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LETTER: Noise and geese at the airport

From reader Stuart McDonald
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Re: “Nelson airport repair will have big price tag,” Nov. 7

I would like to add a couple of other ideas to Nelson council’s airport discussion. First the noise level of the helicopters operating from the airport. Helicopters landing and taking off from the airport, though very noisy, is tolerable because it lasts less than a minute. But when they are hovering back and forth for 20, 30, or 40 minutes at a time it is beyond tolerable.

I know the owners are testing the machines and pilots, a necessary activity, but they should be asked to do the lengthy testing where they do not ruin the enjoyment of people working and living near the airport.

The second issue is geese at the airport. The Nelson Star reported in 2015 that there had been several aircraft collisions with geese including the air ambulance. The city has been trying to scare geese away for a long time. Obviously this is not working. In order to prevent a catastrophe with loss of lives there needs to be a solution to the geese at the airport.

Stuart McDonald

Nelson