3/21/12 Response from Airport Manager
Hi Steven -
Thank you for the return response.
Regarding the night flying experience being a component of flight training - I do recognize this, however, this component lends itself to an inflammatory element of the existing concerns and frustrations on the part of the community in the sense that; the individuals that conduct flight training have ALL RIGHTS - the people negatively affected on the ground HAVE NONE.
Additionally, regarding flight training that takes place at night - even though the tower at OMA closes at 7pm and flight sorties (for training) are not counted - I can tell you that there are not nearly as many flight training sorties that take place after 9pm as there are that take place during normal daytime/evening hours. That being said - why is it then that I'm experiencing flight training at that time of night at all? These training sorties are nowhere near any thoughtful, considerate and recommended voluntary flight pattern. At that time of night when the traffic is far less - why do I still experience these flight training sorties criss crossing over Ormond Lakes - when they dont have to be flying there? Is it because these students take whatever course that suits them - no matter who on the ground may be affected?
Also, I have watched flight patterns during the busier day hours and you can see all it takes is one plane to veer off course for no obvious reason - then all of a sudden you have a whole bunch of others follow suit - its the perfect case of one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel. Again - these people are either careless or just totally ignorant
I do not believe they are ignorant. I do believe that you Steven do a commendable job at communicating the community concerns and making and keeping these issues in front of new students and flight school owners - this just suggests to me that the flight training school owners/students could care less.
Lets think about it just for a moment - just an idea for discussion - what would happen if flight training didn't take place for 8 days out of every month - is the the worst thing that would happen is that it might take these student pilots a little longer to get their licenses? Or that the flight training schools wouldn't make money as fast - as they would certainly still make the same amount - just over a longer period of time. Or is there some other thing that you can think of that would be so detrimental to these pilots and business' resulting from giving residents on the ground some real respite?
As I have previously stated this equation lends itself to an out of balance situation - which is precisely why flight training in its current state is a chronic negative issue, and will not change until leadership is exhibited, and reasonable ideas and actions are initiated in an effort to make things more balanced.
Although I cannot and do not speak for all those negatively affected, I can safely say that a substantial portion of the affected community realizes an economic value that is produced by our airport and surrounding business park - and these same people are reasonable and would do whatever they could to improve their neighborhoods and the greater Ormond Beach community.
Many of these people as well as myself are willing to work, help, visit, discuss, brainstorm and generally do whatever it takes to help find some common ground to a better place. I'd be happy to hear back from you with any ideas you may have on this.
I appreciate all your efforts.
Regards,
Vince
-----Original Message-----
From: Lichliter, Steven <lichliter@ormondbeach.org>
To: yovinny57 <yovinny57@aol.com>; Kelley, Ed <kelley@ormondbeach.org>; Stowers,
James <Stowers@ormondbeach.org>; Shanahan, Joyce <shanahan@ormondbeach.org>;
Mannarino, Joe <mannarino@ormondbeach.org>
Sent: Wed, Mar 21, 2012 3:39 pm
Subject: RE: Small aircraft flight paths
Good afternoon, Vince…
As you indicated in your message, flight activity at the airport has been elevated in recent weeks. The bulk of this activity can be attributed to training operations from the flight schools in the area, some of which have reported an increase in student matriculation this year.
As you may recall from our noise abatement workshops, night flying experience is a component of flight training, so I have no doubt that there were a number of aircraft overhead on the evening in February that you described in your message. Although the Ormond Beach control tower closes at 7:00 PM, it is important to recognize that night flight in the airport traffic area is governed in part by the traffic patterns established for each runway, and that pilots communicate with each other on the tower radio frequency in order to maintain situational awareness and a safe degree of separation while aloft. Aircraft that are not in the traffic pattern and are merely transiting the airspace may not seem from the ground to be following a recognizable course or formation, but they are in fact following specific courses between points and operating at varying altitudes defined by their direction of flight, the need to maintain separation from other aircraft, and possibly instruction from the Daytona Beach control tower. As you may also recall from our meetings, the Daytona Beach Class “C” Airspace overlays the City of Ormond Beach and our airport traffic area. All aircraft flying in the Class “C” airspace at any time during the day or night must be in contact with the Daytona Beach tower.
The information you provided from your observations on the morning of March 16th suggests that approximately one third of the aircraft operations during that time did not comply, at least in part, with our voluntary noise abatement procedures. The tower recorded 67 operations between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM on Runway 8 that morning, which is slightly higher than usual. Nevertheless, the control tower staff reports that pattern operations at that time were normal, included 5 instrument flight operations, and featured no anomalous activity. The pattern changes in size due to factors such as the number of aircraft in the pattern, each aircraft’s performance characteristics, and the controller’s primary duty to maintain safe separation between all aircraft in the airport traffic area. The necessary capacity of the traffic pattern to be flexible in this way means that pilots are not always able to consistently follow routes defined by their position over the ground, such as those requested in our voluntary procedures.
I share your concerns about the challenges inherent to maintaining effective lines of communication with owners, operators, and students within an endeavor as dynamic as the flight training industry. In an effort to maintain communication and continually promulgate our voluntary noise abatement procedures, our airport is always represented at safety meetings of the area airports and major flight schools, which are conducted every week at the Daytona Beach International Airport. I make a special effort to stay in touch with the flight schools, particularly those based at our airport, in order to keep them abreast of our procedures and any concerns or complaints that have been voiced about their operations. Both of the flight schools located here in Ormond Beach have integrated our voluntary noise abatement procedures with their respective training curriculums, as have the larger flight schools in Daytona Beach, such as Phoenix East Aviation and the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I also try to punctuate the need for extra consideration of our noise-sensitive areas when required… for example, prior to Bike Week I contacted all of the area flight schools and asked that their students and instructors be particularly mindful of our voluntary noise abatement procedures, given the propensity for heavy motorcycle activity to exacerbate sensitivity to noise disturbances.
