I just called my local representative on the Brookhaven Town Council. I told the staff that the purpose of flying, which is a highly polluting and resource-consuming activity, should be to get from Point A to Point B, but because these airports are increasingly selling recreational programs, such as skydiving, there needs to be greater regulation or the airports need to be shut down. The LA replied that there is nothing they can do since they have no jurisdiction over the airport’s activities, which is regulated by the FAA. They said that there is no chance that they will close the airport since they don’t want to lose the federal grant money coming from keeping it open. So basically, even as we barrel towards runaway climate change, flight activity is going to keep increasing on Long Island, because politicians are too beholden to money.
I did learn that residents can send comments to Brookhaven Airport using this form on the Town Council’s website. I doubt it will change anything, but at least I have my complaint on record. Here is what I wrote:
JUMP1, which flies out of Brookhaven Airport almost everyday every 20-30 minutes, is causing persistent noise disturbance. As a disabled veteran who works from home, and as a resident of Brookhaven, my mental and physical health and productivity are being negatively impacted by this noise. I’m asking that you please direct the pilot to either vary the plane’s flight path so that the noise pollution is more equitably distributed across different geographic areas over Long Island, or preferably, have the pilot take a different flight path that is as far away as possible.