Flying Site Case Study #4
Bob Walter, Secretary of the Olympic RC Modelers in Port Angeles, Washington writes:
"I am secretary of AMA club 2071 in Port Angeles, Washington. We were surprised by a local newspaper article this week that hints that we may no longer be able to fly at our field. Our field is a commercial area adjacent to Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles. We have leased the land for 20 years. Jets and other aircraft overwhelm our noise. "We researched the source of the sheriff’s article and obtained a copy of the proposed ordinance. It seems to be completely subjective, with wording such as 'noise or sound or signal which unreasonably disturbs the content peace or repose of another person.' It further states 'Evidence of a sound-level meter reading shall not be necessary to establish the commission of the offense.'
I have sent out a memo to all our members and adjacent clubs as well as the local hobby shops asking everyone to attend a hearing on July 15. It has been approved by the local commissioners and is expected to pass. We hope to get an exemption.”
So the AMA provided help via teleconferences and printed material, luckily the club had already started the ball rolling before the AMA got involved. Someone saw the newspaper article, related it to model aviation, and reacted to it immediately. That went a long way toward blunting the effort to pass an onerous noise ordinance.
Getting a great turnout for the public hearing was a coup for the club. In addition, E-mails and letters were sent to all of the County Commissioners decrying the vague, unworkable proposed ordinance and describing the AMA, its responsible standards, and the positive impact of model aviation on its host communities.
Before the public meeting was held, the primary author of the ordinance stated that he would specifically exempt model aviation from the new rules. Because of the comments, letters, and Emails from the modeling community and local hobby shop owners, the entire ordinance was scrapped and was to be rewritten for later submission.
In a note thanking AMA for its involvement, the club's vice president, Al Gross, stated, "We will still' bird-dog' the ultimate legislation to ensure we are treated as promised …”