The City Of Salem Now Controls The Airspace

[Jack Cook]

Salem City Council has blocked a plan to open a new helicopter school at the local airport.
The council on Monday refused to grant an operating license that is required for Leading Edge Aviation's proposed flight school at Salem Municipal Airport. The action overturns an earlier decision by Airport Advisory Commission and goes against the advice of city staffers.
Many neighbors had opposed Bend-based Leading Edge, saying the buzz of helicopters would be intolerable.
Salem City Council Laura Tesler, who represents Ward 2, made a motion to reverse the advisory commission's decision. The "health, safety, and welfare" of residents required the city to deny Leading Edge permission to base its school here, she said.
Salem Mayor Janet Taylor supported Tesler's motion. The consequences of opening a helicopter school, she said, would be negative.
"I am a pilot and love the airport, but I also love this city," Taylor said.
But Airport Advisory Commission warned councilors that denying Leading Edge's license to operate could lead to "risky litigation."
In a May 23 letter, the advisory commission asserts that the Federal Aviation Administration could interpret a denial of Leading Edge's license to operate as a "backdoor attempt to regulate flight which is strictly prohibited under federal law."
Refusing to grant clearance for the school could resort in the loss of federal funds for airport projects, states the letter signed by Tim Hay, the chairman of Airport Advisory Commission.
City officials maintain that local governments have no legal authority to impose conditions on how, when, or where aircraft operate in federal air space.
Councilor T.J. Sullivan did not support Tesler's motion.
"They have bigger guns on their side than we do," Sullivan said of Leading Edge.
Silver State Helicopters, a defunct flight school, made neighbors leery of more airport noise. In February, Nevada-based Silver State filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations at the airport. The school generated many noise complaints.
In past testimony to the council, neighbors said they feared the return of repetitive training maneuvers made over their homes. Some critics raised concerns about air pollution from helicopter exhaust.
Officials with Leading Edge assured city officials that it would work with the community to minimize problems. A contingent of Leading Edge supporters, including student pilots, had asked the council to let the school open.

BTW there's now a call to make minimum altitude 5000' around the airport. That'll make for a helluva pattern

[Forgotten Field]

This is directly from the owner of a local airport, a man who is not known for telling stories. He had some problems with locals who would send police to his place whenever they felt their airspace was being violated. The calls were about suspected airplane crashes, airplanes flying too close to trees, the planes were flying too low, etc. The local police got fed up and called the FAA. The FAA alerted the FSDO. The FSDO sent a gentleman out to the airport to view what was going on. The representative made a thorough inspection; he wrote a report addressing the concerns that were happening. I don't know who this guy was, but if I could find him, I'd buy him a beer. He advised the owner that he had to keep good neighbor relations, and that maintenance of the license of the airport was very important because he took federal funds. Then he took him inside a hangar, away from the pilots who had been hovering around to hear what was going on, and told him to lower the traffic pattern to 100 feet. The next day, a Saturday, everybody flew around the airport at 100 feet. The phones went off, the police were called, the FAA was called, and more commotion ensued. Everybody who was called was told that the FAA had been out to inspect the airport, that everything was safe, and that the traffic pattern had been adjusted to address the complaints. So all the complainers asked if the old traffic pattern could be brought back, as they didn't like this one. They were all asked to write letters to that effect to the FSDO. They did, all three of them, and the owner received a phone call from the FSDO to put the old traffic pattern of 800 feet into effect within two weeks. That effectively ended all the complaints. I hope the FAA wades into this, but I also think the better thing to to do is take the business to a place that will appreciate it.

[Second Air Force]

The story Jack just posted will be coming to an airport or airfield near you. All forms of aviation seem to be targeted by NIMBYS and their associates around the "civilized" world. It won't just be Daly that we'll be cussing in the future.

Scott

[Jack Cook]

I'm interested in the FAA's response will at has they've poured a bunch of $$$ into the airport and the city's trying to stick it's head into the trough for more.

[The Inspector]

Do the members of the Salem City Council have any relatives on the Councils of Mukilteo or Snohomish County Washington?
Agillent Air proposed limited service out of KPAE to Las Vegas and the 'SAVE OUR COMMUNITIES' yayhoos in Mukilteo drug out their 39 year old 'agreement' with the County to never operate scheduled service out of KPAE-but then again Mukilteo has been arguing with itself for 15 years over tearing down a 75 year old firetrap building.
Mukilteos major whine is 'it'll lower property values' scuse me, the airports been here since 1939, didn't your real estate broker tell you there was an airport here when you bought your house in 1992? But then again, six Mukilteo residents sucessfully sued the Port of Everett over 'train noise' even tho the train has been running on the same roadbed for 120 years, in other times this would be extortion, and what will happen to your property values when the expensive house you've built on the side of a clay and sand bluff slides into Puget Sound during an earthquake?
To make matters worse, our 125% true politico County Executive who obviously has higher office amongst his targets, immediately gave the County Council a major tongue bath in agreeing with them. And the attitude from the County Council is 'shut up Everett'
It seems to be epidemic in proportion, perhaps it's the old college social experiment where you keep putting rats in a cage until they attack each other, then removing them one at a time until they stop.

[gary1954]

Perfect place for a flight school, bing a warbird to Callaway Gardens Harris County (PIM)

902ft

RWY 9 APPR 92°
RWY 27 APPR 272°
Length 5002x100 ASP
Convieniant to Callaway Gardens Goff Course dining etc two aircraft permanent residents, and a whole lotta parking space virtually no traffic....come a play

[Jack Cook]

Do the members of the Salem City Council have any relatives on the Councils of Mukilteo or Snohomish County Washington?

doubtful but a couple live close to the airport and hate airplanes.
Can you say confict of interest

[RareBear]

You'd think that with all the other helo's at the Salem airport [ in the Google Maps photo I looked at there were at least 10 big helicopters (Army Guard H-60's)] they wouldn't even notice a few more.

Walt

[Tom Moungovan]

On a similar note...there was a neighbor right across the street where I grew up in Los Altos who had a Taylorcraft in the hangar that was built on to his house. He only flew it 3-4 times a year and at that time, it was a nice novelty to everyone around. His name was John Lyons and he had been there long before the area was developed.
Don't know exactly when, but probably mid to late 60's, some of the newly-settled homeowners managed to raise enough stink, that he could no longer fly out of his own airstrip and was justifiably bitter about it for the rest of his life. I knew his son and he still let some of us play baseball on his land though. A sad story that gets repeated all too often.

[oscardeuce]

Ms. Mayor may be fibbin'. My search of the FAA data base returned no hit on "Janet Taylor".

[Jack Cook]

She's a pilot who hasn't flown in years. Janet's not her first name and
I'm not sure what it is. She and her husband have a million $$ hanger
with an old Warrior in it but I've never ever seen anyone there.

[oscardeuce]

"Taylor" and "Salem" return no female hits, she must not have an active medical.

She's fibbin.

[Jack Cook]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAA Registry
Name Inquiry Results

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JANET LOUISE TAYLOR
Address
Address is not available
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medical
Medical Class: Third Medical Date: 5/1986
MUST WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certificates
1 of 1
DOI: 7/8/1981
Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT
Rating(s):
PRIVATE PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
Her medical expired years ago

[oscardeuce]

Wow, last medical 1986!

Yup, she's a pilot, or at least was

OK, she telling a little white lie.

[Jack Cook]

http://statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/NEWS/806030348&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
it's like shooting idiots //*opps I mean fish*// in a barrell

I emailed the VP of Leaping Edge and encouraged them the give our glorious city govt a full rectal exam