News Helicopters Blamed for Airport Noise

Using official flight logs from Van Nuys Airport, anti-noise activist Gerald Silver on Tuesday revealed tabulations showing more than 1,500 early morning helicopter flights there in the first seven months of this year.

The computer-assisted report, compiled by Silver, also indicated that the helicopter noise was most often caused by news and traffic reporters taking to the air between 5 and 7 a.m. Those aircraft accounted for more than half of all nighttime helicopter traffic, according to the report.

Airport officials and aviation supporters in the past have argued that much of the night and early morning noise is caused by police and fire helicopters responding to emergencies. But Silver said his study of airport logs found that police and fire helicopters accounted for less than 13% of the off-hours takeoffs and landings.

Silver presented the numbers Tuesday to the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council, a 15-member appointed panel of representatives of homeowners, businesses and aviation interests. Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino who was recently appointed to the council, used the report to renew demands that a nighttime curfew on noisy fixed-wing aircraft be extended to helicopters.

A curfew for years has limited flight operations of noisier, so-called Stage 2 aircraft between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. A City Council proposal would extend the curfew by one hour, to 10 p.m., but helicopters are not included in the ban.

The accuracy of the report was challenged by some helicopter pilots and air traffic reporters. Several told council members that a curfew on helicopter traffic would severely handicap media operations. Bob Pettee, veteran television news pilot-reporter and past president of the Professional Helicopter Pilots Assn., asked that a scientific study be done to determine the true offenders.

The report listed the most frequent early morning fliers as helicopters utilized by television channels 7, 11 and 5 and radio stations KLOS and KFWB, among others. About 40 helicopters, including 10 used by the media, fly out of Van Nuys--more than from any other Southern California airport, federal and city officials said.

After decades of complaints from residents, the Los Angeles City Council in September instructed the city attorney to prepare an ordinance limiting the number of noisy jets based at the airfield and expanding the noise curfew. An ordinance was proposed last month by the city Board of Airport Commissioners, which oversees the Van Nuys airfield and other city-owned airports. However, that proposal was sent back for further study by a City Council committee after airport operators complained that limitations on aircraft would cripple their businesses.

A special meeting of the advisory council is scheduled for Nov. 24 to review the issues.