Lawsuit went to Boulder County Court on April 13th. Residents around Longmont, Gunbarrel, Boulder upset about noise from Mile-Hi's twin otter fouling up their peaceful gardening time.

Anyone on here know more details about the outcome of this? Closing arguments were supposed to happen yesterday.


Overview: http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local ... -skydiving

Noise expert's findings and FAA's views on noise complaints, including data that 52% of 1600 complaints were made by a single person: http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local ... ?source=pk

Citizens for Quiet Skies: http://citizensforquietskies.org/

This particular video is especially entertaining. I like the part where she called the airport manager every 15 minutes all day to voice her complaint about the noise. And then is shocked when they threw all the complaints out of court. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKNGp6a6hsw

I don't know what the outcome will be. A hornet's nest was created out of thin air when complaints were deleted from the stats...it left some interested members of the public wondering what was going on. The story was pretty clear that there were a few people in the entire county that really had a problem before all the news about the complaints really ramped up. The statistical editing might have motivated some more opposition to the airport. Some of them live as far away as Boulder, and that is a place unto itself at times.

I'm biased, but it seems that few seem to think there is a real problem, including my neighbors, and I live under the pattern. There is a STAR right over us as well, and a steady stream of regional 121 traffic at some times of the day.

All I can say is I'm glad we don't have the Sedona Syndrome:

https://www.facebook.com/CloseTheAirport

Watching intently - people like really get me riled up. I haven't seen any news reports on Friday's little field trip with the judge.

After watching the meetings and trolling through all of the complaint logs I am partially convinced the "Organization" (individuals) are simply attempting to extort financial compensation through their "cause". Questionable politics across the board with limited actual substance.

Truly priceless.

Someone needs to get these whiners noise canceling Bose headphones they can play relaxing music (maybe self help tapes) with, problem solved [emoji12]

I wonder how much more money the skydive outfit brings to the area vs their backyard gardens or whatever. If u want peace and quite move out to the country, or you know away from an airport, duh.

Skalywag wrote: If u want peace and quite move out to the country, or you know away from an airport, duh.

Exactly.

Looks like the judge's field trip got moved to a busier flying day... In other news, today is this season's opening for the Flight Deck Grill!

From the Longmont Airport Facebook page:

Longmont Airport wrote:UPDATE: Today's hearing in the case vs. Mile-Hi Skydiving Center has been changed. Judge's site visit (to observe Twin Otter flyover two plaintiff houses) is tomorrow, Saturday 5/2 at 3PM Closing arguments in court have been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 6 at 2 PM.

Even better. A crappy day to fly. But that damn 185 with the seaplane prop here at boulder was out at 3pm. Closer to Kim Gibbs house in Gunbarrel where the judge was visiting than longmont. I hope they had a nice and quiet dog and pony show.

Here's your update:

http://www.timescall.com/ci_28037572

The rustling of the leaves was noisier than the twotter - and Gibbs claims they rigged it for the judge.

Well that looks like it worked itself out...

You couldn't ask for a lawyer with better credentials than the sky diving outfit's. The plaintiffs' attorneys have lesser credentials, but that doesn't mean they have lesser skills.

My immediate reaction, FWIW, is a question of federal supremacy. There is a long, long line of cases which essentially say that the air is governed by the feds, through the FAA, and that local governments have little to no say in it, and that includes local judges. I don't know, since I haven't seen the pleadings, what exactly the plaintiffs are seeking, but I think they're on really shaky ground if they think that the operations can be shut down or modified by the local judge. If they're seeking money damages, that's a different story, but it's hard to quantify what having to hear an airplane is worth--nominal damages, like $1.00, maybe? And that still may bow to federal supremacy.

But then, the "Independent Republic of Boulder" is a different sort of place, and although I don't know Judge LaBuda, there have been some odd decisions come from some of the District Judges in Boulder. Here are a couple of reviews of her, the first a summary by the Office of Judicial Performance, and the second the actual performance survey specifics. http://www.coloradojudicialperformance. ... m?ret=967; http://www.coloradojudicialperformance. ... LaBuda.pdf. She's certainly not among the highly rated judges in Colorado, whether rated by attorneys or by non-attorneys.

But none of that means anything until she rules. While closing arguments are scheduled for next week, she may and likely will wait to rule until she's reviewed all of the evidence and her notes, so what she decides won't likely become known for another few weeks.

Cary

Maybe they would clam up about the twin otter if a Piaggio Avanti went overhead.

ExperimentalAviator wrote:Maybe they would clam up about the twin otter if a Piaggio Avanti went overhead.

I can think of lots of airplanes that are mucho louder than twin Otters. Be around a an MU2 very long, and everything will seem pretty quiet, because your hearing will be permanently damaged!

Cary

Cary wrote:

ExperimentalAviator wrote:Maybe they would clam up about the twin otter if a Piaggio Avanti went overhead.

I can think of lots of airplanes that are mucho louder than twin Otters. Be around a an MU2 very long, and everything will seem pretty quiet, because your hearing will be permanently damaged!

Cary

I can think of two: EA-6B and JSF.

Awful.

Sound of Freedom, I guess.

I know what you mean about the prowler CamTom,
There have been prowler flight's over the house when they do touch and go's at Eugene.
Vary loud indeed.

So the last video on the first post is of Ingrid Moore who moved into the "Airport Influence Zone" in 2001 (Mile Hi started operating in 1995). She and her husband had to sign a document stating that they acknowledged buying a house in the Zone and there was airplane noise in the Zone. Her husband is on the City Council now and was the moron who kicked up the storm over the noise stats.

All they (the Airport Advisory Board) did to the noise complaint stats is produce one analysis that excluded one nut that logged over 800 complaints in less than a year. I believe they also produced another analysis that just showed the GA complaints to understand how the rest of us were trending with time. All reasonable, valid statistical analysis that the idiot Jeff Moore didn't understand.

The new Longmont airport manager sent us an email last week essentially saying to go to another airport to do touch and goes.

The problem is that smart people know better than to get into politics (or don't have time) which leaves the door wide open for the whack jobs to control our government.

Crenshaw wrote:Noise expert's findings and FAA's views on noise complaints, including data that 52% of 1600 complaints were made by a single person: http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local ... ?source=pk

Some nut job in Chicago complained 77,000 times. One person.

Get a damned hobby or something. Anything.

Cannon wrote:

Crenshaw wrote:Noise expert's findings and FAA's views on noise complaints, including data that 52% of 1600 complaints were made by a single person: http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local ... ?source=pk

Some nut job in Chicago complained 77,000 times. One person.

Get a damned hobby or something. Anything.

Probably Henning.

Ace007 wrote:The new Longmont airport manager sent us an email last week essentially saying to go to another airport to do touch and goes.

This is interesting. Would you elaborate?