East Hampton Helicopter Noise

Dear David Terror in the sky has reached epic proportions on the heels of the most tragic aircraft accident in East Hampton history. Inaction is inexcusable. Action is mandatory. East Hampton Airport’s (HTO) unsupervised operations have caused helicopters to fly carelessly and recklessly, endangering citizens’ life and property for more than 10 years. The East […]

  Dear David, Thank you for the great front page article in The East Hampton Star, “Airport Money Flows to One Side.” The data on the amount of money donated to the East Hampton Republican Committee by helicopter interests was astounding. It’s alarming that 75 percent of the money raised by the G.O.P. was given […]

Dear David, This past Saturday morning all hell broke loose as our 2-year-old Havanese erupted, barking incessantly at the front door. They say dogs are good judges of character; apparently she correctly judged the character of the guy proceeding to put a door hanger on our front door. When I approached the front door, I […]

Dear David, I’d like to thank Joanne Pilgrim for her excellent coverage on airport matters with the article “After Curfew No East Hampton Airport Logjam.” When I read the article I was shocked that the supervisor and a councilwoman went to the airport on Monday at 9 a.m. to observe air traffic. It is absolute […]

Dear David, For seven years I actively sought relief from dirty, noisy helicopters at East Hampton Airport, first as founder of East Hampton Helicopter Noise Coalition and then as a co-founder of the Quiet Skies Coalition. First the good news: The East Hampton Town Board made a historic decision to implement noise restrictions at the […]

Dear David, As I sat listening to some of the opponents to the regulations for aircraft restrictions at the public hearing on March 12, I couldn’t help thinking they sounded like whining, spoiled, entitled, adolescent children. There are no guarantees in life. The Town of East Hampton owes no one a living at the airport. […]

My name is Frank Dalene, I founded East Hampton Helicopter Noise Coalition, co-founded Quiet Skies Coalition. I serve on the Airport Planning, Airport Noise Sub-Committee and serve on the Budget Finance Advisory, Airport Sub-Committee. I am a pilot. I make this statement as an individual. Noise abatement is a failed policy around the country. Naples […]

Dear David, Thank you for your insightful and accurate analysis of the issues in your editorial titled “A Different Noise.” You were spot on. I’d like to also thank Joanne Pilgrim for her thorough and honest coverage of airport issues especially in last week’s story on the front page of The Star. I second David […]

Dear David, I am writing to support the recently proposed airport legislation regarding the noise from the helicopters and other aircraft. Living in Southampton on the ocean, I have been repeatedly bothered by the low-flying helicopters at steadily increasing frequency. The helicopters are supposed to be offshore and at a minimum height. My experience is […]

Dear David, I wish to congratulate the supervisor and the East Hampton Town Board for announcing restrictions proposed at East Hampton Airport that should, once enacted, bring meaningful reduction of noisy aircraft, effectively reducing noise in and around the airport. I especially wish to thank Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez for her leadership, skillfulness in bringing people […]

Dear David, Please excuse the use of this quote again but I can’t help myself after seeing several full-page color ads in The East Hampton Star by the East Hampton Aviation Association: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” — Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), Mark Twain (1906). Lies: “East Hampton Airport is […]

Dear David, Dirty, noisy helicopters can fly as many passengers as they have capacity, flying to and from the Hamptons without disrupting, torturing, and tormenting residential property owners. In fact, they don’t have to fly over one residential property. This is very important, so let me state this again. Helicopters can fly to and from […]

Dear David, In last week’s East Hampton Star, Joanne Pilgrim wrote an informative article on the East Hampton Airport manager, Mr. Jim Brundige’s, report to the East Hampton Town Board this past Tuesday, July 9. In that report he stated only one aircraft operation was reported early Monday morning before 7 a.m. on July 8. […]

Dear David, East Hampton Airport has expanded its use to that of a large metropolitan airport. It is out of control. This is unacceptable and must change immediately. Early Monday morning, July 8, the peaceful still morning air was rudely and abruptly shattered at 4:38 a.m. by a continuous barrage of noisy, dirty helicopters ferrying […]

Dear David, NOMBYs (Not Over My Back Yard) have been working overtime attempting to influence routes dirty, noisy helicopters use to transition from the northern route of Long Island into East Hampton Airport. NOMBYs are wasting time and energy instead of working on the obvious solution to eliminate helicopters. They selfishly push the torturous, life-altering, […]

