Some residents object to a proposed private helicopter landing pad in Bushkill Township.
Residents who live near a helipad proposed in Bushkill Township say landing helicopters in a residential area will be too loud and dangerous.
About 60 people attended a Thursday night conditional use hearing for a proposed helicopter landing pad on Seifert Road.
The applicant, pilot Francesco Lazzarini, said he would like to install paving stones in an 80-foot-diamter to land his company's helicopters on his property.
Lazzarini, chief operating officer and director of operations for HeliFlite, a helicopter charter company, is asking the township to allow him to build the helipad so he can occasionally fly an aircraft home from work.
HeliFlite employs 23 pilots, owns seven helicopters and manages two others. The bulk of the fleet is stored at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Lazzarini, who bought the Seifert Road property in February 2015, said there would be a maximum of 25 landings and 25 takeoffs per year and, since he did not plan to install lights, the helipad would only be used during daylight hours.
Private-use heliports on lots that have at least five acres are permitted by conditional use in Bushkill Township. Lazzarini's home is on 12.4 acres.
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Lazzarini and a sound expert he hired, Norman Dotti of Russell Acoustics LLC from Point Pleasant, N.J., testified and were questioned by Lazzarini's lawyer, Stanley Margle, neighbor Eric Michelman's lawyer, Ted Lewis, and at least 18 residents -- none of whom said they were happy with the proposed helipad.
The two major themes expressed by the residents dealt with safety and noise.
Lazzarini, an Italian Naval Academy and U.S. Navy flight school graduate, said he and his company have never had an accident or been cited for a violation by the Federal Aviation Administration in over 20 years.
Lazzarini's wife and his handyman would be trained as ground crew members to ensure the pad would be clear of people or animals during landings, he said.
Bushkill Township is home to several private helipads, including one that was approved in January 2015 on Keller Road at the home of Richard Villone.
Dotti testified that both of Lazzarini's twin turbine helicopters, the six-passenger Bell 430 and eight-passenger Sikorsky S-76, would be louder than Villone's Robinson R44.
However, Dotti said Lazzarini's less frequent 25 yearly landings would have less "sound exposure" than Villone's approved aircraft, which was reported to be used 20 times per week.
"The usage is so limited," Lazzarini said, "the impact, good or bad, would be limited."
Almost all of the residents who spoke said they were concerned the loudness would be a detriment to the neighborhood. Questioners grilled Lazzarini and Dotti and several accused Lazzarini of being inconsiderate of neighbors.
Some questioned why Lazzarini couldn't land his helicopters at Lehigh Valley International Airport or Braden Airpark in Forks Township.
"Please don't inconvenience all your neighbors to save a five-minute drive," resident John O'Hagan said.
Lazzarini testified that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which has authority in these matters, chose the location on his property for the helipad and it chose the two flight tracts that he is to use.
Township solicitor Gary Asteak adjourned the five-hour hearing at 11 p.m. and said it would resume at 6 p.m. on July 21 at the Bushkill Township Volunteer Fire Co. hall.
John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.