The graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter450.htm

Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter 
#450.............................................................................October 
14,  2007 Past newsletters can be accessed at: 
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm  The PASSUR airport flight 
tracking system at many major U.S. airports  http://www.passur.com/sites.htm 
(you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the newsletter 
sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy 
rockaway@prodigy.net

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote of the Week:  "We either hang together or hang separately," comment 
from a news story this week from a Greenwich, Connecticut politician on the 
need for many communities to ban together to fight the FAA's Airspace 
Redesign Plan for the Northeast

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Airspace Redesign Opposition Gets A Name!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
As Bill Sees It (Editorial):  Connecticut Leads Opposition To Airspace 
Redesign Scheme!!! I liked it this week when a Connecticut politician used 
the Benjamin Franklin quote ""We either hang together or hang separately." 
It couldn't be more aptly used. United action by FAA victims is the ONLY way 
to stop the massive FAA expansion of aviation pollution on the Northeast!!! 
Now what is needed is for this coalition to expand to include not only 
Connecticut, but New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware victims. It 
is a good sign that Connecticut and New York communities recently formed The 
Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning [AFSAP] to fight the FAA's Airspace 
Redesign scheme.  The FAA is used to dealing with local community 
coalitions, but I don't think they ever have had to deal with a muli-state 
coalition opposing their effort to increase noise and air pollution on 
Americans. That prospect alone must have the evil FAA management scrambling 
for ways to deal with it. IF the current members can set up the coalition to 
include many states, with the goal of limiting aviation expansion and not 
just diverting growth, it may have a chance of stopping the FAA threat to 
their sleep, health and quality of life.

British Communities Demand Independent Study Of Airport Impacts!!! You just 
have to look on the Internet for stories about how other countries are 
dealing with the health impacts of the expanding aviation industry to see 
how uncaring the U.S. government is about the welfare of American citizens. 
While the American government spends its time and money looking for ways to 
get around environmental laws to dump more aviation noise and air pollution 
on Americans, other governments actually seem to care about their citizen's 
welfare. I believe that is because other governments are not (yet) totally 
controlled by corporate and union interests like the American government is. 
More and more I am convinced that we are being sold out by both major 
parties. More and more people are leaving both of these corrupt parties. 
Unfortunately that hasn't translated into a new party being formed or 
independents being elected.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Connecticut: The Alliance For Sensible Airspace Planning Is Formed!!! 
WILTON - A 10-town coalition planning to sue the Federal Aviation 
Administration [FAA] has a name and a lawyer. Now the towns, including 
Wilton, have to figure out a way to pay for what could be a $1 million fight 
against the powerful agency. The Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning 
[AFSAP] chose Chicago-based Steve Pflaum, of the law firm of McDermott, Will 
and Emery LLP, to represent them in the lawsuit, said New Canaan First 
Selectman Judy Neville Tuesday, Oct. 9. The coalition is angered by the 
FAA's plan to reroute more aircraft over Fairfield County. Pflaum's firm was 
one of four which made a pitch to represent the coalition at its Thursday, 
Oct. 4, meeting. "It was a unanimous decision to select him," said Neville. 
"They're one of the top three aviation law firms in the country. "Pflaum is 
a senior partner in the firm and he has been involved with a number of 
aviation-related lawsuits such as airport expansion and airport noise, she 
said. Other than to say "we're moving forward," Wilton First Selectmen 
William Brennan (picture on the right) said he was going to wait until after 
the coalition's Thursday, Oct. 11, meeting in New Canaan before making 
additional comments. The FAA announced Sept. 5 it was adopting a plan for 
New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia metropolitan area airspace. The New 
York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Airspace Redesign will be 
introduced gradually through 2011. Editor's Note: That will give the people 
of Connecticut and elsewhere something to look forward to. 
http://www.wiltonvillager.com/wilton_templates/wilton_story/290034138080819.php 
New Jersey Town May Join Lawsuit Against FAA 
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/ridgefield/23701.shtml  Editor's 
Note: I didn't see in the story (below) that they were thinking of joining 
the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning [AFSAP] to fight the plan. If 
they don't I think it will be a mistake.

