[net.aviation] Poetic justice

dgb@mgwess.UUCP (Donald Beahm) (05/28/85)

The following article from "Illinois Avaition" is one persons idea of
poetic justice from the Aviation Community:


                        MAN BITES DOG

        In a reversal of roles most airports are unaccustomed to,
a Torrance,   California attorney has recently filed suit to raze
homes in a 5 mile radius of the airport because they are  ruining
his  free  access  to  the  airport.   Since his letter to 20,000
residents states the situation so eloquently  it  is  printed  in
full.   "I  deeply  regret  the need for trying to take away your
home.  However,   you must realize that  I  have  as  much  money
invested  in  my  airplane as you have  invested in your home and
that my airplane is just as important to me as your  home  is  to
you.  My airplane is of no use to me without an airport to land".

        "Therefore, since your elected officials  are  trying  to
take  my airplane away from me so you can enjoy your home, I have
no choice but to try to take your home away from  you  so  I  can
enjoy  my  airplane.   I  assure  you  we  have advised each City
Council member that you were going to be sued, and they  told  us
they  that  they  really  didn't  care".   Needless  to  say, the
Torrance City Council has received a few telephone calls.

Quoted from: "ILLINOIS AVIATION" Vol. 37, No. 3, May/June, 1985

rlr@avsdS.UUCP (Rhode L. Roberts) (06/03/85)

>         In a reversal of roles most airports are unaccustomed to,
> a Torrance,   California attorney has recently filed suit to raze
> homes in a 5 mile radius of the airport because they are  ruining
> his  free  access  to  the  airport.  
>
> My airplane is of no use to me without an airport to land".
> 
> Quoted from: "ILLINOIS AVIATION" Vol. 37, No. 3, May/June, 1985

*** RELAND THIS PLANE WITH YOUR MISSED APPROACH ***


What a great and novel idea, that really made my day!!
I wish I had a five dollar bill for every time I have
wanted to go on a cross country some where, and remembering
from an *old chart* that an airport was at the town I
wanted to go to.  Then, looking at current chart to figure
my flight plan, I find that the airport is no longer in
exsistance.  I have often wondered what I will do with
my plane when and if the powers that be decide that my
home base needs to be closed for a super market.  Now I
know what lead to follow.  Thanks for posting that article.

Rhode Roberts
Ampex Corp.
Redwood City, Ca.

medin@noscvax.UUCP (Ted Medin) (06/11/85)

>>         In a reversal of roles most airports are unaccustomed to,
>> a Torrance,   California attorney has recently filed suit to raze
>> homes in a 5 mile radius of the airport because they are  ruining
>> his  free  access  to  the  airport.  
>>
>> My airplane is of no use to me without an airport to land".
>> 
>> Quoted from: "ILLINOIS AVIATION" Vol. 37, No. 3, May/June, 1985

 And while were on this how about curfews. I would like to leave 
 early (0500) and the airport is closed til 0630 or come in late at
 nite and another closed airport. Sigh! We do need quieter birds
 but this is too much.

ems@amdahl.UUCP (ems) (06/17/85)

> >>         In a reversal of roles most airports are unaccustomed to,
> >> a Torrance,   California attorney has recently filed suit to raze
> >> homes in a 5 mile radius of the airport because they are  ruining
> >> his  free  access  to  the  airport.  
> >>
> >> My airplane is of no use to me without an airport to land".
> >> 
> >> Quoted from: "ILLINOIS AVIATION" Vol. 37, No. 3, May/June, 1985
> 
>  And while were on this how about curfews. I would like to leave 
>  early (0500) and the airport is closed til 0630 or come in late at
>  nite and another closed airport. Sigh! We do need quieter birds
>  but this is too much.

I know, I know, this is like wearing a white sheet to an NAACP
rally or advocating abortion at a Right-to-life meeting; but I
just have to do it ... (Who ME? Masochistic?)

My house does not make noise.  Airplanes do.  Make the airplanes quiet
and the problem will go away.  NASA has some VERY quiet craft used
to demonstrait that it can be done.

