Public Hearing On The Proposed Ban Will Be Held Thursday

For those who fly aboard helicopters to summer homes and resorts in East Hampton, the companies that operate those flights, and the people who live in the area, Thursday is a very important day.

The city of East Hampton will hold a public hearing Thursday on a proposal to ban most helicopter flights on weekends during the summer months in an effort to address concerns expressed by residents about noise and safety.

The battle lines are familiar, particularly in an area where there have been noise complaints for decades, according to the online news site Newsday. Some well-to-do residents of New York have been taking advantage of 45-minute helicopter flights from the city to airports near their summer homes and vacation rentals since the 1980, according to the report, with 4,198 helicopter flights logged at East Hampton Airport last year. That number represents a 47 percent increase from 2013.

The proposed rules would stop flights from noon Thursday until noon Monday from May to September. It also includes a nighttime curfew and a one-trip-per-week limit during the summer months for some aircraft.

Businesses that rely on the flights, such as Sound Aircraft Services, hope the ban can be stopped. "People will just go somewhere else that they can access by air and are welcomed," said sound Aircraft Services owner Cindy Herbst. The business is based at East Hampton Airport. The people, and the money they spend during the summer, represent a big part of the region's economy, the opponents of the ban say, and the people and their money could easily go elsewhere.

But East Hampton officials cite a recent survey that indicates that only 24 percent of the annual air traffic will be affected, but the ban would address 67 percent of complaints put forth by residents. Kathleen Cunningham, chairwoman of the Quiet Skies Coalition, told Newsday that "people have been coming out to East Hampton and Southampton for well over 100 years, and most of them did not travel by helicopter." The director of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce said chamber members have not expressed concern over the proposed rules, and some have to deal with the problem. "I don't think it's going to affect the rich coming out here," Marina Van told Newsday. She said many are transported by private drivers and travel late at night when there is no traffic.

But Margaret Turner, director of the East Hampton Business Alliance, told Newsday that there is a potential for a decrease in business at area hotels, inns, restaurants and retail establishments, and a decline in tax revenue. She said she also could see potential issues for the luxury real estate industry.

There have been suggestions that helicopter traffic could be diverted to other areas, such as Westhampton, Southampton, and Montauk Airport, but some in those areas are cool to that idea. However, Paul Monte, president of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, said that his members understand that the helicopters the passengers they bring are an economic benefit to the area, and that they hope a balanced solution can be found.

Aviation companies such as Liberty Helicopters based in New Jersey acknowledge that noise can be a problem, but they don't know if their clients who want to go to East Hampton will accept alternate airports, let alone a ban.

FMI: www.town.east-hampton.ny.us