Letters

It’s the bottom of the ninth inning and two outs — and, yes, it is.

Everyone in the flying community has known for years (especially the last five) that, come September 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration funds will be ending at town-owned East Hampton Airport, and that the Town Board will have control for the first time in 20 years of their own airport.

So the flying community is finally getting in the game by organizing the East Hampton Community Alliance. In doing so, they had a economic report that is very different from a economic report that the East Hampton Town Board approved. They also started a pilot pledge to try to lower the noise level over area homes and reduce operation hours at the airport. I can honestly say that the commuter pilots seem to have missed that message.

After listening to the “27 Speaks” podcast, I believe they missed a couple of key points. I wish more was talked about pollution at the East Hampton Airport, which most likely will sell over 1,000,000 gallons of toxic leaded and avgas fuel this year. This fuel will be going mostly into private charter jets to New York City, Westchester and now Connecticut, charter seaplanes, and helicopters, and also the local pilots’ crafts. Sadly, these air taxis come in with an average of one to four people and then leave East Hampton empty.

“27 Speaks” didn’t even mention that the airport sits on a major aquifer for all of East Hampton residents, and that there is a Superfund site on the property from firefighting foam that has been used at the airport and will never go away.

Just last week, on May 17, I Zoomed into the East Hampton Transportation Innovative series that dealt with electric vehicles. They talked about how good electric cars are made these days and that they don’t need much maintenance. The main point was that they leave behind zero emissions — and is that not what the Town of East Hampton has been talking about for over a year, going green?

John L. Cullen

Riverhead