A statement issued from East Hampton Town Hall last week indicated that the plan to deactivate East Hampton Airport on May 17 and reopen it as the private-use “East Hampton Town Airport” two days later is proceeding on schedule, but aviation interests continue to insist that the plan is unworkable if not illegal, while opponents of the airport say plans to restrict airport operations do not go far enough.
On March 23, the town announced that the Federal Aviation Administration had completed an “airport airspace analysis” of its request to deactivate the airport on May 17, issuing a finding of “no objection” to the plan in a March 22 letter to the town, Jim Brundige, the airport manager, and the town’s consulting attorneys, the Cooley L.L.P. firm of Palo Alto, Calif.
The F.A.A. also completed an airspace analysis for activation of the new, private-use East Hampton Town Airport, issuing another “no objection” finding.
Also on March 23, the town confirmed to the F.A.A. its intention to proceed with the airport deactivation on May 17 at 11:59 p.m. and activate the new airport at 9 a.m. on May 19, 2022, a closure of just 33 hours. The airport’s “location identifier” letters will change from KHTO to JPX when it reopens.
Following the September expiration of federal grant assurances, the town regained the right to enact restrictions on airport operations and the town board has gathered information from consultants and input from the public as to what changes, if any, to implement. After years of complaints from residents who say their quality of life is dramatically diminished by the constant stream of noisy aircraft over their property in the summer season, as well as complaints from residents across the North and South Forks and as far away as New York City, the board is now moving to implement restrictions in an effort to alleviate those concerns.
The “new” airport is to operate under a prior-permission-required framework, under which advance clearance is required before a pilot may use the airport. On March 1, consultants to the town board issued recommendations for a new airport that they said could impact 40 percent of operations but address upward of 70 percent of complaints. The recommendations, if implemented, would impose a curfew and otherwise limit takeoffs and landings based on an aircraft’s operator, its noise, and its size under the P.P.R. framework. The restrictions could be modified based on data the town collects during the 2022 summer season, when most air traffic occurs, consultants told the board on March 1.
The proposed restrictions have been criticized by some as draconian, and by others as too mild to effect meaningful change. Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc has said that, in addition to modifications based on data collected this summer, the town could still close the airport entirely, should the changes fail to address residents’ complaints.
The town also announced last week that it has engaged Flight Tech Engineering, an F.A.A.-approved third-party consultant, to design and implement private instrument flight procedures. Those procedures, provided the F.A.A. approves them, would be used for instrument landings at the new airport. The town’s March 23 statement said that, based on discussions with the F.A.A., the procedures are expected to be available upon the new airport’s opening and will be very similar to existing procedures. This, according to the statement, will provide the new airport with the same safety and operational capabilities as the currently operating, public-use East Hampton Airport.
The private instrument flight procedures, called “special procedures” by the F.A.A., will not be publicly available. Aircraft operators who wish to use them will have to obtain authorization from the F.A.A. Mr. Brundige, the airport manager, issued a letter to airport users on Monday regarding the application process for the use of special instrument procedures. Instructions contained in Mr. Brundige’s letter are posted at bit.ly/3Lq05rN.
The town will forward completed application packages received on or before Friday, April 8, to the F.A.A. for processing with the goal of having the special procedures use authorization issued on or before the new airport’s opening on May 19. There is no cost for the right to use the procedures.
The F.A.A. will determine who can use the special procedures based on whether the operator is qualified and whether they have permission from the town. Those with questions have been asked to contact Mr. Brundige at 631-537-1130, extension 5, or [email protected].
Opponents of the town’s plans for the airport, including pilots and other aviation interests as well as residents who use the airport, have complained that the changes will be ineffective at best and are likely to backfire. In response to the town’s March 23 statement, Loren Riegelhaupt, spokesman for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, said that the town “misinterpreted the actual guidance from the F.A.A.” Further, the F.A.A.’s findings of no objection to the town’s plans do not resolve “a number of outstanding questions about how — or even if — the Town of East Hampton can reopen the airport once they close it. We strongly urge the F.A.A. to enforce the statutory requirements and work with state and local officials to state clearly if this plan of a private-use airport is even feasible or legal.”
While the East Hampton Community Alliance, another advocate for keeping the airport open, “is pleased that the town and F.A.A. are working closely to maintain an airport in East Hampton,” the group, according to a statement to The Star on Monday, “is encouraging the town to respond to legitimate requests from the community to be involved with the development” of the P.P.R. framework.
On the other hand, the Coalition to Transform East Hampton Airport says the proposed restrictions “will have at best a marginal impact on air traffic.” The coalition represents more than 20 groups including Stop the Chop NY/NJ, Wainscott United, the Shinnecock Nation, the Noyac Civic Council, and the Riverhead Noise Task Force. “We implore the town board to side with the far greater good and enact meaningful restrictions,” said Barry Raebeck, the coalition’s director. These, he said, include a prohibition on helicopters, seaplanes, jets over 25,000 pounds, and the sale of aviation fuel at the airport, as well as a 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. daily curfew.
