County Panel Urges Tough Copter Laws : Cacophony of Noise Complaints Prompted Proposal

Citing neighbors’ rights and the increasing personal use of helicopters, the San Diego County Planning Commission on Friday recommended a toughening of the laws governing the takeoffs and landings of privately owned helicopters in the county.

The seven-member board also suggested that community planning groups develop their own guidelines for helicopter use to be incorporated into the county General Plan.

The board’s unanimous recommendation, which will be submitted to the board of supervisors for a formal vote next month, followed requests by several community planning groups for a review of the 1985 ordinance on private helicopter operation.

In recent years, personal helicopters have become a familiar sight and sound in several North County communities, especially wealthy areas such as Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch.

Invasion of Privacy

Residents there say that, along with small planes and touring hot air balloons, the aircraft create a nuisance and an invasion of privacy.

Earlier this month, the Rancho Santa Fe Assn. board of directors voted to ban all helicopters, except those used for emergencies and special events, from landing in the exclusive 6,000-acre development.

Another community planning group near Mt. Helix recently wrote a letter to the county expressing fears that a planned hotel-resort in their area might one day darken the skies with personal whirlybirds--whisking big-city company executives to and from vacation breaks.

The chief concern over the helicopters, many residents say, is their staccato racket.

‘Good Means of Transportation’

“I’ve flown helicopters in Thailand and Vietnam, in Orange and Los Angeles counties; I think they’re a good means of transportation,” said Bill Schlosser, a retired Air Force colonel and member of the San Dieguito planning group, which initiated the county planning committee’s review.

“The question is, ‘How well do they fit into the community?’ ”

James Hare, planning director for the Rancho Santa Fe Assn., said the group entertained similar concerns in banning personal helicopters.

“This area is designated as a state historical landmark,” he said. “It has a character of rural and equestrian activity. The board saw the ban as one of the only ways to maintain that character.”

The proposed changes to the county ordinance primarily concern the building of landing areas for privately owned helicopters.

Although helicopter owners now require a major land-use permit for such an area, the new ordinance would require at least 5 acres on which to build a landing spot, which would have to sit back 200 feet from a property line, rather than the current 50 feet.

The proposals also include limiting takeoffs and landings to daylight hours and requiring landing areas to be within a mile and a half of a major roadway to blend helicopter noise with that of freeway traffic.

The commissioners also recommended that major use permits for all types of privately owned helicopter landing areas be restricted to five years to protect future residential developments from undue noise.

“The five-year limit would allow the county to take into consideration any newly built residential developments and their noise concerns before renewing the permit,” said Marvin Jones, an associate planner with the county.

Although few county residents now own and operate private helicopters, that could change, officials say.

Problem Varies

“The problem varies depending on the affluence of the community, so many neighborhoods will never face this problem with one of their neighbors,” Richard Empey, a county planner, told planning commission members.

“Right now, there aren’t that many individuals who can afford to lay out between $100,000 and a million and a half dollars to fly back and forth from Los Angeles in their private helicopter. “But it could get worse.”

Schlosser echoed those sentiments.

“Even back in World War II, a lot of guys came back from flying missions, and the thought was that everyone was going to have a private plane in his back yard,” he said. “But it didn’t work out that way.

Skill to Fly Copters

“Helicopters are expensive. You need skill to fly them and money to maintain them,” he said. “Not too many people can come up with what it takes.”

William (Swede) Gamble, an aviation inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and a career helicopter pilot, said after the meeting that he believes the ordinance would overly restrict personal helicopters.

“You’re taking away the unique mobility of the helicopter,” he said. “You might as well say you can only operate them at the airport. It’s just that the noise these aircraft make is getting on people’s nerves.

“If you could invent a helicopter that didn’t make any noise, we wouldn’t be here having this meeting today.”