The graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter430.htm
Quote of the Week: "A citizens' advisory committee will guarantee that
residents who live in proximity to the air****t have an op****tunity to both
hear and be heard on the future growth of Stewart Air****t," from Sen.
Schumer press release (see below) this week
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Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#430.........................................................................May
27, 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]
Expansions Sparking More Protests!!!
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As Bill Sees It: (Editorial): The Internet Is Activists Best Weapon To
Fight
The Aviation Cabal: The Aviation Cabal (the airlines, FAA and their
political agents) has pushed around towns, villages and even large cities
because they were not united. Alone against a vicious, aviation
industry-controlled government agency, with their political stooges,
communities are almost powerless. However, this may be turning around
because of the ability of the Internet to unite the aviation cabal's
victims. We can see that we are not alone and that other communities, who
have seen their quality of life diminished, are fighting back, and
sometimes
having small victories over the aviation cabal monster. The picture on the
right is from an April air****t protest on the youtube site. I am looking
forward to seeing more protests against the aviation cabal on the
Internet.
Maybe the politicians which have been serving the airline industry so well
over the years might start listening to their victims for a change.
Sen. Schumer Proposes A Citizens Advisory Committee For New York's
Stewart
Air****t!!! This week there were news stories about a press release from
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling for "citizens advisory committee"
after
the Stewart Air****t lease is taken over by the ****t Authority of New York
and New Jersey from the private British company that now controls it. This
is a step in the right direction as local communities are complaining
already about a "tripling" of air traffic!!! I don't see why the same
people
who will run the air****t (the ****t Authority) should also select the
"citizens" who will be the committee. I would hate to see another rubber
stamp committee composed of businessmen and political stooges (always with
so-called "environmentalist" credentials), which is the way many of these
committees wind up after the politicians are finished milking their
creation
for press releases. As this committee is only an advisory committee, I
don't
see why this committee shouldn't be "Ad Hoc" and open to everyone who is
interested in the many environmental impacts an expanded Steward Air****t
will inflict on nearby communities. So far the ****t Authority has not
responded to Schumer's proposal. They also haven't responded to the letter
written to them by a coalition of upstate New York environmental groups;
which is no surprise to me. So much for their executive director's
(Anthony
Shorris) promise that he wanted to have local input in the ****t Authority
decisions for Stewart Air****t. I guess that all depends on what you mean
by
"local input." A few weeks ago a ****t Authority spokesman used a meeting
with businessmen twenty-five miles from the air****t as proof they already
had local input. I have seen how the ****t Authority, like the FAA, uses
politics, rather than science and fairness, dealing with communities over
noise and routing issues. Although I'm not a member of this coalition, I
have been in contact with some of their members, and I am impressed with
the
way they are addressing the impending takeover.
Stewart Air****t, New York: Citizens Group Pleased With Senator's Call For
Stewart Air****t Advisory Group: Newburgh - US Senator Charles Schumer's
call
to the ****t Authority for them to establish a citizens' advisory committee
when they take over Stewart Air****t at Newburgh late this year was
prompted
by a position paper drafted by Ulsterites Fight Overflight Noise. The
group,
which has developed into a regional umbrella organization for the Hudson
Valley and Catskills, presented a position paper to the ****t recently and
it
included creation of the committee. The group recently met with a Schumer
aid and that prompted the call for the citizens committee. Group leader
Maureen Radl said it is needed for the ****t to get a read on what the
community of the region is thinking. "If they want to create an air****t
that
is really working for everyone's benefit, they have to include the people
who are most immediately affected by this development and they need to do
that as soon as possible," she said. "People need to be involved in the
earliest stages of the planning, and then a balance can be created
between
economic development and the people who are surrounding the air****t."
