The graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter453.htm
Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#453..........................................................................November
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]
of the Week: "The FAA is totally oblivious to quality-of-life
issues,
and we as a community are going to have to figure out what we want," U.S.
Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridge****t, Connecticut commenting on the FAA's
Airspace Redesign scheme at recent community rally.
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State Of Connecticut Sues FAA Over Airspace Redesign Scheme!!!
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As Bill Sees It (Editorial): Noise Pollution On The Rise!!! That was the
title of a very short news piece this week on noise pollution at Reagan
Air****t. However, there was a video in the story that was great. It had a
Dr. Jeffery Kim of Georgetown University Hospital talking about the health
effects of noise pollution.
GAO Air****t Noise Re****t More Government Smoke And Mirrors!!! This Reagan
Air****t's news video's focus on the effect of noise pollution on people's
health was in stark contrast to the General Accounting Office (GAO) re****t
that dealt with air****t noise effects on the "environment" and (whatever
THAT means) and "community concerns" rather than health impacts. Maybe
that
was because the GAO re****t was written by someone called a "Director of
Physical Infrastructure Issues" instead of an expert in the health effects
of noise.
Finally The State Of Connecticut Gets Involved With Opposing FAA Airspace
Redesign Plan!!! It looks as if the FAA's unjust, politically influenced
and
racist airspace redesign plan 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 join form a coalition to bring one massive lawsuit
against the FAA scheme. This lawsuit will be fought against by politicians
like New York's Senator Schumer who have already gotten their favored
(weathy and white) communities protection from overflight noise continued.
The JFK Air****t routing over nearby communities was not touched with the
FAA
opting to send future increased flights over the same poor and minority
communities they have concentrated them on for so many years.
Connecticut's
Senator Lieberman is also strangely silent about the increased noise
impacts
on his state. Cleverly making deals with slimy politicians like Schumer
and
Lieberman is how the FAA has been away with increasing noise pollution
over
American's homes for so long. People in communities which are going to get
increased noise under this plan should remember next election the
politicians who have sold them out.
New York's "Privatized" Stewart Air****t Taken Over By A Public
"Authority!!!
News stories this week talked about how the bi-state, ****t Authority of
New
York and New Jersey has taken over owner****p of Stewart Air****t which had
the distinction of being the first U.S. air****t to be "privatized." Local
politicians and the news media are positively gu****ng over the prospect of
more noisy planes and air pollution over this area which is already
classified by the EPA as a highly air polluted "non-attainment" area. What
they don't tell their constituents and readers is that the secret plan is
for the air****t to be developed as a heavily night operating air cargo hub
and not the "regional" air****t for local counties as the ****t Authority
has
conned the locals into thinking. This is why communities around nearby
Teterboro Air****t stopped the ****t Authority plan to build the air cargo
in
their area.
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General Accounting Office (GAO) Re****t Comments On Airspace Redesign
Scheme!!! (excerpt from the re****t) "Because the airspace redesign for the
New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area will make changes to arrival and
departure routes, the noise contours in the area will also change,
exposing
some communities to less noise and others to more. According to FAA's
analysis of the effect of the redesign, fewer people would be exposed to
moderate to significant noise levels than is currently the case, but some
people who live under the new flight paths would be exposed to higher
though
moderate levels of noise. On the basis of this analysis, the environmental
impact statement prepared for the redesign project concludes that the
project will not have a significant environmental impact with respect to
noise. However, the possible ****ft in noise contours has led to
significant
expressions of concern, including litigation in many of the communities
that
could experience higher though moderate levels of aviation noise. One of
these communities, which has a large minority population, contends that
the
redesign would dispro****tionately affect minority neighborhoods. This
contention could raise concerns about environmental justice. We are
currently reviewing the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia airspace redesign
at the request of this Subcommittee."
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08216t.pdf
Editor's Note: More governmental
smoke and mirrors. However, there seems to be a few independent nuggets of
fact.
State Of Connecticut Sues The FAA!!! NEW CANAAN - Opponents 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,
R-Bridge****t, spoke against the Federal Aviation Administration at a rally
held by the New Canaan Environmental Group in the Outback Teen Center
behind
Town Hall. Speakers accused the FAA of neglecting the environment and area
residents.
"The FAA is totally oblivious to quality-of-life issues, and we as a
community are going to have to figure out what we want," Shays said. 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. The rally
came two days after Gov. M. Jodi Rell and state Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal announced that Connecticut has filed suit against the FAA, the
first state to do so. Eleven towns also have filed suit.