"Secret" Federal Task Force Looking For N.Y. City Gridlock Solutions!!! A 
federal task force made up of airline executives, government officials and 
aviation groups has been discussing how to decongest the New York airspace, 
which is the US's worst air-travel bottleneck. More planes jockey for space 
in the sky than the area's beleaguered air traffic control system can 
handle. The question is, does one reduce the number of flights, or are there 
ways to safely get more planes into and out of the area's three major 
airports, on time? The panel has been discussing both approaches during a 
series of high-level meetings over the past three weeks. US transportation 
secretary Mary Peters convened the group in late September and asked it to 
find suitable solutions for chronic delays at New York's John F. Kennedy 
International Airport and its sister airports, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty. 
President Bush has asked the task force to report back by December. But she 
also gave it a clear warning. If it failed, airlines had better be prepared 
to face a federal order reducing the number of allowed flights. Not 
surprisingly, the meetings, led by the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA), have been closed to the public. 
http://www.domain-b.com/aero/October/2007/20071012_government.htm Editor's 
Note: "Reduce the number of flights," no worry about that!!! Of course it 
was closed to the public, why involve their victims in decisions that affect 
their quality of life? Just another example of the arrogance of "our" 
corporate controlled government and the aviation industry that buys them.

California: Increased Air Cargo Night Flights Are Too Much For Residents 
Near Mather Airport!!!  in Folsom, El Dorado Hills and other communities 
surrounding Mather Airport complain that cargo jets already jar them out of 
their sleep and rattle them again in the afternoon and evening. Alarmed by 
the potential for an increase in cargo flights, some are preparing critical 
comments on environmental impacts associated with Mather's master plan, 
which envisions the airport growing into a major cargo hub. Sacramento 
County environmental officials will be gathering those comments during 
meetings Tuesday in Rancho Cordova and Thursday in Folsom. "Our morning 
started today at 4:13," said Folsom resident Charles Coalson, who has taken 
an activist role on the noise issue for years. That is typical, Coalson 
said. On some days, several flights go over his house between 3 and 6 a.m., 
with additional flights between 4 and 9 p.m. "It disrupts our lives," he 
said. Neighborhoods in Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Orangevale and Fair Oaks are 
on the approach to Mather's main runway. Residents in all those communities 
see cargo jets clearing the foothills from the east or circling in from 
another direction to get on the approach line. 
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/428427.html Editor's Note: What does the air 
cargo industry and government care about people's sleep and health, there's 
money to be made.

England: Heathrow Airport Communities Want Airport  Polluter To Pay For 
Noise Impact Study: The borough's leaders have called on the owner of 
Heathrow Airport to pay for an investigation into claims that aircraft noise 
is negatively affecting children's health and education. Research carried 
out by scientists in 2001-2002 showed that constant noise from jet engines 
hinders children's reading and memory development. About 1,000 Hounslow 
children, then aged nine to 10, were included in the study. The council now 
needs £125,000 to conduct a follow-up study on the same pupils, currently 
aged 15-16, to see if they have suffered long-term harm to their education 
and general well-being. It wants Heathrow's owner, BAA, to pay for the 
follow-up study from its Heathrow Noise Fines Fund, which collects fine 
money from airliners whose planes breach airport noise limits. The council's 
executive member for aviation, Councillor Barbara Reid, said: "There is 
strong scientific evidence that aircraft noise can affect the education and 
wellbeing of children living close to airports. "I hope that BAA will show 
us that it cares enough about our children to want to uncover the scale of 
this problem. "It seems only right that money collected from the worst noise 
polluters at Heathrow should be used to look into this issue." BAA runs a 
£25 million programme to help insulate schools and other public buildings in 
the communities which are situated in noisy spots underneath Heathrow's 
flight path. The company would not confirm this week whether it would pay 
for the research. 
http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/display.var.1740055.0.0.php

New Windsor, New York:  Airport Expansion Billed As "Quality Of Life" 
Improvement!!! NEWBURGH - On the same day he is scheduled to take the reins 
as the new head of Stewart Airport, Port Authority of New York and New 
Jersey Executive Director Anthony Shorris will address several hundred of 
the Hudson Valley's business, government and nonprofit leaders at Pattern 
for Progress' annual awards reception. "There is great anticipation among 
Pattern's members at the prospects for Stewart Airport to become a catalyst 
for the Hudson Valley economy," said Jonathan Drapkin, President and CEO of 
Pattern for Progress. "This will be a great opportunity to hear Mr. Shorris 
share his vision for our regional airport." The reception will also feature 
the presentation of Pattern's annual awards to seven organizations and one 
individual for their work to improve the quality of life in the Hudson 
Valley.







