Doh!! You bought a house on an airport! Low flying planes are a surprise?!

Then shut the airport down, it was your choice to live there. You should know the risks of low flying planes.

I believe the safety issues regarding street or walkway access across a taxi-way or runway can be resolved with technology/automation, such as automatic gates that close off the path to traffic when planes are taxiing, landing, or taking off. To just slap no trespassing signs up shows a lack of sense of community and smacks of elitism. Where is the love, all?

The airpark may have been fine 20 or 30 years ago, but it's too dangerous now that the population of the area has increased. The pilots can land at Midway or DuPage airport, which has appropriate oversight. To be fair, Darien should include a referendum on November's ballot asking whether we should shut down the airpark.

The fact is there is no one regulating this airport. No set flight patterns, and no set times for takeoffs and landings. We have a group of pilots that make up their own rules. Mr Siefried says he's interested in safety, but the airpark doesn't have control over anything except it's own property. So he's interested in safety for who?

Yes, we chose to live here, but does that mean we should have to accept the fact that maybe one day our house might get hit by a low flying plane or one of our children might be injured. I don't think so. Times change people. There are more houses and more people. We need changes. We need rules and regulations to protect both the airport and the communities surrounding it.

let it be. there are other places to walk in the area. this is a unique situation and the people that live in the air park I would think are responsible. they live there because it is unique. we can't always be watching what others are doing. we all need to practice common sense.

Saying there is no regulation or oversite at the airport is like saying there is no regulation or oversight on our streets. We have speed limits that no one follows, stop signs no one obeys, let alone no one paying attention to driving as they talk and text on their phones. Safety ultimately falls on the individual. Marianne, you need to head up this charge for change! You've been here a few years longer then alot of us, have a great record for complaints, and there aren't too many people in the neighborhood left for you to upset.

I am a current resident of the Brookeridge Airpark and an active pilot. I am in no way directly involved in the current situation and will not comment on those matters.

I want to clarify a few things posted above.

Private residential airparks in Illinois fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Illinois Department of Transportation's Aviation Division. We are unincorporated so we rely on DuPage county for many of the services that are provided by local municipalities. The county has no regulatory jurisdiction over the airport.

The airport is owned by shareholders and is managed by an elected board of directors. Policies and procedures for the use of the airport facility have been developed and modified by the board of directors.

Every person who intends to use our airport is supposed to be given a operational and safety briefing that includes recommended traffic patterns for both departure and arrival. These recommended traffic patterns are intended to keep the flow of traffic and the subsequent noise pattern over as small of an area as possible. For many reasons on an actual flight, a pilot may have to deviate from those patterns for safety or traffic avoidance reasons, but for the first 500 feet after takeoff and the last 500 of landing these are almost always done lined up with the center line of the runway.

We have a voluntary takeoff curfew that is strictly observed by all pilots. In the ten years that I have lived here no one has departed the field between the hours of 11pm and 6am. While the word voluntary may make it seem like it is optional, it is well respected and given our operational history it is effectively mandatory.

As a parent, I live daily with the fact that my daughter may be hit be a car and teach her to be safe around those vehicles. Being hitting by a car is a vastly more likely occurrence than an aircraft impacting a house.

I thought this was a place where we could make comments. Now I am being attacked by someone who is obviously not using his real name. If you have something to say to me Mr. Scully, I'm sure you know where I live since you seem to know so much about me and my complaints.

Glenn Olsen also left a very good, detailed response to several of yesterdays concerns and comments in the Comment section for the previous article. It can be found at:

http://darien-il.patch.com/articles/brookeridge-creek-residents-gather-to-discuss-no-trespassing-signs

Thank you for the information Mr. Olsen. I know you mentioned two accidents, but there have also been several accidents that have not crashed at the airport, but later, after they left. The causes are unknown, so there is a general feeling that while the accidents occurred later in the flight, it could as easily have been here. One of the accidents occurred as the plane approached flew over Romeoville, lost power and crashed into trees and powerlines. One person died. Could you comment on those if you have additional information? Also, another incident that caused great concern was the group of heavily armed law enforcement surrounding a plane a year or so back. Can you provide additional information about that? You could imagine how that could cause concerns about what is happening at the airport. I know you were kind enough to provide information about how planes have not taken off after 11 and before 6, but could you let us know the times planes have landed in the middle of the night? I understand your explaination as to how planes arriving cause less noise, but that has not been the experience of the people whose house they are right over as they land. In the accident where the pilot was arrested, you stated only trees were struck, but the homeowner has stated that the planes clipped the house also. This was also on television.

Although not in this aero-community, about one year ago in a similar style community in Naperville, a plane crashed as it was taking off and hit a fitness center. So, there is genuine concern here especially since planes have been flying over our homes much closer than years before.

