Helicopters destroy their lives every 15 minutes

Residents on the south coast of Montreal were overwhelmed by the noise and roar of helicopters flying over every quarter of an hour destroying their lives.

“This is hell, we can’t talk on the phone outside on the weekends because we can’t hear anything. […] It’s like we’re in the picture Apocalypse NowBut in the Longueuil edition, ”begins Malik Yakubi, a Longueuil resident who has lived near Boisé du Tremblay for 13 years.

Mr. Jacobi’s quiet life, like the lives of dozens of locals, has been a nightmare for almost a year due to helicopters. Many of them have never been big enough to pierce the sky to operate tourist flights in Greater Montreal.

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“Helicopters are very low and fly every 10 or 15 minutes on weekends and evenings on weekends. We have children and many families here. They pass over our heads and it makes us very anxious to see an accident,” Mr Jacoby said.

“This is hell”

Simon Laferier is inspired by the sound of a plane flying over his roof.

“The noise is just hell. We can’t even hear them talking to each other while we are flying outside while eating outside. Last summer, a helicopter went so low that I firmly believed it had crashed into the woods. I called Canada Transport to report it. I could not believe it, ”he said. Lafarge.

The father of the family explains that apart from the noise, every helicopter hovering in the sky shakes his house. So he is worried about the effects of this noise pollution on his health. “And we don’t get into the environmental aspect, it pollutes a lot,” he adds.

“I like to live like everyone else, enjoy my yard or walk in the Boise du Tremblay park without asking them,” says Simon Laferrier.

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No helicopters, but chocolate

Helicraft is the company that manages these controversial helicopters off the south coast of Montreal. The company promises in an interview with the company Newspaper On weekends its devices do not work every 15 minutes.

But can Jimmy Jopert, the head of the helicopter company, live in the area where his helicopters roam?

“If I want to live near an airport, I’m sure I will live with the consequences. I live in Saint-Hyacinthe and it smells of chocolate, ”says Mr. with a smile. Jobert. He mentions here that his city is called the National Chocolate Capital because there are so many confectionery factories in his area.

According to him, residents buying property near Saint-Hubert Airport will have to accept the consequences of his helicopters taking off and landing there. However, citizens are only asked not to let helicopters fly over their roofs and too close to their apartments.

It is noteworthy that an online petition was also launched last March to address this sequel.

Helicopter helicopters on the crossroads of cities

Cities on the south coast of Montreal ensure that the helicopter company has in their view the screams of helicopters ruining the lives of their citizens.

“This is a terrible situation for our residents, but we have jurisdiction to resolve the Ottawa issue. […] We want helicopters to fly over uninhabited areas via Industrial Park and Highway 202, ”explained Louise-Philippe Provost, the mayor’s spokeswoman in Langue.

He promises his part that the city has been working for months to find a solution with the helicopter company that owns these controversial devices.

He said discussions with Transport Canada and Now Canada, which oversees air traffic control in the country, were well underway. Provost adds. “We hope the problem is solved this spring,” he says.

“Out of place”

Similar observation in Saint-Lambert, where residents have to deal with this noise pollution, which the city describes as a “real nuisance”.

“These helicopter rides are a new business venture that has been carried out regardless of pre-established residential environments and ignores the notion of a good neighbor. There is no place for it above Saint-Lambert or elsewhere in an area of ​​high-density housing,” said Sarah Brunel. Mourns from the town hall of Saint-Lambert.

Ottawa tracking

Ottawa, for its part, states that any aircraft can fly over populated areas if it maintains an altitude of at least 1000 feet.

“Surveillance activities related to the helicopters in question have taken place recently and the aircraft are in compliance with existing regulations. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that all regulations are respected and that the health and safety of communities is maintained, ”said the Office of the Minister of Transport.

Prohibited elsewhere

Interestingly, single-engine helicopters used by the helicopter company are banned in many cities.

Since 2014, European regulations have prohibited single-engine helicopters from carrying passengers over residential areas. Thus, only aircraft with two engines can fly there.