Ban Aerobatic Stunt Flying at Iowa County Airport

Spring of 2003, aerobatic stunt flying began at the Iowa County gave permission to two pilots to perform stunt flying maneuvers without prior notice to or input from area taxpaying residents.

The area in which these aerobatic stunts are performed is very populated and creates an unacceptable level of noise and disturbance to the nearby residences, farms and valuable livestock.

The noise level these maneuvers create make outdoor activties impossible. Even normal conversation cannot be held INSIDE some of the closer homes due to the noise level. A few residents work nights and sleep during the day. These peoples sleep and all the area residents live's are being unacceptably disrrupted.

This type of flying also poses a threat to life and property in the likely event of a crash.The pilots have been instructed to stay within a restricted area over the airport. On several occasions these pilots have goneOn June 19, 2003 at 1:00 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Iowa County Airport Commission at the Iowa County Airport. Mr. Gerald Dorsheid, one of three Airport Commission members, has agreed to add our concerns to the meeting agenda.

We wish to express our concerns in regards to the aerobatics that are being performed at very low altitudes over many residences near the Iowa Count Airport.

We live on County Road QQ, one mile east of the airport. We have many long established and new neighbors. We ALL strongly object to the "stunt" flying that has begun at the airport this spring. Our main objections are to the safety hazard and the extreme noise it creates.

One of the stunts the pilot performs is flying the aircraft straight up in the air, stalls the engine, flips the plane and spirals back down towards the earth and when it is a few hundred feet above the earth the engine is started again, creating a thunderous noise. A representative from the FAA informed us the noise level that is created by performing this stunt is very close to breaking the sound barrier.

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the pilot performed these stunt flying maneuvers for several hours each day, stopping only to refuel. When this is happening, we have to close our windows and even then it is difficult to hold a normal conversation in our own homes. In order to get any peace we have to actually leave our homes that we are paying ever-increasing property taxes on. Those very taxes pay for the airport, it's commission and the manager's salary and yet as long as this type of flying is allowed our property value will decrease.

With the amount of accidental crashes with single engine aircraft that occur during normal flights, the likelihood of a crash from this type of maneuver is tenfold. This area is simply too populated for such maneuvers to be allowed by the Airport Commission. In addition to the numerous residences there are several farms with livestock that are being "spooked" by this severe noise putting the handlers in jeopardy and running off valuable pounds of meat.

Several complaints have been filed with the Iowa County Sheriff Department, the FAA, the Flight Standards Commission and the Airport Manager. We have been advised the Airport Commission is who we need to address our concerns to in order to resolve this dangerous and extremely disturbing activity. We, the property owners and residents are in the process of generating a petition against this type of flying at this airport and will carry signatures of all who object. We will then present it to the Airport Commission on June 19th. We would like to invite everyone who would like to express their concerns to this meeting. We also invite a reporter from this newspaper to attend to obtain additional information that will be presented.