There
is no comment from the ****t yet on the proposal. The ****t expects to buy
the
93 years remaining on the lease of Stewart from Great Britain's National
Express Group this fall.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/BUSINESS/70525013
Local People Trying To Save Recreation Lake From New York's Stewart
Air****t
Expansion: Memorial Day ushers in the start of summer. Here in Orange
County, we are again without an affordable recreation area in a beautiful
setting. Many of us have happy memories of taking our children to
Crestview
Lake for a day of fun with other families and friends. Local folks as well
as people from all over Orange County have been using the lake for more
than
30 years. Crestview Lake sits on land owned by the New York state
Department
of Trans****tation. Over the years, it has been leased out to union Local
445, the Town of New Windsor and Orange County Parks. Recently there has
been renewed interest in this one-of-a kind facility. Crestview Lake is
the
only swimming and recreational area available for the residents of Orange
County. In spite of recent construction on Drury Lane, the lake is in
pristine condition. The DOT took me and three other interested women on a
tour in November. We were pleasantly surprised at how lovely it looked.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/OPINION/705250303
Unfair, Racist and Politically Influenced JFK Air****t Routing To Get Even
WORSE? (Thanks to NJCANN president Robert Belzer for this story) The May
23
issue of Aviation Daily includes a story (subscribers only) by my
colleague
Adrian Schofield on how a new working group headed by IATA -- including
airlines, air****t and FAA representatives -- hopes to help cut delays and
handle expected traffic growth at JFK Air****t. The JFK operational review
and improvement team is intended to find short-term solutions to
congestion
at the air****t, Cerda said. There are plenty of long-term efforts
underway -- such as airspace redesign -- but airlines want results sooner.
The working group spurred a new runway configuration proposal. During the
early afternoon arrival bank, two of the four JFK runways would be
dedicated
to arrivals, and one to departures. The evening departure banks would see
this configuration reversed, with two runways earmarked for departures and
one for arrivals. FAA is currently evaluating this proposal, and MITRE and
Delta are running simulations. If these studies show no problems, the new
procedures could be implemented this summer, Cerda said. He believes there
would be no safety implications using three runways simultaneously, but
using four would require much more study. Editor's Note: I'm sure the
"evening" (FAAspeak for late night/early morning ) departures will
continue
to be dumped on the poor and minority areas of Rockaway while carefully
avoiding the wealthy, white and politically-connected Long Island
communities. The Airspace Redesign Scheme also carefully avoided
mentioning
the unfair, racist and politically influenced routing of JFK Air****t. That
is so the increased JFK flights will continue to be CONCENTRATED on those
lease able to fight against them. I wonder when Sen. Schumer is going to
call for citizens advisory committee for JFK and LaGuardia Air****ts?
http://aviationweek.typepad.com/air****ts/2007/05/iata_leads_work.html
Boulder, Colorado: Helicopter Noise Becomes Too Much, And A Man Fight
Back!!! -- Silence may be golden, but the lengths to which some people
will
go for a little quiet time may not be. A Boulder man has received a
12-month
deferred sentence for running onto the grounds of Boulder Municipal
Air****t,
swearing at aircraft overhead, waving his arms and complaining about
noise.
Witnesses said he also threatened to "shut this air****t down." But Greg
Camalier, 39, said he never made some of the statements that witnesses
attributed to him. A police re****t said Camalier got within 15 feet of a
helicopter taxiing on a runway on March 26. Scooter Mainero, a pilot who
witnessed the incident, said Camalier was shaking his fists and shouting
at
planes. He even caused one plane to abort a landing, Mainero said. The
incident began when Air****t Manager Tim Head received a phone call from a
man who identified himself as Greg Camalier and said, "Someone tell the
helicopters to shut the (expletive) up." Camalier lives 400 feet from the
edge of the air****t. Editor's Note: I don't know what all the fuss is
about.
