Panel hears about chopper noise in Southern California
A helicopter can be as annoying as a hovering mosquito.
That's the conclusion of Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, who testified Thursday during a congressional panel on urban chopper noise from Long Island to Los Angeles.
"I have been getting calls from across the Valley, from residents concerned about low-flying helicopters," said Berman, author of a bill to squelch chopper noise in L.A., after the closed-door House aviation subcommittee session.
"It's about noise. It's about quality of life. And it's about safety for our residents."
Los Angeles helicopter pilots counter that their air record is the safest in the city. They say they have gone out of their way to mitigate "helicopter noise hotspots."
They said squishing choppers into a confined air space, as urged by legislators, could cause air collisions.
And they said study is needed before flight restriction.
"There's no question that helicopter noise could be a potential problem. It annoys me. I get it," said Larry Welk, president of the Professional Helicopter Pilots Association, based in Burbank.
"But the notion that there is a Wild Wild West, with no regulations, with helicopter pilots who are insensitive, is not true."
The telltale thwack of helicopters has shared the L.A. backdrop for decades. But it was during the so-called Carmaggedon closure of the 405 freeway in July that irritation from the rotors seemed to hit a zenith.
With the hush of the freeway came a rush of media, paparazzi or touring choppers - and a crush of complaints to Berman's office.
The result was HR 2677, the proposed Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Relief Act, to regulate low-flying commercial helicopters that hover over homes across L.A. County.
The bill, co-authored by Reps. Brad Sherman, Henry Waxman and Adam Schiff, calls upon the Federal Aviation Administration to control flight paths and minimum altitudes for commercial helicopters in Los Angeles. Exempt would be police, fire or military whirlybirds that tend to circle, rather than hover in place.
Thursday's meeting brought lawmakers together with the FAA, federal safety officials and helicopter pilots groups to work toward a quieter solution.
Some said the San Fernando Valley suffers most, that choppers dart out of Van Nuys Airport with impunity.
Sherman testified that loud helicopters buzz over celebrity homes and the Hollywood sign.
"We need to give the FAA the tools to implement new standards," said Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, in a statement.
"We're concerned with media helicopters, paparazzi helicopters and tour helicopters," added Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, during a conference call with reporters. "They show little regard for life or property."
While the FAA predicts a 4 percent increase in annual helicopter traffic, Welk said commercial operations were on the wane. Berman said he didn't have any data on the ratio of commercial versus noncommercial helicopter flights out of Van Nuys.
Welk said helicopter pilots are some of the most well-trained and disciplined in the air.
"Safety is our No. 1 concern," said Welk, an award-winning helicopter pilot who owns a commercial aviation business in Pacoima. "But noise is a pretty close second, and how we can fly neighborly.
"I'm against knee-jerk reactions, without studying the problem."
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