The graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter448.htm
Quote of the Week: "One of the reasons . airline passengers are being so
inconvenienced is because the skies are too crowded" more words of wisdom
by
"our" own President Moronic Polluter who says he is going to fix the
airline
delay problem
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Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#448.............................................................................September
30, 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]
Bush To Fix Air****t Mess!!!
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As Bill Sees It (Editorial): Flight Caps And "Congestion Pricing" Now
Being
Considered To Reduce Congestion!!! "Our" government created the problem by
allowing airlines a free hand to overbook flights and squeeze too many
flights into the air; now they say they are going to fix the problem. I
remember that flight caps was the thing that Senator Schumer helped remove
at N.Y. City and other major U.S. air****ts which increased the noise and
air
pollution over local communities. Now these same "flight caps" are being
talked about as being needed to be restored to reduce delays!!! Congestion
pricing is new to me, but it appears to mean that there will be higher
costs
to fly at "peak" hours. Is this another gift to the airline industry which
loves to manipulate prices? Most probably it is to a new way of expanding
air****t night flights by making them cheaper for air travelers. Congestion
pricing seemed to have failed when it was recently tried (and failed) to
be
applied to cars using midtown Manhattan. I believe it will also fail with
aviation. If our cor****ate-bought, corrupt government and the greedy
aviation industry cared about the public in the air and on the ground
they
would restore flight caps, not only at major air****ts, but all U.S.
air****ts. But that has a slim chance with politicians (republican and
democrat) who have a "growth is good" mindset to aviation (and everything
else) no matter what the increased environmental and health impacts.
Bush Says He Will Fix Air****t Mess!!! President Moron is in charge so we
know that everything will be alright. He did such a great job finding
Osama
Bin Laden, bringing democracy to Iraq and helping the Hurricane Katrina
victims. Personally I love delayed flights and would like to see them
delayed to the point that they didn't take off at all. I am tired of
politicians and the FAA getting away with promoting increased noise and
air
pollution from aviation expansion as "progress" and "improvements."
Phony Airline Passenger Organization Head Appointed By DOT As Passenger's
Representative On "Airline Rulemaking Committee"!!! Once again the Bush
Administration proves they are the enemy of the American public. Rather
than
appoint a real advocate for airline passengers, like the originator of the
Passenger Bill of Rights, Kate Hanni (picture on the lower left),
Department
of Trans****tation secretary Mary Peters appointed DAVID STEPLER (picture
on
the left) to represent airline passengers on the newly formed "Airline
Rulemaking Committee." I say Stempler's organization is not a real
passenger's organization because if you check out their web site you will
see that they mostly involved with booking flights, selling insurance and
renting cars and hotel rooms. They have very little to do with organizing
airline passengers to fight for their rights. Stempler himself is an
aviation attorney and has been president of two regional airlines and a
senior vice president of a jet charter company. Stempler, who strongly
opposes an airline passenger bill of rights is regularly trotted out to
represent the airline passengers to the media, while the real passenger
advocate, Kate Hanni, is rarely seen on TV. You would think even the media
would get tired of this subterfuge and expose it, but I'm sure they think
of
those nice airline ad dollars they get first. Hanni is the airline
industry's worse nightmare. I only wish the Aviation Cabal's victims on
the
ground had someone like her to represent the airline industry's victims on
the ground!!!
Connecticut Towns Unite In Airspace Redesign Lawsuit!!! I now see why
"Connecticut" was left out of the title of the New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania Airspace Redesign Plan. The FAA wanted the Connecticut
victims
to think that they wouldn't be getting any the Airspace Redesign aircraft
noise increase!!! Apparently they were not fooled, as many of the towns
affected are joining forces in preparing a lawsuit against the FAA. If
these
towns were smart they would join forces with Pennsylvania, New York and
New
Jersey communities that are also suing the FAA. THAT kind of coalition has
a
much better chance of success and is the kind of thing the FAA, the
airlines
and their paid political stooges most fear. Press Briefing by
Trans****tation
Secretary Mary Peters, Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell, and White
House Domestic Policy Council Deputy Director Jess Sharp on Aviation
Congestion Announcement:
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Bush To Fix Air****t Mess!!! President Bush today launched a series of
changes designed to cut air traffic congestion and flight delays by easing
a
bottleneck in New York before next summer and tightening consumer
protections. Under new orders from the president to improve record air
traffic and delays, Trans****tation Secretary Mary Peters (pictured with
Bush
and acting FAA administrator at left) has convened a panel (read
discussion
below) of airline, air****t and travel officials to recommend changes by
the
end of the year. The president wants the changes in effect in time to ease
