FAA To Create Public Complaint System For Helicopter Noise
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — For the first time ever, federal regulators are expected to respond directly to public complaints about helicopter noise throughout Los Angeles County.
KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports the Federal Aviation Administration has announced the air traffic regulatory agency will fund a system that allows residents to file complaints over excessively loud helicopters.
FAA To Create Public Complaint System For Helicopter Noise
In an email, FAA regional administrator Glen Martin said the agency has approved funding for the complaint system, which is expected to be operational by early 2015, The Daily News reported.
Details about the system, including estimated costs and functionality, were not immediately disclosed.
But longtime advocates for helicopter noise restriction such as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO he was encouraged by the announcement.
"Right now, all the helicopter operators point fingers at each other, blaming one another, and this will help us get to the bottom of the truth as to who's really causing the noise," said Schiff.
The action comes after more than a decade of complaints from homeowners about disruptions caused by news choppers, paparazzi, tour operators and public safety agencies.
In June 2013, Schiff, along with Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, has introduced the Los Angeles Residential Helicopter Noise Relief Act (H.R. 456), which would require the FAA to set regulations relating to flight paths and altitudes for helicopter flights in LA County.