Although you do not speak to the situation concerning the Klein's closing off walking access, I would like to comment that if it truly is such a dangerous situation to warrant this action, then part of the adverse reaction by our residents was that the sheriff only gave notice that we, the Brookeridge Creek residents could be arrested, but no such notice was ever sent to all the other walkers who walk the same path and who live in the Mallard Creek, Brookeridge, and Rose Hill subdivisions. So, either it is or is not too dangerous to walk through, but it needs to be fairly applied, or it appears to be underhanded.

D.L. While I don't live in Brookeridge Creek and didn't get a letter, I have seen the signs and, using common sense, knew that they meant me, too. As it turns out, the signs ARE notice to not trespass. No letter of explanation should be required.

The accident that occurred at the Lewis Airport in Romeoville was the result of the pilot not properly monitoring his fuel remaining. Apparently he and a passenger were conducting takeoff and landings at the Lewis airport even though their flight originated here. They experienced a loss of power due to fuel starvation. Here at the airpark we have a policy that asks that no flight training or repetitive takeoffs and landings be performed. There are however occasions where some of our more unique aircraft will give rides for a short period of time which will result in more than normal traffic pattern operations.

Unfortunately there always exists the possibility of an accident or incident in just about all that we do in life. Ride a bike, drive a car, take a shower, cross the street. Available statistics on aircraft accidents and injury and the loss of life of innocent bystanders show that the likelihood of this happening is extremely low to almost non-existant. I would venture to guess that nationally the incidence rate of cars colliding with houses is much, much higher that that of aircraft. We can all point to one incident that occurs somewhere else and rationalize how it can and can not happen here. Our operational history and the operational history of general aviation aircraft over the last 100+ years does not support worrying about aircraft impacting houses.

I was at the scene of the accident where the aircraft passed through the trees and crashed short of the runway the morning after it happened. I helped clear the scene of the aircraft. I spent a long period of time talking with the homeowners in that area and inspecting the two homes that the aircraft passed between. There was no evidence that the aircraft struck either residence. Branches from one of the trees did appear to strike the roof of one of the houses and possible the other. If the broadcast news reporters stated that the houses were hit by an aircraft they were absolutely incorrect.

Please refer to point #6 of my comments to this post for an explanation of the Civil Air Patrol incident that you have mistaken for a law enforcement action.

http://darien-il.patch.com/articles/brookeridge-creek-residents-gather-to-discuss-no-trespassing-signs

The risks of pedestrians interacting with aircraft here at the airpark have always existed. They exist at every airport in the country. The risk here at the airpark is no greater today than it has been in the past. The difference that I am trying to point out is that the area that is being transited, for a long period of time, had little to no aircraft activity and that a fair number of the people transiting that area have not had to spend any real time considering the possibility that they may be interacting with an aircraft with a spinning propeller. Just as we all consider it safe to walk down the street even when cars are present so to is it safe to walk down the street when an aircraft is present. We keep our eyes and ears open for cars just as we do for aircraft. The difference with the aircraft is that the propeller is spinning and is not visible which can appear to the uneducated as a safe area to walk into.

While I personally have not spoken with Joel about the incident it has been reported that a child on a bike rode under the wing of an aircraft while the engine was running. This is exactly the type of situation that I am offering to help everyone understand by offering to conduct an airport operations safety seminar so that we can all be aware of the hazards and avoid any potential tragedy.

Further without speaking for the airport or the homeowners association board, the residents here that I have discussed this situation with are all interested in being able to share access to each others neighborhoods and to continue promoting the open and friendly relationship the airpark and the surrounding communities have had for decades.

You have mentioned twice now your impression that aircraft are flying closer to your house now than they ever have before. There would be no practical reason for that to be so. I would be happy to speak with you directly about this if you would like. We can be found in the Brookeridge Directory if you would like to give me a call.

DuPage County grand jury indicts pilot whose plane clipped house and crashed
Woodridge man had drugs, alcohol in system, indictment says
January 15, 2009|By Art Barnum, Tribune reporter

The Woodridge pilot arrested in November after a plane clipped a house and crashed into a yard had alcohol and drugs -- including pot, cocaine, benzodiazepines and opiates -- in his system at the time, according to a grand jury indictment handed up this week.

Sean Oskvarek, 45, had earlier been arrested and charged with operating an aircraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The DuPage County grand jury indicted him on seven counts based on allegations that he had the drugs in his system when the single-engine plane he was flying on Nov. 11 clipped a house and crashed into a neighboring yard as he was approaching a private airstrip near Downers Grove.

Perhaps we are speaking of different incidents. The incident I observed was around noon, near the hangar, not during the evening. There were at least 8 law enforcement officers, and a number of squad cars.

Here is the link to the National Transportation Safety Board final report on the accident, published July 28, 2009: http://dms.ntsb.gov/aviation/AccidentReports/oe1jza55tbopaqjn0jlcbyen1/W06142012120000.pdf

Quoted from that report: "A witness reported the airplane struck trees both in front of and behind his house, but it did not strike his house."

