One of the constant sources of noise for homes near Redondo Avenue seems to be the 15 to 25 helicopter flyovers each day. They happen mostly from sunrise to sunset with the occassional police helicopter buzzing in the middle of the night. Redondo Avenue seems to be the flyover corridor for helicopters from Long Beach Airport to the coast, and at times, it seems like a highway in the sky with the constant flyovers. I found a website with the Long Beach Airport where you can lodge complaints. It is: www.longbeach.gov/airport/noise_abatement/noise_complaints.asp Has anyone used the online complaint form? If so, was any action taken? While we may not have it as bad as the residents who live under the jet flyovers for Long Beach airport, the helicopters can fly quite low and rattle the houses underneath. Any ideas how to get them to fly higher?
For routine patrolling,
For routine patrolling, police helicopters are not supposed to fly lower than 500 feet (just confirmed with LBPD). I would assume is they are tracking a suspect, that rule is waived. I don't know about private helicopters, Coast Guard, etc.
Anyone have any additional information?
I don't have additional
I don't have additional information, but I live on Termino, and can attest to the masses of flyover traffic. It will be added to in a few weeks by the low-flying, banner-carrying small planes that cruise the beaches between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Is there anything we can do about it? I'm happy to add a voice or a letter if it will help.
maximum altitude
Actually, there is no minimum flying in and out of the airport. The 500-foot minimum is only in the areas around the airport when flying over the terminal or crossing a runway (See Helicopter Letter Of Agreement (LOA) link below - Section 5.a, items 1 and 2).
Regarding approach and departure, the LOA Section 5.c, item 1 specifies that "Helicopters shall remain at or below 500 feet MSL within 1-1/2 mile of the airport, otherwise at or below 700 feet MSL." The interpretation given to me by LBPD (well, it's pretty well spelled out...) is that there is no minimum. The reason for the maximum is that they don't want helicopters to interfere with fixed-wing routes around the airport. I haven't seen any reason for not having a mininmum altitude.
In my chat with one of the LBPD pilots several months ago, I managed to get across how bad the noise really is. The noise is somewhat less now, but there are still some pilots who insist on flying too fast and too low, probably because they find it to be fun. The police helicopter is a different matter and I'm less inclined to complain about that. They have improved considerably since I talked with them, but occasionally there are events where they generate a lot of noise.
Here is a link to the LOA. I believe this is current, but if anybody knows of a newer one please correct me. In the event that this link doesn't work, you can search for "helicopter" on the long beach web site.
http://www.ci.long-beach.ca.us/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=14367
routine patrolling
The LBPD may have an internal memo documenting their 500-foot minimum, but I think it's a matter of courtesy on their part since the LOA doesn't require it. At the time I talked to them (several months ago), they didn't mention a minimum, but they may have come up with it to address some of the noise complaints.
I found the LBPD to be receptive to rational complaints, and their pilots talk to the commercial pilots at regular meetings so we probably can have some impact on how the helicopters use these routes. We probably won't be able to get an Air Traffic Control regulation on minimum altitude though since they have their hands full tracking the other aircraft in the area.
Night Helicopter Noise
I don't know what the minimum height limit is, but it seems that in the past several months the police have dispatched their helicopter at night constantly. We live at 6th and Mira Mar, and one minute the neighborhood is quiet and the next minute the helicopter is circling above -- usually west over Redondo -- for however long they are checking something out. I'd like to know what the standard criteria is for when a police helicopter is dispatched? Is this criteria open to public comment? Does the police department keep statistics about how often and how long the helicopter is dispatched to particular neighborhoods? It seems like it's getting worse every year, but we need to look into this.
Registration numbers
I think some of the helicopter traffic is going back and forth to the oil Islands. I was told that if you get their registration number you can call a phone number at the airport and report them, not sure that is true, but we should look into it.
I'm okay with the police and their helicopter, but the private sector helicopters. I think are just bending the rules.
Not to the oil islands
I highly doubt the helicopters are going to the oil islands. A family member works there and has NEVER seen a chopper near or on the island, nor has he heard of them landing there. Boats are the only way the oil island workers - including office folks out for a visit - get to the islands, as far as he knows.
Not islands, but platforms.
I think Gary meant the offshore oil platforms, not the oil islands. There are no helicopter landing pads on the oil islands, but helicopters are often used to ferry workers to the platforms that are located several miles offshore and to Catalina Island.
Thanks Carno
Thanks Carno for the information. The Letter of Agreement confirms that Redondo Ave is one of the primary north-south flyways to the Long Beach Airport. for helicopters Unfortunately, I think that you are right that there is no minimum altitudes for helicopters except at the airport itself, where it is 500 feet.
I agree with the other comments that I am more tolerant of the Long Beach Police helicopters because of their public safety role, but the vast majority of helicopters flying along Redondo are private helicopters. Is there anyway to get them to fly higher or with less noise? It is difficult trying to spot the helicopter numbers from the ground on some of these helicopters.
I have seen and heard helicopters from Los Angeles Helicopters (www.lahelicopters.com), which does flight instruction and tours out of the Long Beach airport as well as Universal Helicopters (http://www.universalheli.com/Locations-LongBeach.asp) and Rotor Aviation ( http://www.rotoraviation.com/), both of whom also do flight intructions out of Long Beach airport.
It seems that the Long Beach airport should have oversight over the helicopters using it. Does it have any public review board or complaint center besides the website link posted previously? They may be able to revise the letter of agreement to set a standard floor of 500 feet for all of Long Beach and not just over airport buildings.
Nearly constant Helicopter noise
I live on 1st street between Loma and Euclid and have lived here for one year. I've been getting more and more annoyed at the seemingly constant drone of helicopters flying almost directly over my home. Finding this site, forum and thread is of some relief, since I now know that I'm not the only one who is bugged by this noise nuisance. I did check out the above mentioned link, called the number and left a message to lodge my complaint, but I wonder if any good will come of it.
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