Mr. Camalier's reaction to aviation's assault on his quality of life and
home seems reasonable to me.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/13390283/detail.html
Naples, Florida: Noise Expert: Air****ts Not Obligated To Conduct Studies:
The federal government does not mandate the noise study that residents are
advocating in their attempt to convince officials to change the flight
path
out of Naples Municipal Air****t. "There is no obligation for an air****t to
conduct a Part 150 study," air****t noise expert Ted Baldwin told residents
this afternoon at City Hall during an air****t noise forum. However, he
said
the Federal Aviation Administration does review Part 150 noise studies and
is more likely to accept noise abatement procedures adopted by air****ts
that
have conducted them. Old Naples residents who believe that a new Part 150
study would provide information to make a case to change the current
flight
path out of Naples Municipal Air****t. They have not yet been able to
persuade the Naples Air****t Authority, which runs the air****t, to move
forward with the study. But there are several new faces on the authority
commission since the residents' lobbying effort began in 2005. Today,
pilots
are asked to make a southwesterly turn over Old Naples after takeoff over
neighborhoods where residents who are advocating the new study live. Old
Naples residents believe a new Part 150 study could justify a new takeoff
pattern over Naples Bay. But that would bring the jets closer to the
communities of ****t Royal, Aqualane Shores and Royal Harbor, something
residents there say they would not like to see.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/may/23/noise_expert_air****ts_not_obligated_conduct_studie/?breaking_news
Editor's Note: If Naples Air****t is the best I wonder about the worst!!!
Once again it seems politics is used by the FAA, who must approve any
air****t routing decision, instead of fairness and science.
@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Im****tant Aviation News Stories This
Week
Ulsterites Against Overflight Noise (UFO) Letter To Sen. Schumer's Hudson
Valley Regional Director
TO: Mike Morey
Hudson Valley Regional Director for US Senator Charles E.
Schumer
FROM: Maureen Radl
RE: Discussion Regarding Stewart Air****t on May 17, 2007
Date: May 21, 2007
I would like to take this op****tunity to thank you for arranging a
meeting
with representatives of Ulsterites Fight Overeflight Noise and SPARC on
issues pertaining to the ****t Authority's planned development for Stewart
International Air****t and to review some of topics we discussed on
Thursday.
Many of our concerns are outlined in our letter to Anthony Shorris,
Executive Director of the PA, but the first and most immediate is to
create
an advisory board of citizens to work on the redesign of Stewart. This
will
provide an op****tunity for the surrounding communities to help create an
air****t that will balance development with the needs of the residents who
will be most impacted by it. The committee should be composed of
representatives of citizen groups that fall under the shadow of the
air****t.
Any of the groups who signed our letter to Mr. Shorris would be able to
make
valuable contributions, but we also feel representatives of local resident
associations close to the air****t, such as the New Windsor Residents'
Association, should be invited to participate. Inclusion should be
community
driven rather originating from government or business. This advisory board
should be formed as soon as possible.
The scope of this project requires that the PA undertake a revision of the
master plan for Stewart which will be subjected to environmental review.
This must include an examination of the local infrastructure and its
ability
to handle the proposed development.
Information meetings should be held as soon as possible to answer
questions
from the public and to permit open dialogue on Stewart's development.
Public
officials should also be invited to address the issues.
The description of Stewart as a "regional air****t" and the role that cargo
will play in its development must be clearly defined from the start.
Tax revenues for mass trans****t could be put to better use by creating
rapid
rail connections between Boston , New York , and the District of Columbia
,
than by creating extraordinary means to bring metropolitan passengers to
Stewart.
Since the ****t Authority is a public entity, the public has the right to
expect complete transparency on the part of the PA. We, therefore,
request
copies of its agreement with National Express Group and all other
do***ents
pertaining to it.
Thank you for the advice and suggestions you offered during this initial
meeting. It was encouraging for us to find someone who is attentive and
open to discussing the issues we raised. We look forward to hearing from
you
within two weeks and to working with you and Sen. Schumer on this project
which, perhaps more than any other, will have a profound impact on the
Mid-Hudson / Catskill Region over the next decade.
