorial Day afternoon. I was on the second floor balcony when there was a short break in helicopter traffic. I saw an airplane in the airport traffic pattern after taking off. I panned with the airplane as I heard to my astonishment helicopters approaching and caught on video the helicopters, one behind the other intersecting the flight of an airplane in the airport pattern with only a small separation in altitude. These are the still shots from the video.

As I now pan with the first helicopter that intersected the airplane’s flight path, the trees come into view and the height of the helicopter is put into perspective as he comes over the residential homes at tree-top level, which he must do to scoot under airport pattern altitude. Helicopters flying this low are blasting 85dB – 90dB percussive, ground shaking, house ratteling noise on the homes in the residential district around the airport. Remember, I don’t live near the airport…I live 1.3 miles north almost by Route 114.

On the tail of the first helicopter is a second helicopter also intersecting the airplane’s flight path, flying lower still than the first helicopter. It is hard to imagine that this can happen and I could not believe what I was seeing. It is harder still for people to believe me when I explain and write about my observations from the balcony of my house. Finally, I have documentary evidence that captures the chaotic, out-of-control cowboys flying commercial helicopters into East Hampton Airport. Now, I call upon all our elected officials and all regulatory bodies from the Town of East Hampton to the United States Government to put an end to this madness. The full video can be viewed in the “Video” section of this website.

Gross Negligence: Defined by the Law Encyclopedia; An indifference to, and a blatant violation of, a legal duty with respect to the rights of others. Gross negligence is a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care, which is likely to cause foreseeable grave injury or harm to persons, property, or both.