Stewart Air****t, NY: Putting Lipstick On A Pig!!! Stewart Air****t - The
Stewart Stone, a granite marker that was set at Stewart back in the 1930s
when it was dedicated as an Army Air Corps base, is back at the air****t.
The
stone that resembles a grave marker, turned up in Winter Park, Florida.
And
through some detective work, Thomas Hafer, grandson of air****t benefactor
Thomas "Archie" Stewart, was able to acquire it, clean it up at his
Virginia
home, and bring it back to Newburgh on Thursday, the day the ****t
Authority,
took over operations. "This is the culmination of everything that this
family has ever wanted and I just hope that this is the transition point
that's going to bring this air****t to its full realization and that it is
going to be an engine for growth for the whole region," he said. Editor's
Note: It is sad to see the rush to destroy the quality of life of the once
quiet rural area presented by the local media and politicians as the
greatest thing since sliced bread. Reading this crap its hard to believe
this is the same air cargo hub expansion that the communities around
nearby
Teterboro Air****t fought so hard to stop being inflicted on them.
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@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Im****tant Aviation
News
Stories This Week
NOISE ABOVE DELAYS BELOW: Why LI (Long Island, New York) may get a break
on
jet noise
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/trans****tation/ny-lilfy045446234nov04,0,4990099.story
As FAA alters flight patterns in an effort to cut down on delays, Island
for
most part won't hear a difference
BY STEVE RITEA | steve.ritea@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Staff wri
November 4, 2007
In the largest reshuffling of flight patterns in the nation's history -
one
expected to affect communities from Philadelphia to Hartford - Long Island
appears to luck out.
The "airspace redesign," as the Federal Aviation Administration calls it,
is
intended to ease chronic flight delays, which have doubled in the last
three
years alone at New York City's three major metropolitan air****ts.
And the sweeping changes in flight patterns are stoking apprehension of
more
airplane noise in communities north, west and south of the city and the
Island.
Rckland County, for example, officials have hired a nationally renowned
airplane noise expert and a lawyer to fight their case. In Elizabeth,
N.J.,
they've filed a similar legal challenge contesting the changes.
On Long Island, some parts of the Town of North Hempstead will have
noticeable noise increases, based on FAA data. Yet, the increase will be
minimal compared with areas such as Elizabeth, where local activist Robert
Belzer estimates 85,000 residents who live near Newark Air****t will be
subject to significantly higher noise levels.
The FAA declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
Unaware on Long Island
Officials on Long Island, are relatively unaware of the planned changes or
their impact.
"The issue has recently come to our attention," said Justin Meyers, a
spokesman for the Town of North Hempstead. "We are currently reaching out
to
our federal representatives to explore this matter further."
The airspace redesign, which the FAA approved in September, is regional in
nature and is engineered to make better use of the skies, fanning out
planes
as they depart and putting others at higher or lower altitudes.
"To some extent, flights will be redistributed," acting FAA Administrator
Robert Sturgell said at a recent news conference. "Different folks will
hear
airplanes."
Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and Philadelphia are the major air****ts
affected
by the airspace redesign. Lesser changes are in store for Long Island
MacArthur Air****t in Islip, Republic Air****t in Farmingdale and Gabreski
Air****t in Westhampton Beach. Regionwide, Sturgell said, changes on the
ground will amount to a net noise reduction, with some 600,000 of 29
million
residents in five states hearing less airplane noise. He was unable to say
how many more people will have additional noise but promised any impact
will
be minimal.
Officials say the redesign will begin in the next few months and be
complete
in the next four years. FAA spokesman Jim Peters said communities close to
Kennedy won't see much difference. "The major routes that we use to bring
aircraft in and out of Kennedy to do not change close in," he said.
Instead, routes farther away from the air****t will ****ft.
Meanwhile, the area around Center****t and Eatons Neck, which experiences
minimal noise from commercial flights, soon could have even less.
In all, Peters didn't predict any substantial impact here.
Although noise affects people differently experts say any increase will be
noticeable, particularly for communities already teetering on the border
of
what the FAA considers higher noise levels. The FAA measures noise over a
24-hour period, taking an average of all the sounds emitted by planes
during
that time. Greater weight is given to aircraft noise at night, said
Sanford
Fidell, a California-based noise researcher who has been hired by Rockland
County.
Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef said he believes the federal
agency did "not adequately address the potential noise impact to Rockland
residents and offers no provision for noise mitigation." The county filed
its lawsuit, he said, because the FAA's review was "flawed" and "may be in
violation of federal aviation laws and regulations."
The measurement the FAA uses is called a Day Night Average Noise Level
(DNL). The FAA assigns each community a score: Any score over 65 is
considered too high for residential areas; any score over 45 is considered
a
slight to moderate noise impact.
According to an FAA re****t last year, 45 DNL is the minimum level at which
noise needed to be considered, because "even distant ambient noise sources
and natural sounds such as wind in trees can easily exceed this value."
No Long Island community has a DNL above 65 and none is expected to go
above
that level when the airspace redesign takes effect, according to an
analysis
of FAA data. Most communities on the Island have DNL levels below 45.
Fidell is critical of how the federal agency uses DNLs.
"As a predictor of noise impact, it's not terribly accurate," he said.
A home that experiences one very loud plane each afternoon, for example,
could be rated at the same noise level as another home with 100 barely
audible planes passing over each day.
Noise also is very subjective, he said, and what bothers one person or
community might not bother another.
"If you're living next to a train, it's hard to notice airplanes," Fidell
said.
No more noise needed
In Manhasset, one of the North Hempstead communities likely to have a
noticeable noise increase, resident Robert Symmons said the nearby train
tracks and helicopters ferrying travelers to the Hamptons create far more
headaches for him these days than do airplanes.
"It would certainly compound the situation," he said.
But by how much is unknown, especially if Symmons' helicopter headaches
persist.
According to FAA data, his neighborhood soon will receive the same noise
levels as others in Levittown and East Meadow, which remain virtually
unchanged in the plan.
"You learn to drown it out," said Jerry Sampson, who has lived in his
Levittown home 34 years. While passing planes can be loud enough to
interrupt a backyard conversation, Sampson said he barely notices the
noise
inside the house.
Pam Pannaciulli of East Meadow said she's become so used to planes over
her
neighborhood that she stopped paying attention to them years ago, until
her
1-year-old daughter would wake up from naps, crying and complaining about
the loud noise.
"I didn't notice until I had a baby," she said.
"The issue is how suddenly it occurs, over a period of years versus very
suddenly," Fidell said. "If the change were abrupt, that change would
probably be noticeable."
Belzer said the FAA is misstating the potential impact.
"I think you're going to have surprised people out on Long Island when
they
start this," he said.
Staff writer Tom McGinty contributed to this article.
Redirecting traffic
On the whole, changes in air travel patterns are to affect Long island
less
than other parts of the metropolitan area. Data below represent current
Day
Night Average Noise Levels and 2011 FAA projections. Curren tnoise levels
reflect community-wide composites; levels may vary within communities.
MANHASSET
Current: 43.11
Projected: 45.83
Percentage change: 6.3%
EATONS NECK
Current: 38.01
Projected: 34.12
Percentage change: -10.2%
RONKONKOMA
Current: 43.71
Projected: 44.55
Percentage change: 1.9%
SHELTER ISLAND
Current: 30.25
Projected: 32.74
Percentage change: 8.2%
INWOOD
Current: 62.09
Projected: 63.04
Percentage change: 1.5%
CEDARHURST
Current: 63.34
Projected: 63.40
Percentage change: 0.1%
EAST MEADOW
Current: 46.11
Projected: 45.67
Percentage change: -0.9%
PATCHOGUE
Current: 40.98
Projected: 40.66
Percentage change: -0.8%
HAMPTON BAYS
Current: 33.10
Projected: 33.47
Percentage change: 1.1%
KEY
Current Day Night Average Nocies Levels (map not in text database)
purple 0
green 0.1 to 35.4
blue 35.5 to 41.6
orange 41.7 to 50.0
red 50.1 to 65.0-
black 65.1 to 73.0
THIS MAP, based on Federal Aviation Administration data, shows changes in
airplane noise levels as projected under the FAA's airspace redesign. The
FAA measures noise over 24-hour periods, taking an average of all sounds
emitted by planes during that time. The measurement is called a Day Night
Average Noise Level (DNL). Easch community is assigned a score. Scores
higher than 45 DNL are considered slight to moderate noise impact. Scores
higher than 65 DNL are considered too high for residential areas.
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