VAN NUYS : Ban Proposed for Night Flights of Helicopters
Nighttime helicopter sightseeing tours out of Van Nuys Airport have become a favorite of tourists and romantics looking for a heavenly view of the City of Angels. But complaints by airport neighbors that they create a hellish din threatens to ground the flights.
Prodded by complaints from airport neighbors, Los Angeles Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky has asked the Department of Airports to consider banning all nighttime helicopter flights from the airport except for emergency services.
The proposed ban, which has been requested in the past by residents of Encino and Sherman Oaks, alarmed helicopter companies that offer tourists regular nighttime sightseeing flights over Hollywood and Beverly Hills that include dinner and champagne.
Representatives of two of the helicopter charter companies that would be most affected by a nighttime ban said that they were very concerned about Yaroslavsky’s proposal, which they said would ruin their businesses.
Van Nuys Airport Manager Ron Kochevar said the city attorney’s office is reviewing the proposal to determine if such a ban would be legal.
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