A landmark agreement has been reached with the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, Inc., the trade group representing Long Island's helicopter industry, and East Hampton and Gabreski Airports to reduce helicopter noise over communities in Nassau and Suffolk, divert choppers away from populated areas and encourage compliance with preferred noise abatement routes, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer recently announced.

The agreement, which comes in the form of a signed letter from the operators and airports to Senator Schumer, includes measures of compliance, reporting, oversight, pilot education and community outreach, including public hotlines and websites where Long Island residents can report low-flying helicopters.

Schumer said the agreement, along with a new route the FAA proscribed at Schumer's request, is going to help alleviate the disruptive impact of helicopter noise over Long Island communities next summer.

"For far too long, helicopter noise has been left to roar unabated over Long Island communities. This agreement will put a muzzle on that roar this summer and for many summers to come. By coming together, we have forged an accord that will provide much needed relief for Long Islanders, including the necessary checks and compliance measures to crack down on rogue operators who violate the rules," Senator Schumer said.

In part, the letter, dated Dec. 17, 2007, states: "On behalf of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC) and Gabreski and East Hampton Airports (the "Airports"), we write to inform you that we have reached an agreement aimed at providing relief to those communities affected by helicopter noise on Long Island, pursuant to your request, and with the assistance of you and your staff.

"This Continued Cooperation and Compliance Agreement is the product of our collective recognition that this quality of life and community compatibility issue requires our collaboration and vigilance in ensuring effective oversight to help diminish the impact of helicopter noise in local communities. We have pledged our shared commitment to working with affected communities to identify specific concerns and implement safe, balanced and practical solutions.

"As you know, your involvement led the FAA, with our close consultation, to establish a new, recommended helicopter route that will divert a portion of pre-existing North Shore traffic over the Long Island Sound, rather than over land. The FAA will also advise pilots to fly at an altitude of at least 2,500 ft. We are confident that this new routing option will provide significant relief to affected communities and reduce the associated level of complaints. The ERHC has briefed its membership about this new route and its benefits and is committed to encouraging its use (weather and safety permitting) as a standard operating procedure when operators choose a North Shore routing. It is anticipated that the FAA will publish this new route on a revised New York Helicopter Route Chart in the spring of 2008."

The ERHC and the airports, according to the letter, have committed to the following actions:

• East End communities - The Airports, in coordination with the ERHC, have modified their existing noise abatement procedures to help mitigate potential helicopter noise effects and help pilots avoid noise sensitive communities ("Voluntary Noise Abatement Procedures" or VNAP). ERHC will work with the Airports on advising pilots to fly at the highest possible altitude over the North and South Forks, when feasible.

• Monitoring and Reporting - The Airports will monitor local helicopter traffic and create weekly incident reports during the peak summer season, and monthly reports during the non-peak season, of aircraft not following the Airports' Voluntary Noise Abatement Procedures. These reports will be shared with the ERHC. The Airports will also send individual letters to companies owning aircraft that did not follow these VNAP, informing them of the findings and asking for an explanation. East Hampton Airport will continue to use its "AirScene" detection technology. Gabreski Airport will seek funding in pursuit of similar multi-lateration and/or radar technology.

• Compliance Monitoring - ERHC will coordinate with the Airports on a regular basis to monitor compliance with the VNAP and will inform ERHC members of the Airports' findings. If the Airports identify any helicopter operators that have not followed the VNAP, ERHC will contact the operator and encourage compliance, weather and safety permitting.

• Oversight - ERHC and the Airports will be active members of your "Long Island Helicopter Working Group" to address and mitigate helicopter-related issues on a regional and local basis. It is anticipated that this standing committee will meet prior to and following the summer traffic season and will convene as necessary if a pressing issue arises.

• Constituent Complaints and Outreach - ERHC will continue to maintain records of helicopter noise complaints and work directly with complainants to address their issues. ERHC will operate a complaint hotline for Long Island residents. ERHC will enhance its website to allow users to file noise complaints electronically. The Airports will also establish and maintain noise complaint hotlines and links on their websites.

• Education - The Airports will publicize the VNAP through all means reasonably available including their websites, to help publicize the preferred routes to the helicopter industry. In turn, ERHC will continue its "Fly Neighborly" efforts to inform and educate its membership of noise sensitive areas within the region and of the preferred routes.

Schumer continued, stating that for nearly a decade the number of helicopters that fly over Long Island hamlets and villages has skyrocketed causing concern among many neighborhoods for their families' safety and livelihood. Most residents didn't know when they purchased their homes that these helicopters would fly so close to their communities, he said.

Many of these flights are from New York City out to the East End of the Island and are for recreational or commercial purposes during the summer months, Senator Schumer further noted. While these helicopters have become an unfortunate irritant during the summer, they are also a constant presence throughout the entire year. Although most operators use voluntary routes designed to reduce the noise impact by avoiding noise sensitive areas, many helicopters are still flying over residential neighborhoods. These flights impact communities in countless ways, not the least of which is disruption of daily life, forcing people to stay inside during the summer, and reducing property values in impacted areas, he said.

This summer (May-August), Gabreski Airport saw 1,948 helicopter operations compared to 1,416 during the same period last year, an increase of 35.7 percent. East Hampton saw helicopter flights increase 15 percent this summer. Schumer's office has received at least 75 calls this year from constituents as well as calls from elected officials reporting hundreds of calls their offices have received. Last year, East Hampton Airport received 4,000 complaint calls, of which, 3,000 were for helicopter noise. Gabreski has sent out 79 letters to helicopter companies asking their cooperation with the airport's voluntary noise abatement procedures.

In October 2007, Schumer convened a first-ever meeting of helicopter pilots, airport personnel and the FAA to devise a plan to reduce helicopter noise. At Schumer's urging, the FAA created a new noise abatement route to divert pre-existing North Shore traffic miles away from land, over water and at a recommended altitude of at least 2,500 feet.

This plan will go into effect next summer.