City looks at a quieter airport

By Sonic - May 13, 2016
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 It’s an issue that dates back more than 20 years and one that Sedona officials admit has their hands somewhat tied.

Airport noise, primarily that caused by tour helicopters, has been an ongoing concern among those residents in their flight paths and those along trails who deal with the aircraft hovering overhead.

“We all know helicopter noise has been an issue among certain citizens in Sedona for some time,” City Manager Justin Clifton told the Sedona City Council on Tuesday, May 10. “Actually, I was surprised to know that council had addressed this item as far back as 1995.”Deeded in 1956, the Sedona Airport is owned by Yavapai County, operated by the Sedona Airport Authority and regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Thus, the city has little say when it comes to mitigating noise or regulating helicopter tour operating hours or flight paths. But, council gave direction to Clifton and staff to pursue a cooperative approach with the Airport Authority, county, tour operators or other stakeholders to identify and pursue strategies to mitigate helicopter noise.These strategies could include voluntary compliance with existing FAA circulars [intended to be informative in nature and not regulatory], clarification of what, if any, regulatory avenues may exist at the local level or lobbying the FAA for mandatory restrictions. In addition, the city wants to set up an avenue for residents to register complaints with the city instead of being told there is nothing it can do.“I think the frustration expressed by citizens is not only related to the impact but the fact they have nowhere to go,” Clifton said. “Every time they go to somebody, they say, ‘Well, I can’t help you, go somewhere else.’”Sedona resident Mike Yarbrough headed a citizen work group that consisted of five members who met six to eight times from March 2015 to March of this year. They conducted substantial outreach to helicopter tour operators, the Airport Authority or Yavapai County — although none of them participated as seated members of the work group.

“I recognize the role of the city is limited in this,” Yarbrough said. “You’re not the owners and you don’t manage the airport. So having a citizen engagement group, since a lot of Sedona citizens are impacted by this, is really heartening.”

Some of the key findings by the work group include:

  • In 2013, it appears as though as many as 10,850 helicopter flights took off from Sedona Airport.
  • The Sedona Airport Master Plan estimates demand for helicopter flights could nearly double to almost 20,000 per year by 2033.
  • Tour operators are not compliant with “Operation Sedona Skies” enacted by the Sedona Airport in 1995 that recommends adherence to FAA Advisory Circular requiring flights to maintain altitude of 2,000 feet above the highest terrain.
  • There is evidence that FAA rules requiring higher flight elevations should apply [but is not always observed] in and around wilderness areas.
  • Sedona Airport has other recommended noise abatement protocols that appear to be largely ignored by many operators.
  • There appears to be court precedent, albeit limited, that allows for restrictions of helicopter tour operations.
  • The liability insurance required by operators and the airport may be insufficient to address a major accident.

Yarbrough said the Airport Authority has recommended that all tour operators fly 2,000 feet above the ground while the FAA has recommended the same thing. However, FAA regulations state that aircraft must fly above 500 feet in noise sensitive areas.

“I believe the tour operators are operating legally but they also freely acknowledge that they’re not complying with either the airport or the FAA’s advisories [2,000 feet],” he said.

Amanda Shankland, who recently took over as general manager of the Sedona Airport, said the 2,000 foot recommendation applies to fixed-wing aircraft such as planes and not helicopters, which is 500 feet above the ground and not from the highest point.

She went on to say that even though the airport is a major stakeholder, most decisions in regard to tour operators are out of their hands.

“I am not the FAA,” she said. “If we want to make these changes, we’re going to have to start talking to the FAA — that’s not something I can change. I can’t change or impose an AC [advisory circular] on somebody else. But as the No. 1 stakeholder [airport] in this whole thing, I want to be part of this. I want to find a resolve. I want to make sure everyone is safe, comfortable and love where they live.”
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