Point Reyes Light - October 5, 2000
Bolinas has FAA's number
At a forum in Bolinas, officials with the Federal Aviation Administration last month again denied that airplane traffic over West Marin has increased, and rejected pleas to change commercial flight patterns.
However, the officials - who included Andrew Richards, the Bay Area's air traffic control manager, and air traffic controller Chuck Wienum - did provide directors of Bolinas Public Utility District with a number to call with complaints.
They said to call (510) 273-7155 to report low-flying commercial aircraft during fair weather. To report private aircraft flying at low altitudes on excursion flights, they said to call the same number and ask for the Flight Standards office.
Callers should take down the tail numbers of the private aircraft, and record the time and date of the noisy commercial flights, they added.
One person planning to call the FAA is BPUD director Paul Kayfetz, who said the visiting officials were very polite and well-meaning, but clearly misinformed about the level of noise and frequency of disruptive flights over Bolinas.
Officials can't find Bolinas Kayfetz said he is chronically awakened by apparent cargo flights late at night and early in the morning, long after the last arrivals are scheduled to land at any of the major Bay Area airports.
"It's amazing to me that something I and other people perceive with all our senses is something they say doesn't exist," he said. "Obviously, they don't know the reality."
Unfortunately, Kayfetz said, BPUD directors did not get sufficient word out that the aviation officials would be attending BPUD's Sept. 20 meeting, and only a handful of a residents showed up.
BPUD general manager Phil Buchanan said he was surprised by the low turnout for the presentation, but noted the federal officials conducted themselves no differently than if they were appearing before a larger gathering.
Wienum explained that meeting with concerned communities is a big part of their job and takes them all over the Bay Area. The only inconvenience with meeting BPUD directors, he said, was finding Bolinas.
"It was dark. I think the sign was torn down again," he said. "We found a hitchhiker and he pointed out the way."