By JOSEPH KELLARD
Rizzo claims in that time the volume of traffic and level of noise from airplanes coming in and out of JFK has increased considerably, disrupting the quiet that made his move to Alhambra Drive more enjoyable.
At certin times, he said, airplanes travel overhead on a back-to-back basis, with approximately one minute of seperation between them.
"And when I'm sitting at my computer and have my window open a crack, I now hear this thunderous noise," Rizzo said.
Rizzo now spends his time at home tracking the times in a day when he hears the passing planes. This increased volume and noise occur, usually at different times between 6:30 to 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to midnight.
Rizzo contacted the Town of Hempstead about the problem, and Councilman Anthony Santino sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administartion (FAA), explaining that he'd received "numerous complaints from Oceanside residents regarding the negative impact on their quality of life caused by the excessive airplane noise and increaseed flight traffic."
"It has been years since there has been any changes in any flight patterns into JFK through Oceanside, nor any real significant growth in traffic increase," Arlene Salac, FAA spokesperson at JFK, told the Herald. "JFK has about 1,000 opperations a day, and that has not really fluctuted in recent years. Also, the minimum altitude for Oceanside, which is about 5 to 6 miles from JFK, is anywhere between a thousand and 1,500 feet, and doesn't change."
Salac confirmed that JFK has considerable arrival traffic in early morning, and that the airport is primarily busy later in the day, with international traffic begining about 3:30 p.m. and running into late evening.
Salac explained that one reason why Oceanside may be experiencing more airplanes overhead is that it may see shifts in air traffic as the seasons change and winds come from different directions. Also, while the FAA usually receives increased calls complaining about noise when the weather becomes warmer and people open their windows, Rizzo "may just be noticing it more," she said.
Over the past few months JFK has been performing preliminary work on one of its runways that will be repaved starting April 15.
"Because of that runway having limited usage, some of the other runways may have to pick up the additional traffic depending on the winds. They can't use the runway if the wind is not right. And so not only Oceanside, but other communities, might be under those paths for the other runways and could possibly see more traffic then they saw before."
David Brody, a 13-year resident of Concord Avenue, located directly behind the Alhambra condiminum complex, said he spends considerable time outside his home but has experienced no increase in airplane volume or noise in recent months.
"The evening international traffic literally goes right over my house, but they have been doing that for many years," he said. "You can't help but hear it, but these things haven't changed."
"If I haven't been hearing the planes like this for the two years I'm living in Oceanside, then it's a marked difference," Rizzo said. "If there's a marked difference, then you have a right to have a quality of life issue corrected. We have our life savings invested in our homes and condiminums. Anything that takes from that can hurt you value-wise."
Rizzo added that if he'd purchased a home near JFK, such as in the Five Towns, he would expect to hear many planes. "In Oceanside, you don't expect it. Long Beach is more in the flight path, and along the boardwalk you see planes coming all the time. That's what I think is happening in Oceanside," he said.
Prior to Sept. 11, the Port Authority proposed a plan to muffle the noise from air traffic over communities surrounding JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Tetoboro. The noise reducation analysis was necessary as an interim measure as the FAA completed an airspace redesign.
"The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center wiped out the Port Authorty's whole division that dealt with noise," said Kendall Lampkin, director of Town/Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee. "But it's still an issue and we've met with [Congresswoman] Carolyn McCarthy about it."
The FAA's proposed airspace redesign is an attempt to make air traffic more efficient and cut down on delays while moving more air traffic over water and further away from residential communities.
