Stafford, CT – July 18, 2024
Do you hear that in the distance? It’s a helicopter heading to Bradway Pond Road.
After months of formalities, Everett Skinner of 14 Bradway Pond Road is getting his helicopter landing pad, thanks to the help of a cadre of experts. Lawyer Dwight Merriam kicked off the public hearing at this week’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting by telling everyone that there would not be any construction necessary for the helipad on Bradway Pond. In fact, it’s little more than a big H painted on the driveway.
Still, Ray Syms of HeliExperts International LLC was on hand to walk the PZC through the details. Merriam called Syms “the leading expert in heliports.” In turn, Syms called this heliport “one of the simplest and least expensive” he has worked on. He also called it an “ideal site” due to its low population density and elevated location. Additionally, he provided a drone video of the approach and departure flight paths to the north and south of the heliport.
Syms told the commission that flights would depart over the pond and quarry, steering clear of most of the nearby homes. The video also showed that some of the property’s hillside had been cleared of trees to make a clearer landing. He also presented the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) report, which says that from 1997 through 2005, the average number of helicopter accidents worldwide was 570. That number began decreasing by about 2% a year after IHST formed.
Syms told the board that of 11,618 helicopter accidents over a 50-year period, the majority were due to infrastructure problems that were “predictable and preventable.” He also said that no one on the ground had ever been hurt in one of these accidents.
Russell Acoustics’ principal, Norman Dotti, P.E, P.P., was also on hand to provide his findings about the noise implications. Dotti ran through some dumbed-down but still complicated ideas about acoustic measurements, but what it came down to was this: The sound of the helicopter will be loudest for about 20 seconds during landing (helicopters are louder at landing than during take-off). At the closest residence, it will be about 75 decibels, he said, adding that two people having a normal conversation is about 65 decibels.
“I’m not telling you it’s going to be silent,” he said, but it would put less noise into the atmosphere than someone mowing their lawn.
After that, Merriam reviewed the guidelines for the special use permit (which he wrote) and presented letters of support from neighbors.
PZC Chair Dave Palmberg also brought up another letter the commission had received from Donna Wright of West Stafford Road. Merriam, who also had a copy of the letter, had answers ready to these questions, mostly centered around concern for anyone living in the flight path. Here is a quick summary of those questions and answers:
The special use permit applies to the land, not the pilot, meaning the use is not restricted to the property owner or his specific helicopter. However, it cannot be used for commercial purposes.
The flight paths were laid out and analyzed as part of the FAA application and approval. That report is part of the special use permit application and is available to the public.
The number of flights per week is limited to 12, and they do not carry over from week to week. The property owner does not expect to hit those limits. While anyone with a private aircraft is going to have insurance as a practical matter, Merriam did not intend to discuss the details publicly.
After a few more questions about vegetative management plans, yearly aircraft inspections, and whether or not the FAA's approval of a site would be enough to help guide the PZC’s decision on future applications (in the absence of so many experts), the board unanimously approved the application with the provision that the flight logs be provided to the Zoning Enforcement Officer annually.