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<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Hi
All,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The
club I wrote of before has a 92 dB limit. I'm not kidding, though we in the club
know that most airplanes there are hairy edge, the noise meter is onerous
enough, that smart people make sure their airplanes sound nice enough in the air
that no-one challenges them to an actual measurement. There is no Giant
Scale at this field, of course.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The
way that the Washington Crossing club got into their earlier mess with an
artificially low limit (lots of us really do meet it!) is that they got noticed
by the neighbors in the wrong way, and mistakenly kept lowering the limit,
in the hopes that a magic number would solve the problem. It didn't. About two
years after this nonsense, I moved into the area, and found the club receptive
to education. I got them to stop concentrating on mufflers and the noise stand,
and on props and in the air "snarl" instead. Fortunately it worked, but for
political reasons (the State Park oversight) we dare not relax the rule. 94 dB
would be a really good number. Gray is right: you have to be (dare I use the
word) proactive.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Dave
H. makes a great point, we can lead, but it's up to others to follow. With the
exception of noise-hostile club cultures, they do! It just doesn't happen
quickly. Over the years, I have done 5 or 6 dozen noise-abatement talks at
club meetings, over the NY, NJ, PA area. Ed Miller's club in the
Poughkeepsie area was one receptive to the issue: they had a field with
houses very close by and they decided to prevent the first complaint from coming
in. Good thinking, not to mention a nice stay at Ed and Bonnie's place. On the
other hand, another club I spoke at was downright hostile, they are
predominantly Giant Scale, and even have the IMAA fly-in-racetracks-only rule
when 2 or more planes are in the air. The club president interrupted me ten
times during the talk just to ask , "... how can you fly if you can't hear
it?" Apparently he had a hearing loss from all those loud planes over the
years!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>People
generally do follow when they see the good stuff,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003> <FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Dean P.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=113195814-30052003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Gray E Fowler
[mailto:gfowler@raytheon.com]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, May 30, 2003 9:38
AM<BR><B>To:</B> discussion@nsrca.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE: Speaking of
power<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Good for FAI being
94 dB, but 96 is plenty low. While I was Pres of my club we passed a noise
ordinance rule, measured the same way pattern planes are.....limit is???? 103
dB!! And this was not politically easy, but at least it now stops the monster
screamers and now when someone has a loud plane EVERYONE questions is it and
we measure.</FONT> <BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>94 dB is too low
considering that an ARF trainer with a bb .46 is 95-96 dB. Getting a
club noise rule in place is good, but for us a bit late. The gassers already
pissed off two neighbors and now the 94-97 dB plane is a nusiance to them even
though those planes had been flying near their houses for 5 years without any
complaints. I suggest that all clubs get something in place BEFORE the problem
starts. We were proactive and had the rule voted on but not active when the
first major complaint happened. Now it is an on going battle. And like someone
else mentioned...the loud plane disappeared...not come back with a "real
muffler"....just gone and that is fine with the entire Richardson club. By the
way...we also banned props over 22" as they were a huge noise
culprit.<BR><BR><BR><BR>Gray Fowler<BR>Principal Chemical
Engineer<BR>Composites Engineering</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>