Dear David, Thank you for your eloquent editorial and Joanne Pilgrim’s comprehensive report, “Mad as Hell and Not Taking Any More,” in last week’s East Hampton Star. “Network” is a great movie. I can relate. Most folks forget I am a pilot. East Hampton Airport was home to my Piper Warrior for 10 years. It’s […]

Dear David, NOMBY (Not Over My Back Yard) is the divisive tactic used by helicopter proponents and certain members of the East Hampton Town Board to change helicopter routes, intended to divide and conquer helicopter opponents by instigating disputes between various community groups. The leadership of these community groups has fallen into the trap of […]

This statement is prepared by Frank Dalene, Co-Founder of Quiet Skies Coalition and Founder of EHHelicopterNoise.com I apologize for not being able to attend this meeting tonight. I appreciate Barry Raebeck reading my statement into the record. I became an activist for reducing and even eliminating commercial operations of helicopters and seaplanes due to safety […]

Dear David, Again, thank you Joanne Pilgrim, for another excellent report in last week’s East Hampton Star of the ongoing saga of discussions about East Hampton Airport at the town board meetings. It seems like silly season continues at the East Hampton Town Board. The airport manager, Mr. Brundige, will say anything. He will lie […]

Dear David, There is a reason why Peter Kirsch is considered the rainmaker at his firm, Kaplan, Kirsch, Rockwell. Peter Kirsch is also the attorney at Naples Airport where noise-abatement policies under grant assurances have set back that municipality more than $6.6 million. After spending all that money, there are still no solutions, no end […]

Dear David, Several months ago I promised Town Councilman Dominick Stanzione, as a result of his efforts at East Hampton Airport, if there is a reduction of helicopters flying directly over my house, I will write a letter thanking him. This is that letter. Thank you, Councilman Dominick Stanzione, for substantially reducing the number of […]

Dear David, Again, I am shocked and appalled at another Peter Wadsworth letter. Last week, he shamelessly continued to personally attack leaders of the Quiet Skies Coalition. The letter was patronizing and dripping with sarcasm. Mr. Wadsworth has his facts wrong again. He hurls baseless accusations against the only organization addressing noise at the airport […]

Dear David, The propaganda that Jim Brundige, the East Hampton Airport manager, put out this week in the form of a press release was so silly, it was childish. If the reason the town spent over $200,000 on new equipment and over $600,000 on a control tower, so Mr. Brundige can misuse and manipulate statistics, […]

Dear David, In airports around the country noise abatement has failed. Airports that have spent millions of dollars in taxpayer money, and after over four decades of noise abatement strategies are reporting noise problems worse than ever with the only relief in sight being for residents and municipal leaders to call for airport closure. Public-use […]

Dear David, I am shocked and appalled at Peter Wadsworth’s vicious attacks on Quiet Skies Coalition and the two ladies on its executive board in his letter last week to the editor of the East Hampton Press. He condescendingly accuses the coalition of not educating one of the ladies, implying she is not capable of […]

Three emails were sent to East Hampton Town Board: Email #1: This morning I have been directly attacked, assaulted and harassed by Ira Rennert’s helicopter. He used his helicopter to scare, intimidate and potentially harm me and my family. He used his helicopter to recklessly endanger me and my family. I hereby demand the Town of […]

I filed a grievance on the property taxes on property we own on 20 Ridge Road, Wainscott. It is immediately adjacent to the house we live in. The Assessed Value indicated on the Town of East Hampton Property Tax Bill is $10,050. The Full Value is $1,305,195. In May 2010 I purchased the property for $500,000 […]

In the article published by the East Hampton Press on August 11th (PDF of article can be found on the right side of this page.) Richard MacDonald was quoted, “I swear I can see the whites of the pilots’ eyes.” Richard lives behind my house and he was not exaggerating when he made that statement. […]

    There are minimum separation requirements for aircraft around airports for good reason, safety. Again I am filming an incoming helicopter when out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a bird. I then realize it is a jet that had taken off from the airport. This is shocking and a […]

On July 29, 2010 at 9:05am I captured this helicopter flying in a low scud cloud layer about 200-300 feet AGL. FAA regulations state that when a helicopter flys VFR the pilot must stay in visual contact with ground. Remember there is no minimum flight levels for helicopters which in itself is absolutely absurd. Obviously if the helicopter […]

I shot the frightening video above Sunday, June 27, 2010 at 5:57pm. Besides the terror of suddenly being blasted by the noise; is realizing that this helicopter might actually crash into my house. This video is shot on the 2nd floor balcony, so this is not a result of weird camera angles or a weird […]

Click on Press Release on right side of this page.

