There are several options available if you would like to register an official complaint
about airport noise or low-flying planes arriving/departing Gabreski.
At Gabreski
If the plane is civilian (or if you're
not sure), call the office of the Airport Manager, Anthony Ceglio, at 852-8095, or e-mail him at anthony.ceglio@suffolkcountyny.gov. There is supposed
to be an answering machine in case you want to make a complaint outside regular business hours.
If you don't get any response from Mr. Ceglio, you might try calling his boss, James Morgo, at the Suffolk County
Department of Economic Development, 853-4800, or e-mail him at james.morgo@suffolkcountyny.gov.
If the plane is a military one, contact
the Air National Guard or Coast Guard via one or more of the following options:
• Call the ANG Operations Center, 723-7362.
This should be open whenever the Air Guard is flying (which often includes evenings).
• Call Air Guard Lt. Colonel Michael F.
Canders, 723-7403. Voicemail is available on this line after hours.
• Security police, presumably operating
24/7, can be reached at 723-7478. This number should probably only be used in an emergency situation.
• The Coast Guard is the owner of the red-orange
helicopter often seen flying low in the area. The Coast Guard can be reached at 288-0014 or -0015.
Federal Aviation Administration
Call the Operations Inspector at the FAA Flight Standards District Office in Farmingdale, 631-755-1300, Ext. 249 (voicemail available on this extension after hours).
• The Operations Inspector can issue warnings
or violations if there is "positive identification"-meaning that you have the plane's registration number.
• In the absence of a registration number,
the Operations Inspector might still be able to talk to the crew or the tower if the flight can be identified with
reasonable certainty. This would require a fairly precise arrival/departure time, during relatively unbusy hours,
for a plane flying under "instrument flight rules." The tower maintains a record of IFR flights-which
would include, for example, most private/corporate jets flying between Gabreski and LaGuardia.
The FAA also operates a Noise Hotline at its Regional Office at JFK, 718-995-5655. This office does not investigate
specific noise episodes but does track the volume/frequency of general noise complaints so the FAA will know where
the problems are. The more complaints (assuming it's not the same person every day) , the more likely the FAA is
to pay attention.
Elected officials
Make your feelings known to County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, 852-8400, who chairs the Airport Lease Screening
Committee. If enough voters register their opinions, aviation growth may seem less appealing. You can write him
at 75 Washington Street, P.O. Box 1827, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, or e-mail him at jay.schneiderman@suffolkcountyny.gov.
Finally, you can call County Executive Steve Levy, 853-4000; you can also write him at P.O. Box 6100, Hauppauge,
NY 11788, or e-mail him at county.executive@suffolkcountyny.gov
Coalition
Against Airport Pollution