Private airstrip use prompts ‘no-fly zone’ request
From our weekly issue dated November 11, 2009
A private airstrip used for ultralight aircraft in Selma is the subject of a noise complaint from a neighbor and an anticipated visit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The issue was addressed during the Josephine County Board of Commissioners Thursday, Nov. 5 meeting with the legal department.
Commission Vice Chairman Sandi Cassanelli, who serves as airport liaison, said that the county received a formal complaint from neighbor Margaret Brandeis requesting a no-fly zone over her house.
Legal Counsel Steve Rich expressed doubt regarding the county’s jurisdiction to impose a no-fly zone near the airstrip, which is owned by Bob Bleadon. That may be the purview of FAA, he said.
Rich also suggested that the planning department could review the zoning designation that allows a private airstrip to operate in the area.
Bleadon said that a different set of neighbors had similar complaints in 1992, but that those were settled. He added that a law was passed in the early 1990s conserving Oregon’s rural airports.
“You can’t put a no-fly zone,” Bleadon said. “You can’t do that anymore.”
FAA has been notified of the situation, Bleadon said, and officials plan to make a visit to the site soon. Bleadon said that he would notify the county when he finds out the date of the inspection.
The complaint alleged that Bleadon was flying unsafely, a claim he calls “bogus.” However, it still was enough to prompt FAA involvement.
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“Once they heard the word ‘unsafe,’ they’re on it,” Bleadon said.
He added that the neighbor was aware of the airstrip and its association noises when she purchased the adjacent property nearly a decade ago.
“I guess it finally got to her nine years later,” he said.
The neighbor who complained was the only one to do so, Bleadon said. Cassanelli stated that ultralight aircraft, such as those flown by Bleadon, tend to fly much slower than larger aircraft. As such, anyone near the flight path is subjected to the engine noise for a longer period of time, she said.
Bleadon insisted that he tries to avoid residences when flying from the airstrip. He characterized the neighbor’s complaint as being “without foundation, as far as I’m concerned.”
“We disagree with her interpretation of what went on,” Bleadon said. “I never have flown over her house. Never.”
FAA will “resolve the issue, as far as safety goes,” Bleadon said.
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