Some of you may have seen this exchange in the recent "Pilot Getaways" magazine but I thought I would share it here. I enjoyed the repsonse from editor John T. Kounis to this " I own the sky above me " writer.

Letter to the editor:

Keeping Boulder Quiet

Please inform your readers that it is much better to contact the Boulder Mountain Lodge [mentioned in the Boulder , Utah , article, May/Jun 2008] for pickup by calling them on a cell phone, rather than buzzing town. Although Boulder may look uninhabited from the air, 200 people make it their home, and one of the big attractions is the lack of noise. Small planes leave big sonic footprints. A low level buzz over town, in addition to being dangerous, due to sudden terrain changes and quirky winds, affects everyone who lives here. While an airplane that stays above the minimum altitude clearance requirements of the FARs would technically be able to buzz the lodge, even at 500 ft. AGL, the noise will be intolerable.



There is no cell phone coverage at the airport. However, at altitude, there is good cell phone coverage, due to line of sight from the Navajo Mountain and Boulder Top cell phone transmitters. There is no local ATC or controlled airspace anywhere near Boulder . Using a cell phone at altitude should pose no problems. I am an ATP rated pilot with over 5,000 hours. I WILL report any airplane to the FAA as being in violation of FARs if I can read the N-number.



I think the best idea is for the lodge to buy a radio.



Loch Wade

Boulder, Utah

Response:

The article on Boulder , Utah , simply conveyed the suggestion made by the lodge owners. By “buzzing,” the author did not imply that pilots should descend below the legal altitude of 500 ft. AGL. Of course, it is preferable for pilots to arrange a precise time in advance, so that “buzzing” is not necessary. Incidentally, using a cell phone from an aircraft as you suggest is illegal (see www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cellonplanes.html). Since cell phone coverage is spotty at the airstrip, it’s best to make arrangements before you take off.



We appreciate that Boulder has 200 people who have escaped the big-city noise to live in such an idyllic place. One reason people move to small towns is to escape the unfriendly, anonymous, and litigious environment that has contaminated many of our big cities. The threat of filing a legal complaint with the FAA, rather than driving out to the airport, introducing yourself, and having a friendly conversation with the pilot runs counter to the hospitality that I have personally experienced in much of small-town America.



John T. Kounis

I visit the Boulder Airstrip a couple of times a year on my motorcycle. I think I'll now have to make a pass through town and see if my XR650R has a sonic footprint equal to that of an airplane passing by.

And just why is it that pilots want to keep those 2-inch numbers on their planes??

Leemer,

Trade that mini bike in on a Harley, and get some real pipes on it. Then we can see how much this dufus values his "natural quiet".

John's response is right on. Unless a pilot is doing something REALLY, REALLY dangerous and dumb, why not have a chat with him?

MTV

mtv wrote:Leemer,

John's response is right on. Unless a pilot is doing something REALLY, REALLY dangerous and dumb, why not have a chat with him?

MTV

Amen.

I'll have to wait until I get old and fragile to buy that Harley, but I know where my first ride will be!

SixTwoLeemer wrote:I'll have to wait until I get old and fragile to buy that Harley, but I know where my first ride will be!

That's two of us, I'm not old enough to trade down to a Hardly either.

By the Way, Boulder has the coolest windsock in the country. Does anyone know the history of this thing????



And watch out for ruts... and noise nuts....

How often does a plane buzz through town there? My guess would be not too often. Atleast not enough to make that much of a big deal. Looks like a pretty remote town. Also, what about the big rigs that roll through town all day and all night? Or maybe the town is not along a major truck route?

Ha Ha, just uncovered this gem on my sister community. There seems to be something about naming a place "Boulder" that seems to attract nuts. The current drive in town is to outlaw all visible man-made lights at night so that those who want to commune with nature will not be bothered. That's right, a "light" cop.....tickets, fines, the whole deal.

Besides, those nasty "sonic footprints" really mess with the marijuana growth

Curious--the author of the vituperative letter, Loch Wade, does not appear in the FAA's data base as a pilot of any kind, let alone an ATP with 5000 hours. More curious--there is a Loch Wade also in Boulder, CO. As one of the posters said, being from Boulder seems to create nut cases.

Meanwhile, although this thread has been resurrected from the archives, it does have a very small gem to consider. Flying over anywhere at 500' isn't going to leave an "intolerable big sonic footprint", but intentional low level and unnecessary buzzing could raise some ire, whether it's an FAA issue or not. We're all responsible to keep our avocation from being the bad neighbor. Just a thought.

Cary