In an attempt to better understand the conditions that you have described in your latest message, I will be conducting additional monitoring in the neighborhoods surrounding the airport to directly observe current flight activities.
As always, I appreciate your thoughtful correspondence and continued dedication to working together toward constructive management of aircraft noise abatement issues.
Best regards,
Steven
Steven R. Lichliter
Airport Manager
Ormond Beach Municipal Airport
P.O. Box 277
Ormond Beach, FL 32175-0277
Office: (386) 615-7019
Mobile: (386) 212-8406
From:
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Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 3:44 PM
To: Kelley, Ed; Stowers, James; Shanahan, Joyce; Lichliter, Steven
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Subject: Small aircraft flight paths
Hello Steven -
I hope this message finds you well.
Its been quite some time since I've corresponded regarding the flight training that initiates at the Ormond Municipal Airport - and that is very disruptive to several Ormond Beach communities and many of its residents. I've also heard from several members of different neighborhoods expressing concern and frustration.
Like you, I am a very busy individual and quite frankly I don't always have the time or the energy to write each time I have a concern regarding flight training - which I'm sad to say is way more frequently than desired. So please don't think this is a casual concern and an isolated incident - because it is not.
Over the past 6 + weeks the small aircraft/flight training has been miserable at best and obnoxious at worst.
One specific incident I had experienced in early February while walking thru my neighborhood betwwen 7:30pm and 8:30pm was several small aircraft literally buzzing above and all around the Ormond Lakes subdivision - I counted eight small aircraft in the sky in some element of a circular flight pattern at one time - these planes actually resembled moths in haphazard formations and movements. The weather that evening was clear, with no substantial prevailing or remarkable wind patterns and these aircraft were in no way even close to any semblance of a constructive considerate high and tight pattern. Patterns they have supposedly been "asked" to consider.
I recognize that at that time of evening (after 7pm) the tower is closed so there is no guidance to these aircraft in training, even though I firmly believe that since the addition/opening of the tower is when the flight training and ensuing chronic concerns started to become an issue. I also realize that February and March are generally more active months - but this is no excuse for what has been happening - as a matter of fact this is precisely when the communications and awareness should be at its highest. It truly feels unchecked.
Flight training over this past period of time has been virtually non-stop beginning as early 6am and frequently carrying on well into the late night hours - again, I have directly experienced actually flight training going on as late as midnite and very frequently at 10:30 to 11:30pm.
This past Friday I took one hour between 8:50am and 9:50am - and timed each flight during this hour. I started a stop watch when I first began to hear a small aircraft make its approach and then let the clock run until it was out of earshot. During this one hour there was 20 sorties each lasting an average of 1 minute and 23 seconds - this approximates to 27 minutes out of that hour that people in the community were exposed to noise pollution. Please keep in mind many of these sorties are not even coming close to resembling a considerate and really doable flight pattern, and this also is a very typical representation.
One of the areas of agreement resulting from the airport noise abatement task force initiative was that communication from the city/airport management would be ongoing and comprehensive regarding flight training patterns, time of day that flight training should and shouldn't take place, and being respectful and considerate of the communities on the ground that could be affected by these activities.
One of the primary concerns raised during the task force meetings regarding this initiative was that the city/airport management would not be able/willing to keep up with the communication and follow up efforts because of the constant influx of new students that have to be reminded (not to mention the owners of the flight training schools - who seem to have very short memories) resulting in the initiative petering out. People knew then the level of dilligence and tenacity it would take to keep things in balance.
Based on what has been occurring one can only come to a reasonable conclusion that one of two things is occurring (or not occurring) 1) The city/airport management is not staying up to speed with communicating and doing all they can to keep these flight training activities from getting out of control and or 2) If the city/airport management believes they are - then the flight training schools who have always contended they wished to be good neighbors - are really and effectively thumbing their noses at the city and thus the residents on the ground who are effected.
Which one of these scenarios is it?
The people in this community are not un-reasonable people - they realize that (although ambiguous as it is) there is an economic value/component to flight training - and that these are free enterprises with a right to conduct business, however, when the results of unfettered business activity is that people in the community suffer (in this case with noise pollution and a very real fear of saferty) it becomes all one-sided - very much out of balance. Which is truly where it currently appears to be.
Steven - you may suggest (although I dont know this as a fact) that complaints about airport flight training noise are down - the reality is people who are affected (like myself) dont have the time to always register a concern/complaint just in an effort to make sure the number of complaints shows big. People are busy with their lives, their work, their children, their illnesses, or trying to relax and enjoy their yards and neighborhoods etc. to have to consider registering a concern or complaint every time there is an inconsiderate or obnoxious day of flight training (which again is very frequent). People are tired and weary, and will complain (like me) every so often because thats all we have in our tanks.
It really is unjust that the citizens of this community have to constantly and ongoingly register their concerns/complaints with the city/airport management to keep things in reasonable balance. I say this because when the complaints do start coming - things do seem to improve.
Many, many of the citizens of Ormond Beach know the city/airport management can do more to make this concern a more temperate issue as opposed to what it currently is - and that is flight training (whoever these people are) can and will do what they want, where they want, and when they want - does this feel right to you?
Who are these good neighbors?
As busy as I am, I'd be willing to meet with anyone in the affected communities, the city/airport management, and the owners of the flight training schools to have a civil discourse on how we might be able to work together to come to a reasonable balance where these business' can still flourish and people can enjoy their communities with minimal disruption, pollution and fear. There really has to be a better way.
Please let me know how I can help.
Kindest regards,
Vince Kinsler,
Resident - Ormond Lakes
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