Proposed Helicopter Bill Could 'Hammer' 1 LI Community With Noise

EAST END, NY — Although the East End has gotten a bit of a respite from unyielding helicopter noise during the "summer like no other" sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, a proposed new bill has some concerned that it could mean an influx of air traffic over one North Fork community when normalcy resumes.

A meeting of the Southold Town helicopter noise steering committee was held Thursday via Zoom to discuss a new bill proposed by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer that would extend the North Shore Route for helicopters, set to expire on Aug. 6, and mandate a South Shore Route.

Pilots flying the North Shore Route would operate around Orient Point, Plum Island, and Shelter Island, the bill states.

Other details included in bill state that helicopters should fly one mile offshore to mitigate noise impacts at an altitude of no less than 2,500 feet.

The all-water South Shore Route would also fly a mile offshore and at an altitude of no less than 2,500 feet, the legislation states.

Exceptions to those routes can deviate from those routes when necessary for safety or weather conditions and when "transitioning" from destination or point of landing, the legislation says. If a pilot deviates from either route, the legislation states that they must submit a report explaining why no more than 14 days later, the bill says.

Adam Irving, of the helicopter noise steering committee, said there were "essential issues" that needed to be addressed, including one point that says the legislation has nothing to do with splitting traffic between the North Shore and South Shore routes, something that will be decided by pilots and the aviation community themselves.

Also, he said, the language of the legislation is "confusing," especially as it pertains to transitions "further east around Orient Point, Plum Island and Shelter Island. The devil is very much in the details." The section of the legislation dealing with the transition east of Plum Island needs to be vetted further, he said.

At the very least, he said, latitude and longitude points should be agreed upon east of Plum Island for the North Shore route.

As it stands, any flights that are going to transition to airports west of East Hampton will transition over land, a "point of contention," he said. "Those flights should be flying the South Shore route but there is nothing in this legislation that precludes the from flying over land."

Teresa McCaskie, of the committee, had a number of points to discuss. To start, for those pilots who need to file reports after varying from the routes, she believes 14 days is too long and seven days would be sufficient. She wanted to know what the report would consist of and said pilots should need to explain why they transitioned where they did.

Also, she said, the suggested height at which pilots should fly, 2,500 feet, is "non-negotiable. It should be 3,500 feet, period."

And, she said, telling pilots to fly at least one mile off the coast of Orient or East Marion won't work. "To have a highway in the sky one mile offshore is not acceptable," she said. The legislation needs to mandate pilots to fly a minimum of two miles offshore, McCaskie said.

As it stands, 98 percent of aircraft flying in the area are twin engine helicopters that need to be able to get to shore and land safely.

The language of the bill does not mention penalties for pilots who "randomly shorten" their routes, McCaskie said; there is nothing in the language to preclude pilots taking the North Shore route from flying to the South Fork and back, round-trip, also unacceptable, she said. "We need clarity," she added.

McCaskie said right now, pilots are flying 3,500 to 4,500 feet voluntarily and the language asks for "so much less. Why they would water it down is a mystery to me," she said.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said one important point is while the legislation mandates a South Shore route, what that means is it establishes the flight plan itself. The bill does not mandate that pilots must fly that South Shore Route — something that should be mandatory, he said.

North Fork community will "get hammered" by noise

Irving said he feared the bill would lead to not noise abatement but instead, a concentration on a "very small sliver" of the community. "East Marion and Orient are going to get hammered," he said. "Certain neighborhoods are going to get annihilated."

McCaskie also introduced data that said from 2018 to 2019, helicopter activity increased by 7 percent at East Hampton airport, and sea planes, by 23 percent, with an overall increase by 8 percent.

From 2015 to 2019, she said, helicopter activity at the airport was up 56 percent, and seaplanes by 40 percent, with a total increase of activity of 23 percent.

Noise complaints from 2018 to 2019 was up 31 percent for helicopters and 33 percent for seaplanes, she said, with an overall increase of 33 percent.

While some residents are "fatigued" by filing complaints they "think won't be heard," the process, while "tedious and tiresome, is very important," she said, especially when air traffic returns to normal after the pandemic.

She added that there were not just noise but environmental and safety concerns, as well; if an aircraft crashed it would be like "being in a fireball," she said.

Of the legislation, McCaskie said, "I personally do not see this as a fix."

"It wasn't about noise abatement — it was about extending the North Shore Route because it was about to expire," Russell said, adding that he wanted to include Riverhead Town officials in discussions.