Hamptons Realtor To Helicopter Clients From City To View Pricey Homes, Residents Livid

EAST HAMPTON, NY — As a battle over helicopter noise on the East End rages on, a realtor's plan to fly clients out to the Hamptons to view pricey properties has residents seeing red.

The Corcoran Group's announced the one-day event on its website and Facebook page. "Finding your summer rental in the Hamptons just got easier. On April 9th, fly with BLADE courtesy of Corcoran to shop our finest summer rentals. Book your free seat: fly.corcoran.com," the event description reads.

"On Sunday, April 9th winners should plan to arrive at Atlantic Aviation on East 34th Street below the FDR Drive at 8:30 am. Be prepared to spend at least four to six hours in the Hamptons. Lunch will be provided. Upon arrival in the Hamptons, winners will be greeted by one of Corcoran’s savvy agents who will show you some of our incredible listings based on the winner’s selections," the site reads.

The news has many in the Hamptons who have spent years crying out against helicopter noise livid.

"Corcoran's BLADE service for six figure rentals scheme is quite tone deaf. Residents under helicopter flight paths on both Forks have had it with the noisy air taxis that are ruining quality of life, lowering property values and spewing pollutants all over the East End," said Adam Irving of the Southold Town's helicopter noise steering committee.

Mattituck's Teresa McCaskie, also of Southold Town helicopter noise steering committee, who has become a passionate advocate for the many who are imploring elected officials for help, added, "The concept of joining forces with BLADE, an on-demand helicopter app, to cater to the elite potential Hamptons rental customer while polluting and destroying residents peace and tranquility of the East End was a poorly thought out marketing strategy and should be canceled immediately. Residents on both Forks are fighting back and letting the president of Corcoran know that this type of business partnership is unwanted."

And, said Kathleen Cunningham, chair of Quiet Skies Coalition, Ltd, "It is an outrage. They are either completely ignorant or ridiculously entitled. To underwrite this transportation choice, while alleging to value the natural environment, bucolic setting and peace and quiet that characterizes the East End is disingenuous at best and intentionally insincere at worst. I hope Corcoran will recognize that they've made a huge mistake and cancel this disaster before they do irreparable damage to their reputation. There's still time to correct this error. I hope they're wise enough to see that."

When contacted for comment, Corcoran responded via an email: "We wanted to help our clients by making it easy for those interested in renting this season to conveniently access properties during these slower months. It is a service being offered this one-time only. We care deeply about the East End and know that homeowners and renters come to the Hamptons as an oasis of quiet from the hustle and noise of urban centers. It was not our intention to disrupt the harmony of anyone’s home, only to help others discover the region."

Battle rages on

The outcry over helicopter noise that many say is shattering their bucolic way of life on the East End has intensified in recent years.

East Hampton Town filed a petition in March to seek local control over its airport.

The petition was filed "to overturn an extraordinary and unprecedented appeals court decision that would rob East Hampton and thousands of other local airport sponsors of their ability to manage their airport, in the best interests of their residents," according to a release from Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell's office.

East Hampton Town, by outside appellate attorneys Kathleen Sullivan and David Cooper of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, LLP, filed a petition in the Supreme Court of the United States seeking to restore local control at East Hampton Airport.

The recent decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined the town’s curfew restrictions at the East Hampton Airport.

“For the last three years, this town board has been fighting to regain local control of our airport,” said Cantwell. “We followed the FAA’s advice and elected to forgo federal funding so that we could protect our residents. We engaged in a lengthy public process to identify meaningful but reasonable restrictions, and the District Court agreed that we met that test. But, with the stroke of a pen, the appeals court decision has federalized our airport and stripped us – and the thousands of similarly situated airports – of the ability to exert local control. We cannot let that decision stand.”

The town adopted two local laws instituting year-round curfews in April, 2015: one, a mandatory nighttime curfew, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and the other, an extended curfew on noisy aircraft, from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.

In addition, the town also enacted a third law imposing a one-trip-a-week restriction on noisy aircraft. A group of opponents promptly filed a legal action in federal court seeking to delay implementation of the local laws.

Upon initial review, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York confirmed that “it cannot be argued that the town lacked the data to support a finding of a noise problem at the airport” and upheld the two curfews as reasonable.

The District Court preliminarily enjoined the one-trip-per week limit.

On appeal, however, the Second Circuit "radically reversed decades of FAA practice and the accepted interpretation of federal aviation law, by prohibiting any airport from making local decisions, even when the airport proprietor does not receive federal funds," the release said. "The effect is an unprecedented expansion of federal regulatory authority," the release said.

Town board members agreed. “The last thing we need is the federal government running our airport. The Second Circuit’s decision subjects us to an onerous and costly FAA review process that places the solution to the noise problem in the hands of the FAA. That is unacceptable. We have fought long and hard to protect our quality of life and it is too important to let the court of appeals undermine that,” stated Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez.

She added, “The town board is pursuing all avenues for redress – both in the courts and in Congress – and we will continue the fight until we regain local control of East Hampton Airport."

North Fork takes action

And on the North Fork, in November, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell took action against the Federal Aviation Administration after the FAA ruled to extend the North Shore helicopter route four years.

Russell announced the filing of a formal complaint with the Federal Transportation Commission; Southold Town contends that the FAA's action is in violation of federal law and executive order.

Patch file photo depicting one of the many helicopters that residents say have destroyed their quality of life.