                @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

                                                    Important Aviation News 
Stories This Week

Oct 11, 2007
 New Jersey Town may join lawsuit against FAA


by Chipp Reid, Press Staff 
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/ridgefield/23701.shtml

Ridgefield appears set to join a growing list of Fairfield County towns 
planning to sue the Federal Aviation Administration to stop a proposed 
redesign of the airspace over the Northeast.

The Board of Selectmen gave First Selectman Rudy Marconi permission to 
attend meetings with representatives from New Canaan, Wilton, Greenwich, and 
Darien and other towns planning to pursue legal action to prevent the FAA 
from routing aircraft over those towns. Mr. Marconi said he expects the cost 
of joining any lawsuit to run up to $70,000 over two years. He said the suit 
would probably cost the town $30,000 from the onset, with additional costs 
as it progressed through the courts. Each town joining the suit is likely to 
pay the same amount.

"We need to let people know there is a serious issue in the skies over south 
Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton," Mr. Marconi said. "The last thing we want 
is to get calls about airplane noise and have to say, 'Oh, we had our chance 
but thought $30,000 was too much to weigh in.'"

The Board of Selectmen did not vote on the funds.

In addition to the towns' battle, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays continues to 
look for ways to halt the airspace redesign. The 4th District Republican 
joined forces with a pair of New Jersey Republicans in asking the Government 
Accountability Office to investigate whether the Integrated Airspace 
Alternative is actually the best way to improve safety and efficiency at the 
four major airports in the region.

Mr. Marconi was at a meeting Oct. 4 in New Canaan at which the towns, which 
formed a group called the Alliance for Airspace Planning, interviewed 
various law firms specializing in dealing with the FAA. In a strange twist, 
one of those firms recused itself from the search process because the FAA 
hired it to fight potential lawsuits.

"Now is the time to get involved," Mr. Marconi said. "We're working on a 
regional effort to help defray the costs."

The FAA plan includes Philadelphia International Airport, Newark and 
Teterboro airports in New Jersey, and LaGuardia, Kennedy and Westchester 
County airports in New York. The hallmark of the plan is the re-routing and 
re-timing of flights.

According to the FAA, the plan "would combine high-altitude and low-altitude 
airspace to create more efficient arrival and departure routes."

Mr. Marconi said the change in altitude is one aspect that concerns him 
most.

"My question continues to be, 'What happens to the private planes operating 
out of Danbury?'" he said. "When the FAA lowers the ceiling on commercial 
air traffic, that is going to force smaller planes to fly even lower, and 
yet they won't even address the issue."

In addition to the flight paths, the Integrated Airspace Alternative allows 
for a doubling of air traffic by 2011 as well as a reduction in the distance 
between aircraft from five nautical miles to three. The FAA admits this 
would create more aircraft over town for longer intervals, although it also 
says it is the best way to accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic.

The new air traffic pattern would also allow commercial jets to come in 
lower on approach than the FAA currently permits. The current ceiling is 
10,000 feet to 15,000 feet. The Integrated Airspace Alternative lowers that 
to 6,000 feet to 8,000 feet.
The FAA says the lower ceilings allow for quicker approaches and landings, 
allowing airports to handle more aircraft.
Congressional fight
Mr. Shays called for the GAO investigation along with Scott Garrett (R-N.J., 
and Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.). They want the GAO to compare the FAA plan 
to using market-based strategies to reduce air congestion. The three GOP 
lawmakers offered two alternatives to the FAA plan for the GAO to consider. 
The first is what the congressmen called "de-peaking strategies."

"These strategies alleviate congestion and delays at airports during peak 
travels times, and can require varying degrees of government involvement," 
they said in a joint statement.

According to this alternative, "Airlines may negotiate schedules, so long as 
government officials are present to comply with antitrust laws." A 
government agency - they did not specify which one - could also "offer 
de-peaking incentives such as peak hour pricing to reduce scheduling demand, 
which is known as congestion pricing."

A second alternative is "slots and quotas." Under this plan, the FAA or 
airports could assign slots to airlines and place quotas or limits on how 
many could operate out of any particular airport.

The only airport in the country that currently uses slots is Washington 
Reagan National Airport, the congressmen said.
The three Republicans offered the amendment to House Resolution 2881, the 
FAA Reauthorization Act.