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Jul. 16, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Toy noise annoys Council to discuss complaints of airport neighbors 
Photo by Gary Thompson 
Imagine the sound of several lawn mowers, all operating at the same time in your backyard. Now imagine having to listen to that sound 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for two years. That's what Rene Thompson says she's endured since moving to her home next to Willie McCool Regional Park's airfield in North Las Vegas, long-time playground for remote-controlled airplane enthusiasts. It's driven her a little batty. "You can hear it inside the house, with the doors closed, the dishwasher and TV on," said Thompson, who, along with her husband, works from home. "I can't escape it. It's like Chinese water torture. A little drop on your head, 12 hours a day, and you'll be quite loony." Thompson and some of her neighbors have consistently complained in recent years to the city about the noise. The North Las Vegas City Council will hold a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. today to discuss the matter. But fliers who frequent the airfield near Decatur Boulevard and Horse Drive say Thompson is exaggerating the racket. It's not as loud, for example, as the jets from Nellis Air Force Base that fly overhead every few minutes. And, they say, the noise is anything but non-stop. "By about 2 p.m., everybody's gone," Bryan Ward said Tuesday morning after maneuvering one of his 20 remote-controlled airplanes through several mid-air swoops and rolls. Ward visits the park several times a week to fly his planes. Fliers also say that only a few planes are ever soaring through the air at once. The limit is five. Besides, Ward says, the fliers were there first. They were doing just fine, thank you, before development encroached on their space. "All those people who live there, they had to sign a waiver" saying they were aware of the airfield that's been operating at the park since 1993, Ward said. That's not the point, Thompson said. "Did we know it was going to be 12 hours a day and at this level of intensity?" she asked. "No." To illustrate just how maddening she says the plane noise can be, Thompson played a recording of it during conversation with a reporter. It was, admittedly, annoying. Paul Schmitz, president of the Rebel Squadron flying club, is a flier who's willing to admit Thompson's complaints have some merit. "I've been in her home, and there are some aircraft that are rather nerve-wracking," he said. Schmitz and Thompson have decided to take a novel approach to neighborly conflict: they're working together to come up with a mutually agreeable solution. Thompson is attempting to understand the fliers' passion for remote-controlled aircraft. "It's the camaraderie and the skill" that drive them, she said. And Schmitz is trying to feel her pain. The city, so far, is letting the neighbors and fliers take the lead. "The best way to do problem solving like this is to get the stakeholders together and see if they can solve their own problems," said Mike Henley, director of the city's parks and recreation department. The airfield comprises a small chunk of the 160-acre park that in 2004 was dedicated to space shuttle Columbia Pilot Willie McCool, Henley said. "When it was first built it was out at the edge of the universe," he said. About 120 pilots use the airfield. Discussions between the city and stakeholders have included closing the airfield on Sundays, further limiting the airfield's hours -- it's now open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. -- and even closing the field or moving it someplace more remote. Thompson, Schmitz and Henley have agreed to pursue a plan, if the City Council agrees, that would require annual model airplane registrations -- much like smog checks for cars -- that would measure the amount of noise each model makes. If your plane is too loud, you won't be allowed to fly at McCool. Henley and Thompson say the plan is a short-term solution that will do until the field can be relocated. But Schmitz insists that won't be necessary. "I really believe there's no need to move the field," he said. "We can co-exist with the residents there without being a nuisance." Schmitz said the fliers have tried to be good neighbors, even hosting an open house at the airfield the last Saturday of each month. Nonpilots are invited to learn about model airplanes and even have the chance to help fly them. "I've been thankful they built us such a beautiful place to fly," Schmitz said. "We need to be good stewards." Ward said fliers are willing to compromise in order to keep their airfield. If McCool were to close, fliers would be forced to drive across town to the William Bennett Radio Controlled Airfield near Sam Boyd Stadium. That's a long trek for Ward, who lives just 10 minutes from McCool. "Just please don't leave us with nothing," he said. Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.
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