The roar of Super Dave Mathieson's aerobatic aircraft has been grounded over noise complaints.
The full-time air show pilot, who made Chilliwack his home base a few years ago, received notification from Transport Canada earlier this month that he could no longer perform the aerobatics under 2000 feet at Chilliwack Airport, citing proximity to "noise sensitive or livestock" areas.
"I am now stopped in my tracks," Mathieson said. "As an air show pilot, if I can't do these manoeuvres that take me almost to the surface, I can't prepare for the air shows."
Flew into Chilliwak in a Cherokee 140 a couple of summers ago and just after parking, here comes this guy inbound and does some super impressive aerobatics. Along with being glad that I didn't arrive a few minutes later, I am thinking to myself that this must be Pete McLeod as he is really good.
He taxied in and I saw the name on the side of the aircraft. Never heard it before but I know it now. Thanks for the show.
Noisy I'm guessing started off as the uneducated people surrounding the airport being scared, educating themselves enough to contact Transport and finding a definition that would restrict Dave.
Ditto with the move. When I used to work at YKZ, we received complaints daily from the uneducated moving into the vicinity, not realizing there is a moderately sized airport nearby. A few accidents and people are screaming 'Lordy Jesus' and 'ain't nobody got time fo' dat'. The best were the weekday stay at home boozers, who could barely string a sentence together threating to sue me for letting planes fly over their house.
I wonder if Air Combat Canada ran into the same issues in YSN.
Silly people ruining things for everyone else. This is why we can't have nice things.
i know when I was working out of Abbotsford there was aerobatics over there all of the time. Of course with the airshow there just about every year since forever.. ..I would imagine the locals know their lot in life as far as airplane noise goes.
Chilliwack was always busy, but never with regular or intense aerobatics. I could see a few squeaky wheels being miffed about all of the racket going on a few feet above their heads in comparison to Cessnas and the odd warbird in the circuit.
As always.. we should defer to The Colonel's #1 rule in aviation:
Don't piss anyone off.
They may be ignorant and unreasonable.. but they are well organized and have large numbers.
iflyforpie wrote:
As always.. we should defer to The Colonel's #1 rule in aviation:
Don't piss anyone off.
That's just aviation Guideline #1. Its a guideline because as an aviator, you're going to break it all the time. Try real hard not to, but since you will if you do, do your best to say you're sorry and that you'll try to be a better person, pilot and member of the community, because like in Super Dave's case, you really don't want them going to TC, even if you are 100% in the right. Ask me how I know this.
Rule #1 of aviation is "nobody gets hurt". A good rule to fly by. I wish more pilots thought more about it.
I know there is a lot more issues in Chilliwack than noise. All the articles have been VERY one sided as most of the writers have not had access to important information which would change peoples view on this issue. Dave really did this to himself. Noise regs are just the easiest way to address the issues because they are clear in the CARs. Airport users in Chilliwack feel they can't bring up safety issues anymore due to threats of legal action by the airport manager. The airport management company is owned by the sole director of super dave airshows. There is other aerobatic pilots in Chilliwack and I don't see them complaining about this issue.
I just learnt that the director has changed, however, the owner of the management company still has invested interest in dave as he is a major sponsor now.
7ECA wrote:And Rule #2, brought to you by Shiny Side Up, is:
"Remember, you got one pass, then they know you're here so the guns (cameras) will be ready after that."
Wow, I didn't think anyone ever read anything I had to say, much less remember it from a long time ago. Kudos for your avcanada-search-fu.
But that's not rule number two, that's merely a suggestion if you absolutely must do something stupid. Rule two is "No one tampers with airplanes - since it might risk violating rule #1 - who do you think you are? Burt Rutan?"
Certainly when someone starts complaining about not being able to be on another pathetic reality tv show my sympathy dissapears but how many people are actually complaining about the noise? The whole town? Or just a handful.
piper_pilot28 wrote:I know there is a lot more issues in Chilliwack than noise. All the articles have been VERY one sided as most of the writers have not had access to important information which would change peoples view on this issue.
So share with us this important information that will change our view on this issue.
piper_pilot28 wrote: There is other aerobatic pilots in Chilliwack and I don't see them complaining about this issue.
Are there other pilots doing surface level aerobatics at Chilliwack Airport?
ahramin wrote:Certainly when someone starts complaining about not being able to be on another pathetic reality tv show my sympathy dissapears but how many people are actually complaining about the noise? The whole town? Or just a handful.
I've read a few articles about this and I find it interesting that no one has come forward as the leader of the Chilliwack United Noise Terminators or some other misguided organization of people with nothing better to do that usually come out of the woodwork to get their 15 second soundbite in whenever an airport noise issue comes up.
If someone isn't willing to put their name to the complaint and explain exactly why 24 minutes of flying per day is so very disruptive to their lives then Transport should put that complaint exactly where it belongs. In the shredder.
i had a few bad experiences when I started practising low at CYND, got a death threat made by phone to my wife and son and one person claimed I was doing acro over their house at 7 am.. Transport called me, pulled the radar tapes and surprise it was 10:00 am and 2km north of the guys house. One lady was upset at everything! The highway was too noisy, the train horns at the crossings was bothering her, and she was upset that the airport was not closed because the realtor had said we were closing.
Anyway I modified my practice a bit, I reduced RPM by 100 and kept the acro to about 15min max. Have not had any complaints in years now.. Although the Harvard and other assorted heavy iron likely out noise me now
One note to the neighbors however.. if the airport does not allow acro below 2000ft then naturally it can be flown at 2000ft anytime and as frequently as the pilot wishes. The noise will actually now be worse because it will travel further.
The complaint by the biddy in the second article is fantastic. While I can empathize with the minor disruption in solitude that results in life on the planet, she jumps straight to calling John Martin, MLA, threatening him with vote retraction! The reply from the office is very telling. She also calls for no less than transport to revoke the pilots license. Seems reasonable.
The support from the community in the comments is great.
A few years ago I owned and operated 3 brownstone apartment buildings in a regentrified area. 50 residential units in all. I quickly coined a 90/10 rule, in which 90% of my time was spent fielding calls from 10% of the tenants. Some people will never be happy until the world stops for them. Nothing better to do. I have little sympathy for their misery, but I do feel bad saying such harsh things.
schnitzel2k3 wrote:
I wonder if Air Combat Canada ran into the same issues in YSN.
S
Did they ever! People showed up at town council meetings looking for blood, they had to open up a separate room so people could store their walkers.
They could put a gate at each end of the QEW and call that place a retirement community.