congestion for consumers by next summer's busy travel season. "In some
cases, they're just not being treated fairly. And there's a lot of anger
amongst our citizens about the fact that, you know, they're just not being
treated right," Bush told re****ters in the Oval Office. "One of the
reasons . airline passengers are being so inconvenienced is because the
skies are too crowded." Editor's Note: I'm sure that airline passengers
can
rest easy knowing Bush is taking care of the problem.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hdecIxr36gJAOMxcyPEEeiQwo2Yg
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/trans****tation/ny-usfaa285392946sep28,0,1189006.story
Connecticut Towns Joining Forces To Stop FAA Airspace Redesign Scheme:
Area
towns are joining forces to oppose the Federal Aviation Administration's
proposed flight plan redesign. First Selectman Judy Neville hosted a
meeting
of leaders from Greenwich, Wilton, Darien, Redding, Weston, Ridgefield,
Norwalk, Stamford and Pound Ridge, N.Y , Tuesday, September 25. Those
leaders agreed to meet again Tuesday, October 2, to interview law firms in
preparation for a legal challenge to the FAA. Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal also attended the meeting. "The good news is all nine towns
agree
it's a regional issue," Ms. Neville said Wednesday. In addition to
attorneys, Ms. Neville is also talking to lobbyists and a "grass roots PR
firm" in Wa****ngton, D.C., in the campaign to stop the FAA plan. Also in
Wa****ngton, Fourth District U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays joined Rep. Scott
Garrett and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey to offer an amendment
to
the FAA Reauthorization Act that requires the Government Accountability
Office to investigate using "market-based strategies for air congestion
reduction as an alternative to the FAA Airspace Redesign plan." The
amendment, designed to evaluate the FAA's claim that the airspace redesign
is the only solution to reduce congestion at these air****ts, passed the
House by voice vote. A goal of the amendment is to encourage off-peak air
travel. Petitions continue to be circulated around New Canaan, most
notably
by 12-year-old Jordan Cerbone.
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/newcanaan/23247.shtml
Kate Hanni: 'The Ralph Nader of the Skies': Kate Hanni (pictured) is the
founder of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights, and
she's
so committed to federal legislation in sup****t of air travelers that she
quit her job and took out a $200,000 line of credit on the California home
she owns with her husband to spearhead the fight, according to a new
profile
of her by Joe Sharkey for ****tfolio.com. She did so after being stuck in
an
American Airlines plane on the tarmac in Austin, Texas, for nine hours
last
December in one of several well-publicized stranding incidents.Sharkey
writes:The group's success (it now has 17,000 members) has been helped by
fury over the extraordinary number of planes stranded this year at
domestic
air****ts, as unprecedented travel demand smacked headfirst into reduced
airline capacity, record delays and cancellations, and schedules that no
longer have slack built in to accommodate even routine weather
disruptions.
http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/kate_hanni_the_ralph_nader_of_the_skies_20070920/
Thailand: Air****t residents to boost pressure if noise problem
unimproved!!!
BANGKOK, Sept 30 (TNA) - Residents near Suvarnabhumi international air****t
and affected by the noise problem caused by aircraft landings and
take-offs
are monitoring closely on the progress of resolving the problem under the
leader****p by a tripartite committee formed earlier in September, aid
residents' leader. Wanchart Manathammasombat said residents living near
the
air****t, located in Bangkok's neighboring province of Samut Prakan, would
watch the outcomes of the next few meetings between the tripartite
committee
comprising representatives of Air****ts of Thailand (AoT), the residents
and
the Lawyers Council of Thailand . If no progress on the noise pollution
problem is made, residents may have to march to the air****t again and
impose
heavier pressure on the authorities, said Mr. Wanchart. On September 9,
the
residents' protested at the air****t give the AoT a nine-day deadline to
meet
their demands. They have threatened to release a large number of balloons
into the air to disrupt air traffic if AoT does not broaden its noise
mitigation scheme and compensation to include more homes. However, the
residents later backed off, decided to wait for the outcome of their
demands
from the tripartite committee before taking fresh action.
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=31947
Editor's Note: I would get the
helium tanks and balloons ready as the Thailand government seems to be as
uncaring about its citizen's health and welfare as the American government
is.
Schumer To Meet Community About Excessive Copter Noise On Long Island, NY:
Craig Cooper said he moved his family from Baldwin to Smithtown two years
ago in hopes of finding "a more serene place to live," away from congested
streets and skies filled with noisy airliners headed for Kennedy Air****t.
No
such luck. "We traded being in the landing pattern of JFK, where we had
747s
flying over our head, to being in the flight patterns of helicopters
flying
a thousand feet over our head on their way to the Hamptons," said Cooper,
53, a video producer. Some relief may finally be in store for Cooper and
thousands of other Long Islanders who have made noise complaints about
low-flying helicopters ferrying the gentry from New York City out east.
Sen.
