East Hampton Helicopter Noise

Hi Frank,

Nice to get your emails…

As you are aware I have been complaining to the town supervisor of Southold as he does attend some meetings on the helo noise issue for years now.

I live in Mattituck just east of the Mattituck Airbase.  The helo noise is as loud and more frequent than ever.  Although rare, this morning (8/5) at around 0030 a loud helo awoke me from a deep sleep.  It is not very common for helos to fly at late at night but it does happen occasionally.  (No is was not a SCPD Medivac chopper, a C-130 or rescue chopper out of Westhampton Beach they have a very different sound.)  On rare occasion after 2300 or before 0600 we hear/see helos flying to/from East Hampton.  I was awoken a couple years ago at 0430 by a helo but as I said that is rare.  With the helos making full speed beating feet east or westbound we hear them from horizon to horizon and it is very very annoying.

I am not normally home during the day on a weekday but today I took a vacation day… I was in the backyard around 1530 today (8/5) and I got the pleasure of hearing and seeing two helos a few minutes apart from one another.  The first westbound on was at about 1500 feet and the second about 600′ both flying pretty much directly overhead.   My wife and I were having a discussion that of course was interrupted until the passed this is very typical here in Mattituck.

I am willing to put up with EMS and ANG planes and helos as they are less frequent, and made a more tolerable sound, but we are with you the “commuter” traffic has to stop or be vectored away from people!  It is getting worse year by year.

The lame grandstanding “work” that Schumer and Bishop did is complete and pure “Poppy-Cock”!  They took the advice of the ERHC as the solution to the noise problem… all I can say is “they” must have greased those two very well to take the “advice” of the fox that guards the hen house.  As noted in the past 2500′ is not high enough nor do all even fly at 2500′ over my home most don’t.  I met the ERHC PR guy Bob Grotell once a couple years ago and that was pretty much a waste of time he felt the new routing would resolve the problem… it has not.

It would be nice to have one of these at my home dumped to a PC or website to report real altitudes etc. http://www.zaon.aero/content/view/2/41/ or http://www.zaon.aero/content/view/12/40/

Although the rest of the island has a slightly different problem than you do, the issues are directly connected.  The FAA has stood off taking serious aim at the problem (for obvious reasons) and it only can be solved by them.  Your plan to force the town to close the airport albeit drastic should get some ears to perk up.  At least you can enjoy some music from the concert on the 13th at the airport… maybe it will drown out the helo noise!

(You may use all or part of the e-mail how you see fit for our cause)

Jon A
Mattituck