Maureen Radl
Ulsterites Fight Overflight Noise
New York's Senator
CHARLES E. SCHUMER
313 Hart Senate Office Building . Wa****ngton , DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-7433 . Fax: (202) 228-1218 . Web: schumer.senate.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Alex Detrick
May 24, 2007
(202) 224-7433
WITH STEWART AIR****T RAPIDLY GROWING, SCHUMER CALLS ON ****T AUTHORITY TO
INCLUDE HUDSON VALLEY RESIDENTS IN DISCUSSIONS ON FUTURE DIRECTION OF
AIR****T
With the Recent Addition of Jet Blue and Air Tran Service and a Spike in
Rider****p, Stewart is Expected to Grow
As PA Prepares to Run Stewart, Local Residents Must Be Included in Plans
for
Future Growth
Schumer Calls on PA Director to Create a Citizens' Advisory Committee so
Local Residents and Citizen Groups Have a Place at the Table
With air service at Stewart International Air****t rapidly increasing and
its
role in the Hudson Valley Region only expected to expand in the future,
today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called for giving local residents
and
citizen groups a greater voice in the discussions over the air****t's
future.
As the ****t Authority (PA) of New York and New Jersey prepares for the
operational takeover of Stewart, Schumer stressed the time was ripe for
the
PA to create a citizen's advisory board, allowing community members a
place
at the table to ensure the air****t's expansion is conducted in a smart and
balanced manner.
"By including community groups and local residents in the debate over the
future growth of Stewart Air****t , we'll be able to strike the right
balance
of expanding the air****t while preserving the region's quality of life,"
said Senator Schumer. "In establi****ng a citizens' advisory committee, the
****t Authority will make sure the voices of residents and communities
affected by Stewart are both heard and considered when discussing the
air****ts' expansion."
Passenger numbers at the air****t tripled this past April from 26,296 in
2006
to 85,450 in 2007. This year alone, Jet Blue and Air Tran began offering
flights from the air****t and Delta Airlines resumed service. By years
end,
the air****t expects to emplane 475,000-525,000 people, 3 times more than
the
154,000 people who boarded plans at Stewart the previous calendar year.
With
the air****t's expansion in the region and local economy, surrounding
communities need to be protected from an influx of travelers and other
quality of life concerns.
Although commissions consisting of local representatives and government
appointees have been established in the past, to date there has not been a
committee formed by community groups and residents. The Senator stressed
that such a committee is instrumental to ensuring the air****t's growth is
managed in the smartest way possible.
"A citizens' advisory committee will guarantee that residents who live in
proximity to the air****t have an op****tunity to both hear and be heard on
the future growth of Stewart Air****t," said Schumer.
In a letter today to PA Executive Director Anthony Shorris, Schumer stated
the im****tance of establi****ng a citizens' advisory board to ensure the
region's and air****ts symbiotic relation****p continues through smart
growth.
Schumer wrote, "While I believe the overall growth of Stewart is good for
the Hudson Valley residents and its economy, I also recognize that as the
air****t continues to grow, the concerns of local residents must be
incor****ated into the planning. A citizens' advisory committee will ensure
that the operators of the air****t are well aware of the concerns of local
residents, while at the same time making sure local residents are informed
of the overall redesign of the air****t."
Schumer has been a longtime advocate for Stewart Air****t , working to
bring
low-cost, consumer-friendly carriers to the air****t, as well as calling
for
an increase in the number of Trans****tation Security Administration (TSA)
passenger and baggage screeners to prevent growing security lines from
crippling the air****t.
Over the last year, Stewart has welcomed brand new service from two
national
low-cost carriers. On December 19, 2006, JetBlue began the first roundtrip
flights to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando , and on January 5, 2007 expanded to
two round trips, plus a round trip to West Palm Beach . In October, 2006,
AirTran announced its new service to provide two daily roundtrips to
Atlanta
, which is AirTran's hub, and one daily around trip to Orlando , Ft.
Lauderdale and Tampa .
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