I *LOVE AND ADORE* aircraft.  I also live under the approach to
San Jose.  The vast majority of light aircraft are no problem at
all.  Every now and then, though, along comes some bozo making
what sounds like 120db in my back yard.  Mind you, I'm several
miles from the airport.  About where the big jets turn final.

Put a muffler on the one or two flying chain saw factories and most
of the problem with light aircraft will be solved.

My real gripe?  The commercial aircraft comming in low and slow
on very extended final,  Straight in from L.A. with no turns.
Maybe it's the fact that I have flown more in sailplanes than
private power, but it looks to me like they couldn't make the
field in a power off landing if they had to.  Why not get them
buzzards up a bit higher and glide in with minimum power and noise?

The other gripe?  I don't want to be awakened *EVERY DAY* at 5:00
and go to bed *EVERY NIGHT* at midnight.  Five hours a night won't
make it.  Either zone the areas in the flight path industrial, or
keep the aircraft quiet and the airports closed during normal sleeping
hours.

There needs to be a reasonable solution to the land/air use questions
presented by aviation noise.  (And it's not just a matter of who
got there first, jets weren't arround when many of these airports
were first built - the noise problem came *AFTER* the housing had
been in existance for some time.)  Perhaps it lies in restricting
the allowed noise level for aircraft operating from sensitive fields,
perhaps in re-zoning to industrial and buying out the housing for
industrial parks (maybe building low cost, quiet, general avaition
craft??!! - hope springs eternal... maybe someday I can afford one),
or maybe in something as simple as changing flight practices for a
less noisy approach/departure.  As much as it makes people feel
good, filing legal action (by either side) will not solve the problem,
just move it to another field.
-- 

E. Michael Smith  ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems

This is the obligatory disclaimer of everything. (Including but
not limited to: typos, spelling, diction, logic, and nuclear war)

timothym@tekigm.UUCP (Timothy D Margeson) (06/19/85)

Most people who live by airports chose to buy their house, knowing full well
an airport was nearby. Did these same people not realize noise and airports
go hand in hand? Or did they just assume that at some latter date they could
appeal to the courts and have the airport removed?

Albeit, a few of those having to deal with airplane noise were there first,
but those are the exception rather than the rule.

Let those who knowingly buy houses near airports suffer the consequences of
their bad decision, not those who have been using the site for many years. 

Timothy Margeson (Pilot at large)
tektronix!tekigm!timothym
PO Box 3500 d/s C1-465
Vancouver, WA. 98668

doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (06/20/85)

One of the problems with trying to solve the "airport noise" problem is
that it isn't just one problem.  For some people, it's the jet airliners
that drive 'em nuts, for others it's turboprops, and for others it's
light planes.

Further compounding the mess is that a number of people who complain
about the noise aren't really bothered by the noise itself (no matter
what they claim).  For those people, the noise is simply a reminder that
other people *are* flying.

Some of those folks are afraid that the planes will fall on them.  We
know that this fear is irrational (you won't hear the one that falls
on you :-) but that doesn't help much.

A surprisingly large number of people simply resent (on a Puritan basis)
other people enjoying themselves in public.  Airplanes are just one
target of this resentment.  They also object to dirt bikes, cars
"leaving patches", ghetto blasters, public drunkenness, and loud
talking/laughter in restaurants and other public places.  (Did you see a
bit of yourself in that list?  I admit that I resent some of those
things myself).
-- 
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{ihnp4,seismo,decvax}!noao!terak!doug
               ^^^^^--- soon to be CalComp

ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (06/21/85)

> Most people who live by airports chose to buy their house, knowing full well
> an airport was nearby. Did these same people not realize noise and airports
> go hand in hand? Or did they just assume that at some latter date they could
> appeal to the courts and have the airport removed?
> 
This is similar to the city folk who moved out to farm country so they
could "live in the country" and then find out that farm country as an
amazing variety of aromas.  One group was trying to get an injunction
on one farmer to keep his smells to himself.

-Ron