Florida Sun-Sentinal report
Helicopter school owner accuses officials of slander
The owner of a controversial helicopter flight school near Lantana fired back at local officials Monday, saying they are using slanderous tactics to put him out of business.
Randy Rowles vented his frustration in a warning letter to Palm Beach County small business owners, though he sent it to the County Commission and the Department of Airports.
Rowles took issue with comments made by Commissioner Warren Newell and department Chairman Bruce Pelly in a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration. Both, either directly or by agreeing with those who did, said helicopter training at the Lantana airport is a safety hazard and cited two recent training accidents by Palm Beach Helicopters as proof.
"I was unaware that Palm Beach County was in the practice of slandering its small businesses through lies and false, unsubstantiated claims," he wrote, referring to an earlier argument that airplanes, not helicopters, crash into the neighborhoods around the airport.
Rowles went on to say that he thinks local officials are playing on people's aviation fears post Sept. 11.
"It is extremely unsettling that our local government figures would play on the safety concerns of the community to settle noise issues at their own personal residence," he said.
Newell lives near the flight school. And though he's never complained about the noise, he said nearby Atlantis residents were right about the school. They say the noise and vibration are a nuisance and the neophyte pilots a safety hazard.
"I think Randy read something into the letter that was not there," Newell said.
On Thursday, Pelly again asked the FAA to step in and help the county get rid of helicopter training at the airport because it's not safe. By doing so they are not singling Rowles out, department spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda said. They want all flight schools moved and training operations stopped, she said.
Of the three helicopter operations at the airport, only one is a flight school. The others, one of which is Palm Beach Helicopter's sister company, do regular refresher courses for their pilots. But the school, with its pilots practicing takeoffs, landings and hovering maneuvers, is responsible for the majority of the training activity.
"It's not that we're pointing the finger," De La Rionda said Monday. "Of course we're concerned because in less than 30 days there's been two helicopter crashes and Palm Beach Helicopter has been the operator, but it's not that we're saying that he's unsafe. We're saying that the repetitive nature of the training" is not safe.
There is only one specific reference to Rowles' company in Pelly's letter. He mentions the company by name when discussing the July 28 and Aug. 24 crash. But, in the supporting documentation attached to the letter, