The graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter414.htm
Quote of the Week: "the lawmaker came away from the session saying they
were
on the same page" from a story this week talking about "environmentalist"
Congressman Hinchey and his meeting with N.Y. City air****t operator, the
****t Authority, who is pu****ng for an upstate "reliever" air cargo air****t
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Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#414.........................................................................February
4, 2007 Past newsletters can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm
The PASSUR air****t
flight
tracking system at many major U.S. air****ts
http://www.passur.com/sites.htm
(you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the
newsletter
sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy
rockaway@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Environmentalist" Congressman Promotes N.Y. Air Cargo Air****t!!!
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As Bill Sees It: (Editorial): Rural New Yorkers Starting To React To 4th
Major Air****t Scheme: It's interesting to watch this drama unfold as some
people in upstate New York State are starting to realize they are being
used
by New York City and New Jersey to "relieve" themselves of heavily
night-operating air cargo traffic by sending it to Stewart Air****t,
located
near Newburg in upstate New York. I found this Ulster County Press cartoon
by Neseman this week which illustrates this awakening. Unfortunately, as
always, the most of the upstate New York media and local chambers of
commerce are hailing this environmental atrocity as greatest thing to ever
happen to beautiful, quiet upstate New York!!! No doubt they are dreaming
of
a new source of revenue. Even Democrat politicians like Rep. Maurice
Hinchey
, who likes to ****tray himself as an environmentalist, met with the ****t
Authority in Wa****ngton to plan this air cargo terminal. No doubt Hinchey
and the ****t Authority waited until after he was safety reelected before
they made the announcement about the Steward air cargo terminal.
Hopefully,
the many environmental groups (at least the ones that already haven't been
co-opted by the ****t Authority and the politicians) upstate will form a
coalition to fight this latest assault on the public and demand that all
laws and environmental regulations are strictly followed. PBS Nova Does
Excellent Show On SwissAir Flt.111 Crash Investigation: I didn't get to
watch all of the show, but it was well done. I was especially interested
in
their showing how the FAA approved insulation, which was "supposed" to be
fire resistant, burned so well. This flammable stuff is in HALF our
America's planes!!!
N.Y. ****t "Authority" And Upstate Congressman "On The Same Page" For Air
Cargo Air****t: Wa****ngton - Congressman Maurice Hinchey invited officials
of
the ****t Authority of New York and New Jersey to his Wa****ngton, DC office
to talk about the agency's plans to take over Stewart Air****t at Newburgh.
And the lawmaker came away from the session saying they were on the same
page. Hinchey said while the air****t will grow with new jobs and increased
economic development, it must be balanced growth. "We have to make sure
that
it is developed in a way that is going to be consistent with the general
needs of the area, that it will be environmentally sound and that the
impact
of the air****t will be minimal on people in the general area," he said.
"We
want to make sure that the air****t conforms with the needs of the
communities that are adjacent to Stewart and that it is run in a way that
is
consistent with the needs of those communities." On concern to Hinchey is
surface trans****tation to the air****t. The Drury Lane entrance and the
I-84/Thruway direct connection projects are both under way. He is also
anxious to advance a rail link to the air****t.
http://www.catskillsnews.com/News/SWF_Hinchey-31Jan07.html
Editor's Note:
Did Hinchey invite any of his constituents who will have to endure the
late
night air cargo overflights to the meeting? Of course not. The phrase on
the
upper left "a national leader protecting the environment" on the upper
left
is from Hinchey's web site. This guy has successfully fooled
environmentalists for many years.
The European Commission will cap emissions from both domestic and
international airlines at 2004-2006 levels: As of 2012, all flights into
and
out of the EU will be covered by the EU's greenhouse gas emissions trading
system, under a proposal laid out by the European Commission (EC) in late
December. The system is the centerpiece of EU efforts to meet emissions
reduction targets agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Including aviation is necessary, EC officials say, to account for the
environmental costs of rapidly growing emissions from this sector, which
are
threatening to wipe out gains made by other sectors. To counter threats of
legal action by the U.S., international carriers will be given an extra
year
to comply. Air travel currently accounts for only about 3% of total
greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, but these are expected to more than
double by 2020 under a business-as-usual scenario. Since 1990, aviation
emissions have increased 87%. With this measure, EC officials estimate
annual CO2 savings of 46% or 183 million tons by 2020. The EC will set
pollution limits based on average aviation emissions in 2004-2006,
allocating credits to specific airlines. The airlines will then be able to
buy, sell, or bank the credits within the aviation sector to meet their
required reductions. The legislation now moves to the European Parliament
and Council of Ministers for adoption, which typically takes 1-2 years.
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/jan/policy/kc_aviation.html
Editor's Note: Our warmongering President Polluter is fighting tooth and
claw not to have U.S. planes included in the EU pollution analysis. 715
More
days of Bush...can we take it???
Deicing Additives Found Toxic To Fish!!! WA****NGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- U.S.
scientists have found aircraft deicing chemicals are toxic to aquatic life
forms. The U.S. Geological Survey has been examining toxicity of a variety
of formulations used to remove or prevent dangerous ice buildup on
aircraft.
The study confirmed proprietary additives are responsible for the observed
toxicity. The USGS scientists compared nine different formulations of
deicers and found neither the primary ingredients -- ethylene glycol and
propylene glycol -- nor the known additives accounted for all observed
toxicity. Additives are included to improve a formulation's effectiveness.
Those that are proprietary have compositions known only to the
manufacturer.
Although research conducted in the 1990's revealed the toxicity of
proprietary additives, the new study compared numerous deicers and
anti-icers and confirmed most still have toxic additives that have not
been
publicly identified. "This study suggests that some deicers ... currently
in
use are safer for the environment than the deicers used in the 1990's,"
said
Steve Corsi, lead author of the USGS study. "But the toxicity profiles of
anti-icers -- products that prevent ice and snow buildup -- have not
changed
significantly."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070118-15182400-bc-us-deicers.xml
Massachusetts, Logan Air****t "Citizen's Committee" Refuses To Hear
Impacted
Community Representatives!!! CAMBRIDGE - A committee advising Mass****t
last
night approved changes in Logan Air****t flight paths that proponents say
will help quiet the sky above the South Shore. In a sometimes tense
meeting,
the Logan Citizens Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from
29
communities affected by the air****t, approved a variety of changes to
current landing and departure procedures. The changes still require
approval
from the Federal Aviation Administration. ''This is an im****tant step for
the communities,'' said Flavio Leo, manager of aviation planning for
Mass****t, the state agency that operates Logan Air****t. Marshfield and
Duxbury have not had representatives on the advisory committee recently,
despite efforts to involve those towns. Last night, the Scituate Board of
Selectmen sent town planner Laura Harbottle to the meeting. The committee
was following strict parliamentary procedure and Harbottle, as a
nonmember,
was not allowed to speak. After the meeting, she said ''it's obvious
Scituate is going to be affected and I was amazed they didn't even let me
speak,'' Harbottle said. Editor's Note: Of course not. The whole purpose
of
the meeting is to dump new flights on Scituate and other communities.
http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/01/18/news/news01.txt
Pennsylvania: Frozen Airplane Waste Missile Used As Example Of Aviation
Dangers: Pointing out an incident on Jan. 18 when an airplane's frozen
waste
crashed through the roof of a Ridley Town****p house, Delaware County
Councilman Jack Whelan told the town****p commissioners last week that the
accident illustrates the safety concerns involving planes flying over
populated communities before they reach an altitude of 3,000 feet. Whelan
said Penny Meyers and her 4-year old daughter were standing just outside
the
master bedroom of their Donna Avenue home when the ice came through the
roof. The residents could have been severely injured if they had been in
the
bedroom. Both suffered minor scratches from flying ice. Whelan pledged the
continued sup****t of county council, in conjunction with the town****p
commissioners and other officials from neighboring municipalities, to
convince the FAA not to change the airspace redesign for planes taking off
from Philadelphia Air****t that now sends them over the Delaware River
until
they reach an altitude of 3,000 feet before they can make a turn so
another
plane can be cleared for take-off.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17794364&BRD=2255&PAG=461&dept_id=451706&rfi=6
JetBlue Made Her Sick!!! The thought of flying JetBlue makes Phyllis
Gershon
sick to her stomach. The 73-year-old Manhattan woman is suing the popular
airline for $5.5 million after she was allegedly bounced from a flight for
asking for a large barf bag in case she got a case of airsickness. "It was
a
nightmare," Gershon said. "I've had nightmares about it." In a lawsuit
filed
in Manhattan Supreme Court, Gershon charged she was the recipient of
"hysterical and unjustified actions" by JetBlue while trying to fly home
from Burbank, Calif., in October. Gershon claims she told two airline
employees she was feeling queasy - even pulling out a three-day-old,
half-eaten sandwich as proof - and asked for a bag. The employees started
to
argue with her before booting her from the plane. The experience, she
charged, made her feel like "she had been accused of being a terrorist."
http://www.nydailynews.com/01-31-2007/news/story/493387p-415600c.html
England: Prince Charles Cancels Ski Trip To Reduce His Pollution
Footprint:
LONDON, England (AP) -- Prince Charles has canceled a traditional skiing
holiday in a bid to reduce his carbon footprint, his office said Saturday
--
a day after campaigners and a government minister criticized his decision
to
fly to New York to collect an award for work on environmental issues.
Environment Secretary David Miliband expressed reservations Friday about
the
heir to the British throne traveling to the United States for the
ceremony,
while advocacy groups urged the prince to use a video link instead. Prince
Charles' Clarence House office said the prince had decided last year to
cancel a regular skiing holiday to Switzerland as part of an effort to
reduce the number of flights he takes. Details of the prince's carbon
footprint are scheduled to be published along with his annual office
accounts later this year. The do***ent will set out targets for the
reduction of carbon emissions by his office and household. Plane Stupid, a
climate change group, and Britain's Green Party complained Friday that
Prince Charles would be accompanied to the U.S. by an entourage of around
20
people, increasing the cost in carbon emission terms of the trip. Editor's
Note: If he really cared about the environment his majesty should be out
demonstrating with the communities that will be hit with Heathrow
Air****t's
third runway noise impacts.
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/01/25/are-****t-authoritys-air****t-expansionists-flying-blind/
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/20/uk.prince.ap/index.html
@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Aviation News Stories This Week
4th Major Hub for Air Traffic Moves Ahead
By PATRICK McGEEHAN
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/nyregion/25air****t.html?ex=1327381200&en=af6d969968d355f8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Published: January 25, 2007
The plan to create a fourth major air****t that could relieve crowding and
delays in the metropolitan region will take a leap forward today,
officials
of the ****t Authority of New York and New Jersey said yesterday.
The ****t Authority plans to acquire a 93-year lease on Stewart
International
Air****t, a sleepy and underused air****t 60 miles north of New York City,
for
$78.5 million and begin expanding it starting in the fall, said Anthony R.
Coscia, the agency's chairman.
With the expected approval of the agency's board today, the acquisition
could help solve a problem that has bedeviled aviation officials for
almost
50 years: where to send some of the travelers and cargo that are starting
to
overwhelm Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark Liberty
International
Air****ts.
"The region clearly needs additional capacity for air travel," Mr. Coscia
said. "It's undeniable. This is intended to remedy exactly that problem."
The agency has already budgeted $150 million for improvements to Stewart
that could include additional parking and the construction of an
international passenger terminal, he said.
A converted Air Force base whose commercial use has never met its
potential,
Stewart is bigger than Newark's air****t, with 2,400 acres and a
11,818-foot
runway. Two low-fare airlines, JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways, began
offering flights recently from Stewart, in New Windsor, N.Y. Three other
carriers operate limited service from there.
Passenger traffic at Stewart increased 33 percent last month, compared
with
December 2005, and it could triple this year to about 900,000 passengers,
said Tanya Vanasse, general manager for marketing at Stewart. Although
Stewart is a small cousin to the region's three main air****ts, which
together handled more than 100 million passengers last year, that is
expected to change.
Mr. Coscia said that by drawing more of the travelers who live north and
west of New York City, Stewart could serve more than three million
passengers a year within five or six years. Most of that traffic would be
diverted from the three big air****ts, he said, which had been projected to
reach capacity by 2020 without considering any expansion at Stewart.
Some of the cargo that arrives at those other air****ts and some of the
private aircraft that now clog the short runways at Teterboro Air****t in
northern New Jersey could also go to Stewart, Mr. Coscia said.
The plan to acquire Stewart reflects a significant ****ft in ****t Authority
politics. The Pataki administration was unenthusiastic about the plan,
despite Mr. Coscia's persistent push to take control of Stewart and link
it
to New York City's crowded trans****tation system.
But now the plan has the sup****t of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, as well as New
Jersey's governor, Jon S. Corzine, said Anthony E. Shorris, whom Mr.
Spitzer
appointed to be executive director of the ****t Authority.
"We're viewing this as a major milestone," Mr. Shorris said. "My sense is
when you have very strong sup****t from two governors on this - now, two
governors on this - you'll see a concerted effort to make it happen."
Making it happen will require legislative change in Trenton because the
****t
Authority's bi-state charter limits its operations to a zone that extends
25
miles in all directions from the Statue of Liberty. In 1967, lawmakers in
Albany passed a bill allowing the authority to have one air****t outside
that
zone in each state. But New Jersey never passed its own version of that
legislation.
Richard J. Codey, the president of the New Jersey State Senate, said that
getting matching legislation to Governor Corzine's desk should not be a
problem.
"I'd have no problem sponsoring it," Mr. Codey said. "I would think there
should be a majority of sup****t for it because it's time. We just don't
have
any more room at Newark or Teterboro."
Mr. Spitzer signaled a break in the impasse this month in his State of the
State speech in Albany.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr. Spitzer said: "We will continue to
make major investments at J.F.K., Newark and La Guardia, but eventually we
are simply going to run out of room. Stewart International Air****t will
provide much-needed relief for our three major air****ts, greatly reduce
delays and help us prepare for inevitable population and passenger
growth."
Before Stewart was settled on, several alternatives in the region were
studied, including Long Island Islip MacArthur Air****t and Westchester
County Air****t.
The current leaseholder at Stewart, National Express Group, a British
company, put the lease up for sale last year. National Express, which paid
$35 million for the lease from the New York State Department of
Trans****tation in 2000, wanted to sell it by the end of 2006.
But without the sup****t of the Pataki administration, Mr. Coscia could not
seal a deal and feared that the agency might miss a rare chance. ****t
Authority officials managed to persuade National Express to wait on the
sale
by offering a higher price than did other bidders that investment bankers
had lined up.
"We felt the need to take advantage of this op****tunity," Mr. Coscia said.
The agency had an advantage over other potential buyers, he said, in that
"when we invest money we don't have to get a return in the same 12
months."
He said the ****t Authority probably could break even on the proposed lease
purchase without making any changes in operations at Stewart.
There remains opposition to the plan. Maureen Radl, a resident of
Cragsmoor
a chairwoman of Ulsterites Fight Overflight Noise, a group opposed to a
major expansion of Stewart, said most elected officials now sup****t the
****t
Authority plan but many nearby residents did not.
"We're especially concerned about its development as a cargo hub," Ms.
Radl
said, adding that cargo planes are generally older and noisier than
passenger jets and frequently take off and land at night and early in the
morning.
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