Noise, Not Information, Is Target

Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn has proposed a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. helicopter curfew at Van Nuys Airport, a welcome step in limiting the out-of-control expansion of helicopter use at the airport.

As early as 5 a.m. each morning, San Fernando Valley residents are awakened by a stream of media helicopters that emerge from Van Nuys and fly low over Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and through the Cahuenga Pass, leaving in their path a trail of noise. Then the whole process is reversed as the fleet repeats the routine during afternoon drive time and into the late evening hours.

The media helicopter industry would like the world to believe that its traffic reports are indispensable. They would like you to think that without helicopter air coverage, Los Angeles traffic would grind to a halt.

But nothing is further from the truth.

When one of the 50 or more helicopters stationed at Van Nuys takes flight in the early morning, an on-board reporter calls back to the radio or TV station and asks about traffic conditions, locations of accidents, SigAlerts, etc.

Back at the station, another reporter sits glued to a computer monitor and police scanners. That reporter takes notes, logs traffic jams and the like and relays it to the helicopter.

The source of all this traffic information is an amazingly efficient system developed by Caltrans. The agency has installed hundreds of traffic monitoring loops in the freeway network that monitor every foot of freeway, giving traffic speeds on each lane, road conditions and other information. They are supported by dozens of video “jam cams.”

These incidents, closures, maps and video pictures are then transmitted over the Internet to the local news outlets. Anyone can access the system free of charge by logging on to https://traffic.maxwell.com/la.

The Caltrans system works night and day, in good and bad weather, and it requires no helicopters and generates no smog or air pollution. It’s the ideal means to report on traffic to the motoring public.

The media helicopters take their cue from the Caltrans reporting system and promptly fly to a traffic problem. Often a dozen or more helicopters will hover over an accident, creating enormous noise and chaos on the ground.

Worse, they become a safety problem to the police and emergency helicopters that must do their work overhead.

The bottom line is that traffic helicopter operations are not really necessary. The same information can be gathered and disseminated to the traveling public without any airborne operations.

There are no legal or regulatory constraints that prevent the Los Angeles World Airports Department from implementing a nighttime helicopter curfew.

Because all helicopters are considered Stage 2 aircraft, they can be controlled by the airport after a Federal Aviation Administration Part 161 Study is completed.

The Part 161 Study and curfew are what is being proposed by the city attorney. Once the study is completed, the Board of Airport Commissioners can implement the curfew without FAA permission.

But it won’t be that simple. During the trek through the political minefield, the helicopter industry will bring in its big guns. Their industry trade group, Helicopter Associates International, together with local helicopter media associations, will do everything in their power to stop the curfew. They will fight tooth and nail to prevent any limits or controls on helicopter operations at Van Nuys.

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Mayor Richard Riordan has put in place an airport commission that has little regard for the quality of life of Valley residents. But several mayoral candidates have been working with homeowner associations and are seeking solutions to the Van Nuys noise problem.

Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) supports a bill by state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), Senate Bill 2036, that would expand the noise reporting requirements at Van Nuys. If passed into law, it would require that the airport finally count the many thousands of residents who are impacted each day but who do not fall under current reporting criteria.

Together with a nighttime helicopter curfew, some relief could be afforded to Valley residents if the political will is there.

But the moment a curfew or any helicopter limits are suggested, the media and helicopter industry jump into action. They claim that their 1st Amendment rights would be violated and that jobs would be lost. Not true. Helicopter curfews don’t stop helicopters from flying or reporting, only from flying out at 5 a.m.. Claims that traffic reports can’t be delivered to the public without helicopters aloft are also untrue.

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What is true is that Van Nuys Airport has become the helicopter capital of the region, with no limits on their operations.

Santa Monica Airport has a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. helicopter curfew that protects nearby residents. Why should Van Nuys be allowed to operate at all hours with no limits?

Colorful TV promos claim that helicopters are “working for you,” when in fact they show no regard for the noise they create for the people on the ground.

It is a sad fact that the local media have chosen to pander to the voyeuristic tendencies of their viewers rather than report important news. Every car that runs out of gas, every dog or cat loose on the freeway and every car chase commands a front-row seat on TV, thanks to the media helicopters.

To Los Angeles television news directors, events in Sacramento and Washington are far less important than giving viewers their daily fix of car chases. Residents living near Van Nuys Airport pay the price.

It will take a strong and courageous mayor, City Council and Board of Airport Commissioners to do what is right for the public. Judging from past performance, it will take years before even the smallest effort to limit noise at Van Nuys takes place.

But there is hope. With the Valley champing at the bit to secede, perhaps there is the chance that elected officials will do the right thing for local residents.