Hearing the helicopter, around two in the morning, got me thinking about the conversation I’d had with the communications specialist, for two small airports. We discussed aircraft noise and safety issues.. with me asking questions, kind of like a reporter, and the communications specialist, Davi Howard, fielding my questions.
This was a role reversal, for me.
I’ve never been a reporter, except when I briefly was a sports reporter for my school newspaper, and when I got my first job with an automotive trade magazine. But from then on, it was all PR, for the rest of my career, fielding questions from reporters, like Mr. Howard was fielding my questions.
With PR so baked into me, I kept imagining myself, in his shoes, commenting on something that, for a number of people, can be very annoying… in this instance, aircraft noise, that a number of people residing in communities nestled along the peninsula, south of San Francisco, have been experiencing.
People have been complaining. There have been public hearings. There was a demonstration, a few years ago, at one of the small, general aviation airports. And people probably are wondering, if anything will change.
Mr. Howard talked about communication, about reaching out to people, and hearing their concerns, and explaining initiatives for mitigating noise, for example, by routing aircraft over less populated areas, when possible.
With two major commercial airports in San Jose and San Francisco, and another big airport in Oakland, air traffic is heavy, around here, he noted.
The much smaller airports are helping ease some of the congestion around major airports, with privately-owned planes, and aircraft flown by companies providing passenger services, utilizing routes and airspace around the small, general aviation airfields, rather than taking up airspace, so to speak, over big, commercial airports.
There are policies and procedures for noise mitigation, which aircraft pilots are asked to follow, and Mr. Howard and others are letting pilots know when they’re perhaps, not fully following procedures.
They counsel private pilots, and pilots with companies providing passenger services on single-engine and twin-engine, turboprop planes. And if necessary, they counsel company officials, as well.
They remind everyone flying over residential areas to think about the people residing in houses along the flightpath… maybe elderly people, people convalescing from illnesses, people working at home, and others, he mentioned, during our conversation.
The airports’ staff shares noise mitigation procedures with Coast Guard officials and pilots, and with law enforcement departments flying aircraft over communities.
A community newsletter — called Friendly Approach News — will being debuting, a few weeks from now.
“We want to be partners with communities,” he explained.
Let’s hope this all works out.
Reaching out to people… I kept thinking about that. Probably because I’m becoming so aware of issues and concerns among folks residing, out your way, in Pagosa Springs and your neighboring communities… the concerns they may be having about pending property development, the possible increase in their sales tax, their tax dollars being spent on some things that may not be all that necessary… and more.
I keep wondering if your town and county officials have been reaching out enough, to fully understand peoples’ concerns and desires.
And wondering, also, if they’re taking a friendly approach.
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.