Low-flying stunt planes a concern in Westhampton

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

WESTHAMPTON - When Daniel Duffy moved to the center of Westhampton 27 years ago he did so because he wanted to live in a small town that was peaceful and quiet.

Over the last three months, Duffy and some of his neighbors are reporting that the serenity they have enjoyed has been broken by the sound of low-flying stunt planes doing aerobatic maneuvers over the center of town.

Duffy, who served in the Navy and has military flying experience, said the planes fly over his North Road home several times a day and described the maneuvers he is seeing pilots perform as "not your run-of-the-mill flying."

"They're doing aerobatic stunts and pursuit activities," Duffy said. "What I think is happening is the pilots are using the gravel pits down by Norris Farm (on South Road) as a navigational site, and they are flying right along it."

A recent investigation into similar complaints from residents in Leverett, where the town's Select Board is petitioning area legislators to put a stop to stunt plane flyovers, showed that the planes causing a stir were likely coming from a number of local airports.

Northampton Airport Manager Rich MacIsaac told the Gazette that his airport has two stunt planes, but that only one flew during the summer months. In Turners Falls, Mickey Longo, the airport's manager, said his facility had one plane capable of aerobatic maneuvers. And pilots leaving from Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield told Richard Brazeau, chairman of the Leverett Select Board, that they travel to the area because it was one of the places where they can practice their tricks in accordance with FAA regulations.

According to FAA regulations, aerobatic maneuvers are not permitted over any congested area of a city, town or settlement or below an altitude of 1,500 feet - rules that Duffy thinks are being broken by pilots buzzing over Westhampton.

"I've been trying to get the tail numbers on the planes to find out where they are coming from, but because they fly so low and so fast, I haven't been able to do it," Duffy said. "If I can't see them but I can hear the noise they make as they fly by, they must be going under 1,500 feet because otherwise (my view of them) wouldn't be blocked by the trees."

Duffy said his family has heard the planes buzzing overhead as early as 6:30 a.m. in the morning and as late as 8 p.m. at night.

"This is a nuisance, and there are laws dealing with things like this, and I guess I'm just confused as to how in these tough economic times someone can spend six to eight hours a day out there burning aviation fuel."

Also disturbed by the low-flying aircraft is longtime South Road resident Danny Krug, 86, who also thought that the planes were far too loud to be flying at 1,500 feet,

"We hear them regularly and they are really loud," Krug said. "At first we thought maybe they were looking for someone because in the old days they would have planes buzz the woods looking for somebody. But after hearing them a few weeks in a row we knew that wasn't it."

Owen Boss can be reached @ gazettenet.com.