Local rancher, Steve Edwards, submitted an editorial—Why can’t aviation schools be awesome neighbors?—to our local newspaper of record. Steve is a resident of nearby Queen Valley, and was recently appointed by the Association for the Development of a Better Environment (ADOBE) to address aircraft issues.
From the op-ed…
I found an awesome free app called flightradar24. With this app I know every airplane over my head and anywhere in the world. I can see the school, commercial or private. Now when I call the schools about putting my neighbor and my life in danger, they will listen about how we want awesome neighbors.
Freely available software and software-based services are a game-changer for Quiet Sky advocates, as they remove aircraft anonymity and allow both pilots and owners to be identified. For a modest subscription fee, these services will allow one to track historical data as well. So it isn’t necessary to use the software at the time of the event. If an aircraft buzzes your property, you can determine who it was at some later and more convenient point in time. And all this is certainly preferable to other means of tracking aircraft…
The problem is that even after offending aircraft operators are identified, they aren’t likely to face any consequences for their actions, whether it’s poisoning our community with highly toxic lead, or creating excessive noise pollution day and night. How can you help? Get involved! Contact your elected representatives and civic leaders. Contact the local flight schools and demand that they be awesome neighbors.
