North Hempstead group to discuss aviation noise

The group Citizens for Quiet Skies Over North Hempstead is holding a community briefing next Wednesday in the Village of East Hills to talk about ways residents can combat aviation noise.

Formed last July, the group’s mission is to reduce airplane and helicopter noise.

The meeting will be at 8 p.m. at the East Hills Village Theater at 209 Harbor Hill Rd.

This is the first large-scale meeting the group has hosted and other quiet skies groups have been invited.

One of the new group’s founders, Port Washington resident Leonard Schaier , has long tracked helicopter noise over his neighborhood. He said a recent airspace redesign that changed some departure routes for Kennedy Airport and one for LaGuardia Airport has created more noise over the North Shore.

Over the next several years, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to implement NextGen — a program that the agency says will use satellite navigation to allow more planes in the sky and to enhance safety. Those plans also will be discussed at the meeting.

For more information, go to quietskies.net.