Why do people buy a house by the highway and say we need a sound barrier wall because it's too loud, buy a house near a park and say it's too loud and there are children running through my yard, and buy a house on an airport and go figure there are planes flying by. If living near an airport is not for you there are many homes on the market find a new one. Now that I think about it the garbage man was loud and drove close to my mailbox can we do something about that, lets all ban the garbage men.

Your right I can here the highway all the way to my house! Trucks and Harleys should not be allowed to use it after 10pm. I also think we should be allowed to use the golf coarse for our daily walks. I mean that's private property also. What gives them the right to not let us walk around. Golf carts aren't as dangerous as airplanes.

You have to expect complaints from anyone named Marianne... Come on now too easy.

Michael Thomas says it all...

Deal with it or move. End of discussion.

Buying a house on a airport then complain about planes. Haha sounds like a "here's your sign" joke.

I think the Brookeridge Air Park is a really cool part of our extended community and always has been. To say the community has changed and now the air park needs to change with it is just not right. These are private citizens who privately constructed this air park so they could enjoy flying their planes within the legal scope of the law. That's a pretty cool part of living in America, if you really want something you can do it.

Of course there are mishaps and accidents. However, six mishaps in roughly 40 years with no injury, death, or maiming to a single human being is a pretty impressive record and speaks highly of the safety procedures enacted by the Board of the Air Park.

If I were to move to Wrigleyville I would have to understand that there would be risk to my property being damaged by fans traveling to and from the ballpark and from the high volume of vehicle traffic. If I had children, I would definitely have to make sure that they were aware of the possibilities of dealing with strangers and make them aware as possible of the traffic risks of pedestrians and vehicles. Well the same applies in this situation. You have chosen to live in an area known for this Air Park, it's traffic, and it's potential safety hazards. It appears to me that the Board is more than willing to provide any safety training possible. I think the residents should take them up on the offer and bring their children. Safety starts at home.

Or better yet, buy a house on a street with a major pass through to another neighborhood that everyone has used for 20 years without incident and a worn path of foot traffic over a paved road and declare times have changed, we need to be safe! Don't come into my neighborhood or you will be arrested! Attempt to gate people out. Wall the neighborhood off. By the way, I need your roads. I need your water. I need your cooperation. This is all about a new neighbor moving into a neighborhood and starting a war with another community when they are interdependent. Brookeridge Creek Residents put up with a lot from our aero neighbors, noise at night not withstanding, the sheriff from their neighborhood targeting and ticketing our residents, and now the realization that this is not very safe given the lack of oversight. I guess times have changed; if that's the way it going to be!

I also think the residents' complaints of off-hours flying and low-flying situations need to be addressed by proper channels. They should immediately contact their alderman and request legislation be passed in the City of Darien imposing a no-fly zone during certain hours and substantial fines imposed on those that violate it. They should also contact the County, IODTAD, and FAA and demand that illegal heights of landing and takeoff that are disturbing homes be strictly enforced. Strength in numbers, fight through the elected officials and government agencies that are supposed to protect you. I just think it's a shame to demand that the Air Park be shutdown.

While attempting to pursue actions through city councils and federal agencies is within any citizens rights, we have successfully discussed these issues in the past and would like to do so now. So before much time and effort is spent, how about picking up the phone and give me or the president of the board a call and let's talk about any Issues that you may have. My goal is to bring this discussion into the realm of facts and truths so that we can have an open path of communication between the neighborhoods as we have for the past four decades.

Call the former mayor Daley. He has a way of dealing with Airports in the middle of the night. Contract out his advice and bulldozers!

For further information please refer to the Federal Aviation Regulations. While maneuvering during takeoff or landing there are no regulatory restrictions that apply to either the path of flight over the ground or the altitudes to be flown. Therefore, there are no illegal operations being conducted at our air park during any takeoff or landing. We have a recommended set of procedures that are presented during a residents initial operational and safety briefing and are discussed over the years at pilot meetings and shareholder meetings. These recommendations are intended to keep the noise foot print of our operations over as small of an area as possible. Pilots must maneuver their aircraft as necessary for safety, but the vast majority of our operations follow the recommended flight paths.

Glenn, I'm all for keeping the air park open and all of you doing what you enjoy. It's no secret that air park and neighborhood were there first for that purpose and everything else was built up around it. I'm just saying, if the residents are that concerned then that is what they should do.

Brad,

The point that I am trying to make is that while any citizen has the right to pursue action through local, state and federal authorities, often the most efficient path is to start with an open and honest dialog. I suggest that pursuing other channels should be a last resort.

It is my understanding that the area in question is Private Property, even to other residents of Brookeridge. When we were made aware of this fact, we changed our walking patterns, That is the right thing to do as these property owners have the right to privacy, particularly since they fund repairs of the road. Additionally why would you WANT your young children riding their bikes around aircraft?!? There are plenty of lovely places to walk in the area, and it's time to move on and respect people's property.