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said yesterday that he would host a meeting
tomorrow bringing together Federal Aviation Administration brass, major
helicopter operators and managers of the East End air****ts. "It's as bad
as
ever, from Floral Park all the way to the East End," Schumer said of
helicopter noise. "We're bringing people together to find a solution."
Editor's Note: Knowing Schumer, he was probably responsible for bringing
in
the helicopter flights in the first place!!!
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liheli0930,0,5782287.story?coll=ny_home_rail_headlines
@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Im****tant Aviation
News
Stories This Week
Monday, September 24, 2007
Noise near Stewart may grow
No plans in works to alter takeoff and landing paths
By Craig Wolf
Poughkeepsie Journal
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709240323
Airplane noise in the mid-Hudson appears likely to change in the years
ahead, but it's a mixed bag as to how.
On one hand, the potential growth of Stewart International Air****t in New
Windsor poses the prospect of more planes. More flights will mean more
service for travelers, but more noise for neighbors.
On the other hand, a new "airspace redesign" will route aircraft that use
the four big air****ts in or near New York City, ****fting many "overflight"
routes away from Dutchess and Ulster counties and shrinking others, thus
reducing noise and pollution. The Federal Aviation Administration said
this
will reduce delays, congestion and pollution and cope with rising
passenger
volumes.
A third source of air noise is the smaller facilities such as Dutchess
County Air****t and private strips; and helicopters, which don't always
need
air****ts. Small air****ts and aircraft are not in the airspace study.
However, these craft may generate noise near the air****ts.
The new Stewart managers, the ****t Authority of New York and New Jersey,
hope to grow Stewart to take some pressure off their four overcrowded and
delay-prone major air****ts to the south, which last year recorded more
than
1.4 million landings or takeoffs. Stewart has had 62,169 in the first
eight
months of this year, up 8 percent from the same period in 2006.
"The planes that annoy me are the ones landing at Stewart," Town of
Fishkill
resident Rose Miller said. She sees them descending over her home on a
beeline for Stewart.
Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration said there are no plans
to
change any routing of planes to or from Stewart, so the future is fairly
simple to divine: If you get Stewart noise now, you'll probably get it
more
often if usage of Stewart grows. If you don't get it, you probably won't.
As to the overflights and the airspace redesign, the news is mostly good
for
the region. These are high-flying routes used by large planes heading into
John F. Kennedy International Air****t, LaGuardia Air****t, Newark Liberty
International Air****t and Teterboro Air****t.
The airspace redesign that took nine years of study of a 21-air****t region
from New York to Philadelphia was approved by Sept. 5 by the aviation
agency. It eliminates JFK and LaGuardia inflows from the Dutchess and
Ulster
airspace, ****fting them south and east, respectively. Teterboro flows,
mostly cor****ate jets, remain the same, broadly spread over Dutchess and
Ulster.
Newark-bound planes will continue to sweep east-west over mid-Dutchess and
south over two paths above Ulster. However, those paths have been greatly
narrowed in the new plan. And, FAA officials said, all the overflights
will
be about 2,000 feet higher, reducing noise. A plane's altitude in an
overflight varies, but they typically are at 10,000 to 16,000 feet, or two
to three miles high, as they cross the area now, said Jim Peters, an
FAAspokesman.
More flights will go over Rockland County, whose residents and officials
have loudly protested and even gotten some legislation started. Rep. Eliot
Engel, D-Bronx, introduced a bill that passed the House of Representatives
calling for an independent study to determine if the agency's
controversial
airspace redesign plan would actually accomplish what it set out to do.
Because they're already several thousand feet high, the overflights tend
not
to be as annoying as close-in traffic near an air****t. But they do matter,
if you ask Maureen Radl, head of Ulsterites Fight Overflights. She also
speaks for a coalition of environmental groups who've urged the ****t
Authority to listen to local concerns about the effects of Stewart
development.
"Ulster County has been dealing with flights that are problematic for
quite
a while," Radl said. In the high mountainous area of Ulster, people are
closer to the planes and find their noise stands out in the wooded quiet
of
the Shawangunks.
The airspace redesign doesn't affect Stewart, said Steve Kelley, manager
of
the program for the FAA.
"Arrival and departure operations at Stewart right now run predominantly
east and west so it can operate independently of the metropolitan New York
air****ts," he said.
According to FAA spokes-man Peters, the redesign will be implemented
beginning shortly and in phases over a period of years.
Richard Butensky of Cold Spring says he doesn't worry about the
overflights.
"Usually, they're pretty high up," he said.
But he has complained to Stewart officials about the noise he gets in his
Highlands area home near the Hudson River, and been told by them that what
he sees is probably the normal small-plane traffic up and down the Hudson
River.
"It's the small craft, really," Butesnky said. "They're flying low,
they're
constant, they're noisy - the helicopters and the turboprops. You hear
them
coming from miles away."
Reach Craig Wolf at cwolf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or
845-437-4815.
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