East Hampton Helicopter Noise

Dear David,

Please excuse the use of this quote again but I can’t help myself after seeing several full-page color ads in The East Hampton Star by the East Hampton Aviation Association: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” — Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), Mark Twain (1906).

Lies: “East Hampton Airport is getting smaller.” Shortening and eliminating one runway does not make the airport smaller. The airport property is the same size. Dirty, noisy helicopters don’t need runways, only the tarmac, to land. Since 2002, dirty, noisy helicopter traffic has expanded exponentially. We already proved the God-forsaken, unreliable air traffic data spewed by the airport manager, James Brundige, is grossly inaccurate.

Damned lies: “East Hampton Airport is quieter.” Household noise complaints from the noise hotline are neither scientific nor reliable to measure noise in the neighborhoods that are tortured and tormented by dirty, noisy helicopters (from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Tim Bishop’s joint press release). I made over 400 documented phone calls in one year; now I don’t make any more phone calls. That may make up the 60-percent decrease in complaints quoted in the association ad.

Aircraft noise is the number-one issue in East Hampton. Aircraft noise is the number-one issue at the Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee. East Hampton Airport and aircraft noise is the number-one issue in this year’s campaign. We, the people, need to vote the bums out!

Statistics: “According to New York State, the airport adds 91 jobs and $12.6 million to the local economy.” The association ad wishes its readers to believe New York State conducted a study of the financial impact of the East Hampton Airport on the local East Hampton economy. This is a lie based on the misuse of statistics based in propaganda.

The New York State Department of Transportation issued a report citing the economic impact of the New York State economy. Sikorsky helicopters have several operations in New York State that are located in Horseheads, N.Y., Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and Big Flats, N.Y. Except for Benny Krupinski’s helicopter, all dirty, noisy helicopters are based outside of East Hampton, in areas such as New Jersey, Dutchess County, and Westchester County.

Reputations take a lifetime to build. Integrity can be lost in a second. It is silly the board of the East Hampton Aviation Association lent their personal names to the full-page ads. Strictly by association, the folks named in this ad are now known as liars. Who can trust them anymore?

The time has come for we, the people to speak on Tuesday. It will be silly to vote for anyone who was in office that didn’t resolve the number-one issue in East Hampton, who served on the town board and didn’t stop the torture and torment. It will be silly to vote for anyone who commits to take Federal Aviation Administration money and cede control to the F.A.A. for another 20 years. It will be silly to vote for anyone who promises to continue the status quo, to continue the pain.

If it wasn’t so silly, it will be crazy to do otherwise on Tuesday. Vote for those who are willing to serve you.

Sincerely,
FRANK DALENE