Good Stuff !!!

I once came upon an airplane-related website,

http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm

If you click

http://www.pages.prodigy.net/rocakaway/


that should give an index of many 'newsletters."


I admired the website's spirit, and its striking graphics -- a creature that's half plane half snake, stayed in my mind. I think that was before the airplane noise started rattling Fairfield County. When the noise started in 2007, I looked for the website, but did not find it. I thought it was probably gone.

Last week, when searching the net, I found the site again! I printed and read its pages.

It has a very different perspective than what I've seen so far on the internet. Since it's been around since before the lawsuits and Shays and Himes' involvement with the issues, the site does not view "politicians" as potential allies. Also, I'm not sure how often it's updated.

But the different perspective is refreshing! I believe it's worth a click and a look. Here are some excerpts I chose, then you can decide if to click or not.

"...It looks as if the [redesign] is starting to get some real heat when the state of Connecticut, not just a group of towns, joined in the lawsuit this week. This is a good beginning. Now what has to happen is more states start lawsuits and eventually ... form a coalition to bring one massive lawsuit against the FAA scheme. This lawsuit will be fought against by [New York] politicians..."

"State of Connecticut Sues the FAA!!! NEW CANAAN -- opponent of the plan to move air traffic over Fairfield County spoke yesterday about alternatives, like directing the planes over Long Island Sound and promoting train travel.

State representatives from Fairfield County and U.S Rep. Christopher Shays... spoke against the Federal Aviation Administration at a rally held by the New Canaan Environmental group... Speakers accused the FAA of neglecting the environment and area residents.... State rep. Antonietta "Toni" Boucher, R-Wilton, called for an increase of mass transit and promoted rail travel, which would decrease dependency on air travel for longer trips, she said. "the skies have started to emulate what has happened to the roads, especially in Connecticut," she said.

I have heard it said that perhaps air traffic should be managed more along the lines of managing cars: Just as cars are confined by law to travel on roads and cannot travel over fields and any other terrain at will, there should be "highways" of sorts on the ground -- tracts of land which planes can fly over at low heights but which are deemed unfit for human habitation because of the noise and fumes. That's not exactly what the website says but it is what several people have said.
Promoting rail travel is IMO a good idea. train noise is confined to near the rail, and the noise and ground-shaking that used to accompany train travel have been reduced considerably over the years. The travel itself is healthier: We've heard stories about blood-clots forming in passenger's legs as a result of sitting still in cramped seats. We heard plenty about the foul air which airline passengers willingly breathe. On trains, you can eat well, you can move around, watch movies, look out the window, sometimes even open a little window and even if not, the air is probably much less putrid than on planes.

A May 2007 item has one very interesting point or issue. It may not be useful to us but we should at least know about it:

"It's Time For A change In 1990 Anti-Airport Curfew Law!!! I'm always learning new things about the insidiousness of the Aviation Cabal (aviation industry, politicians and the FAA). I remember hearing a while back something about there being a federal law against local communities and airports putting a curfew on their own airports, especially at night... I never investigated it further... last week... I found [that] apparently there is such a rule in the 1990 Aircraft Noise and capacity Act. I think it is outrageous that the federal government has taken away local control by communities over their own airports. Voluntary curfews are a joke. I have been looking at the Aircraft Noise And Capacity Act and found it full of confusing legalese obviously designed to sneak a no curfew rule past unsuspecting congress and communities... I will not rest until local communities once again get control over their won airports!"

The website quotes a "RECOMMENDATIONS -- Not later than July 1, 1991, the secretary shall transmit to Congress recommendations on - (1) the need for change in the standards and procedures which govern the rights of State and local governments (including airport authorities) to restrict aircraft operations for the purpose of limiting aircraft noise. (2) the need for change in the standards and procedures which govern law suits by persons adversely affected by aircraft noise..."

Note "standards" for lawsuits -- that may have been the undoing of Mr. Blumenthal last may.

For those of us living in the Riverside area, this may be of some interest: Last week the local papers reported on a big meeting at Town Hall, concerning a proposal to erect a cell-phone "tower" next to the Mianus (elementary?) School. The town's planning and zoning commission listened to the public's concerns, but let people know that the placement of cell towers is "strictly controlled" by the state's "Siting Council," thanks to an F.C.C "ruling" (part of a so-called "Telecommunications Act?) which "stripped local communities" of any control of the matter. Another example of stripping communities of control of their local surroundings!

Back to the website --

"In particular, a 1990 federal law requires airports seeking to restrict air space for noise reasons to follow a lengthy set of rules."

This paragraph mentions New Canaan and Greenwich; "New Canaan is pursuing a three-part plan to oppose the FAA... First, a consultant, Williams Aviation, has been retained to critique and raise objections to the technical aspects of the FAA's plan. ... third, the town is organizing political opposition to the FAA's plan... According to the New canaan FAA Advisory Committee, in order to increase the number of arrivals into Newark Airport the FAA's plan pushes LaGaurdia arrivals eastward over Fairfield County. In effect, Ridgefield, New Canaan, Darien and Stamford will experience a substantial increase in air traffic that didn't exist before so that the capacity at Newark Airport can increase, the committee reported.

State Rep. John Hetherington, a member of the committee, said the FAA, instead of selecting the most aggressive, intrusive alternative, should make modifications to the existing airspace... Remarkably, the impact of airplane noise on the people living in fairfield County was not a consideration in their design work... Of the four alternatives considered by the FAA, they selected the one that causes the largest noise increase in Fairfield County."

And finally, something that tells us that "the cat is out of the sack" as far as the need to get realtors involved: According to the New Canaan FAA Advisory Committee, "6. Fairfield County property values will decrease under the new plan. Despite the FAA's statement that there is no link between increasing airplane noise and decreasing property values in a community, we do not agree with that assertion. Any Realtor can tell you that increasing airplane noise will reduce property values[emphasis mine]."

Finally, "The Committee also calls our elected representatives in Washington, DC to withhold funding for the FAA Integrated Airspace Alternative, to prevent implementation of the proposed changes and to require the FAA to examine alternatives that are less intrusive and damaging to Fairfield County."

Signatory Committee members are: Jim Beall, resident,
Kit Devereaux, New Canaan Town Council
Paul Giusti, Chairman, New Canaan selectman
Guy Brossy, resident, private pilot
John Hetherington, CT State representative.

(end of excerpts from http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm

website.

Another interesting website, also from 2007, deals more with the area near Reagan National Airport. http://www.palisadesdc.org/airplanenoise.htm.