Cypress : City Council Rejects Flight-Path Resolution

Citing a “great relationship” with the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center, Cypress City Council members have voted against a resolution by Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) to change the flight paths of military helicopters.

Calling Dannemeyer’s resolution “counterproductive,” Mayor John Kanel said the council’s vote Monday night supports, instead, recommendations made by a citizens’ blue-ribbon committee. The group was formed in response to residents’ complaints about noisy helicopters.

Col. Robert Brandt of the Los Alamitos base said Tuesday that some of the committee’s recommendations would be implemented “right away.”

The recommendations accepted by the base include suggestions for helicopter pilots to:

- Maintain an altitude of 1,500 feet instead of 1,000, during visual-approach landings, from Valley View to Katella Avenue instead of to Knott Avenue and Katella.

- Maintain a minimum 90 knots, or about 100 m.p.h., to minimize noise.

- Restrict the landings of aircraft not based at Los Alamitos.

Brandt said that by 1987-88, officials hope to have flight simulators that would reduce the number of training missions.

Assistant City Manager Dave Barrett cited a “cooperative spirit” and echoed city officials in calling the committee’s report “superior” to Dannemeyer’s resolution, which he said could lead to a “confrontation that didn’t give them (the cities) viable alternatives.”

Dannemeyer said Tuesday that he respects Cypress’ decision. “It sounds to me like they may be a little concerned that the alternative routes may impact more severely over Cypress, which is a legitimate concern,” Dannemeyer said.

The congressman asked cities affected by the Katella corridor flight path to pass his resolution calling for alternate paths. Orange recently approved the resolution and Stanton officials were scheduled to vote on it Tuesday night.

In a study released earlier this summer by the City of Orange, the 100 California National Guard helicopters flying out of the Los Alamitos base were targeted as the main source of complaints by residents upset about the noisy aircraft.