Xs on the Runways Wainscott June 21, 2010 Dear David, On Monday, June 7, at 3:23 a.m., a helicopter landed at East Hampton Airport; at 3:38 a.m. a helicopter took off at East Hampton Airport. From 3:23 a.m. to 3:38 a.m. that helicopter was permitted to operate by our town supervisor and the town board […]

The Town of East Hampton has adopted the “Town of East Hampton Zoning Law” § 255-1-11 “for the purpose of promoting the health, safety and general welfare of the people of the Town of East Hampton by regulating the uses of lots and lands and the dimensions, locations and uses of buildings and structures throughout […]

The airport take-off and landing patterns are designed to keep order and safety in aircraft traffic around the airport. Helicopters approach the airport in all directions flying treetop level, flying under the pattern altitude thereby creating a chaotic and unsafe environment for those in the air and on the ground. This past Monday, Memorial Day, […]

Chaotic and Unsafe June 1, 2010 Dear Editor, All helicopter noise data I collected in my report (available on ehhelicopternoise.com), and the only complaint I have concerning East Hampton Airport operations is the commercial operations of helicopters and seaplanes ferrying passengers to and from East Hampton. Commercial operations of aircraft are recently escalating events that […]

All the helicopter noise data I collected in my report and the only complaint I have concerning East Hampton Airport operations is the commercial operations of helicopters and seaplanes ferrying passengers to and from East Hampton. Commercial operations of aircraft are recent escalating events that will continue to get worse over time and must stop now. The intent […]

I would like to thank our U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Tim Bishop for recognizing and acknowledging how local residential communities on Long Island have been tortured by helicopter noise. We appreciate the decisive action by our legislators to call upon the FAA to solve this problem. We hope the FAA uses clear reasoning that […]

Posted on the right side of this website under “Reports” is the World Health Organization Guidelines for Community Noise. The consensus and qualifications of the contributors are impressive. This should be required reading for all elected officials. I wonder if trial lawyers will read this document and see the data I collected over thirteen months […]

I was really saddened to read in the newspaper that the Town of East Hampton came down on my good friend, Eva for operating a taxi business on her property in a residential district. Eva is a great lady who I have known for over twenty five years. There are few people I know that […]

If you call the Noise Complaint Hotline; 631-537-LOUD; the message states that only complaints logged on the noise complaint hotline will be addressed. What does that mean? How are the noise complaints being addressed? Is the Town of East Hampton being honest with us? Or, Is the Town just trying to placate us? I think […]

Thank-you, T. James Matthews and his two Northwest groups for joining and contributing to this blog. It is now OUR website and WE can speak in the collective. We get our strength in numbers. The more we grow by adding stakeholder groups and individuals, the greater our chance for success. Divided we fail. We encourage all interested parties […]

This weekend’s weather was picture perfect. The noise around the airport was unusually quiet and I really enjoyed and appreciated where I lived. Time seemed to be rolled back to earlier times when the East Hampton Airport was a private airport with operations carried on by private aircraft owner. Don’t get me wrong, we heard […]

To view the report; click on the link on the right hand side of this page. To download the report; first open the report then save to your computer.

Appeared in East Hampton Star 9/17/09 Dear Editor, I started collecting data on observations of helicopter traffic around East Hampton Airport on Memorial Day weekend 2008. I began calling in to the Noise Complaint Hotline not only as a result of noise but observations of unsafe operations of helicopters flying in fog and low cloud […]

Appeared in East Hampton Press 9/16/09 Dear Editor, I began calling the Noise Complaint Hotline as a result of unsafe operations of helicopters flying in fog and low cloud conditions at tree-top-levels. On Friday before Memorial Day, 2008 I came home from work on Industrial Road. I came upon the airport, noticed it was fogged […]