East Hampton Helicopter Noise

Folks:

How is it possible that the airport operators have been allowed to destroy the essence of living in the East End for thousands of residents?

What you see below has recently been posted to the Sag Harbor Express website. One might call it “Two Days of Aircraft Hell”:

“I live in a quiet, private, serene and peaceful environment bordered on one one side by the Sag Harbor Bay and the other by the Linda Gronlund Memorial Nature Preserve.

Some of the aircraft/helicopters are now flying within several hundred feet directly above property minutes apart. Can’t hear, can’t talk the house is vibrating not to mention what this is doing to the wildlife in the Nature Preserve. The amount of pure and absolute disruption that this “new” commercial air-traffic invasion has instilled on this community is outrageous and unacceptable.

This air traffic is out of control and destroying this beautiful, peaceful, bucolic, serene neighborhood.

This is now a typical day and this log by no means represents “ALL” of the air traffic passing overhead, but only a portion)

AIRCRAFT NOISE COMPLAINT LOG: JULY 18th, 2014

7:02am unknown (sleep disturbance)
7:25am helicopter (off course, sleep disturbance)
8:05am helicopter (off course, low flying)
8:56am helicopter
10:01am helicopter
10:58am helicopter
11:02am jet
11:09am prop
11:27am jet (flying way, way too low)
11:40am twin engine plane
11:48am helicopter
11:52am prop
11:58am helicopter (flying too low)
12;21pm twin engine plane (flying too low)
12:39pm prop
12:42pm unknown
12;55pm unknown
12:58pm twin engine plane
1:02pm helicopter
1:15pm helicopter
1:20pm twin engine plane (low flying)
1:22pm twin engine plane (low flying)
2:42pm twin engine plane (low flying)
2:49pm helicopter
2:51pm helicopter (flying way way too low)
3:03pm unknown
3:28pm unknown
3:36pm unknown
3:40pm helicopter
4:06pm unknown
4:10pm helicopter (flying too low)
4:16pm helicopter (flying too low)
4:25pm prop
4:46pm helicopter
5:07pm unknown
5:13pm unknown
5:20pm helicopter
5:25pm helicopter
5:31pm helicopter
5:39pm helicopter (off course, flying too low)
5:54pm helicopter (flying too low)
6:06pm unknown
6:07pm helicopter
6:10pm unknown
6:37pm helicopter
6:43pm helicopter
6:54pm helicopter
7:23pm helicopter
7:29pm unknown
7:51pm helicopter
9:05pm helicopter (flying too low, sleep disturbance))
10:06pm helicopter (flying too low, sleep disturbance)

AIRCRAFT NOISE COMPLAINT LOG: JULY, 11TH 2014

5:20AM helicopter (too early, sleep disturbance)
1:04PM helicopter
1:14PM helicopter
1:29PM helicopter
1:35PM helicopter
1:43PM helicopter
2:03PM Jet (off course, very low)
2:06PM helicopter
2:08PM helicopter (off course)
2:35PM helicopter (off course)
3:08PM helicopter (off course + too low)
3:36PM helicopter
3:43PM helicopter
4:06PM helicopter
4:18PM helicopter
5:00PM helicopter
5:13PM helicopter
5:15PM helicopter
5:18PM helicopter
5:24PM helicopter
5:43PM helicopter(off course)
6:01PM helicopter(off course and flying low)
6:04PM helicopter
6:07PM helicopter
6:23PM seaplane
6:28PM helicopter
6:40PM helicopter
6:41PM helicopter
6:48PM jet
6:49PM helicopter (off course)
6:57PM helicopter
7:01PM helicopter
7:10PM helicopter
8:28PM helicopter
8:38PM helicopter

AIRCRAFT NOISE COMPLAINT LOG: JULY, 13TH 2014

9:57am helicopter
11:21am helicopter
2:25pm helicopter
2:26pm helicopter (too low!)
2:30pm unknown
2:41pm unknown (flying very low)
3:16pm helicopter
3:19pm helicopter
3:44pm helicopter
3:49pm helicopter (way way too low-I have this helicopter on video)
4:33pm helicopter (too low)
4:41pm helicopter
5:14pm helicopter (way way too low and off course)
5:23PM helicopter (way way too low)
5:51pm helicopter
6:02pm helicopter (too low)
6:04pm unknown (loud, low flying, house vibrating)
6:08pm seaplane (very low flying 800′)
6:16pm helicopter
6:29pm helicopter (very very low flying)
6:32pm helicopter (very very low flying)
6:38pm helicopter (off course)
6:42pm helicopter
6:57pm helicopter
7:05pm helicopter
7:27pm helicopter
9:00pm helicopter”

Pandering to those that are destroying the East End is unacceptable. We need to take our community back from the commercial interests bent on selling us out. Those who claimed that the control tower would alleviate noise intentionally lied. The control tower has apparently led to a dramatic increase in operations. The airport is a disaster environmentally and socially and economically–for it lowers property values and rental and sales opportunities for thousands of homeowners. We should not tinker with curfews and modest restrictions–we need to take back our home. If the airport was closed tomorrow the vast majority of us would be far better off. That is simply a fact. If it did not exist it would never be created. That is also true.

Thanks for all that you can and will do to alleviate what has become the greatest threat to our region. Why should anyone who once lived in peace have to endure ceaseless aerial bombardment like the writer of the above note–and the thousands of others of us who decry this outrageous assault on our basic human rights? I for one am growing tired of stating the obvious: our once serene summer has been callously and unnecessarily destroyed.

Barry R