VAN NUYS : Airport to Secretly Test New Helicopter Routes
Van Nuys Airport officials have decided to secretly test new helicopter takeoff and landing patterns during a 30-day period beginning sometime in the next three months.
Airport officials intend to conceal the starting date, because if residents know about the test, the results would not be valid, said Airport Manager Ronald J. Kochevar. The test is set to begin sometime between Wednesday and Sept. 7, he said.
The test will determine if the new helicopter patterns generate fewer calls to the airport’s noise complaint telephone lines than the routes now used, he said. If complaints decrease during the test period, it would prove that the new routes are quieter, he said. But Kochevar added that the routes will not be adopted until the result of the test is discussed during several public hearings.
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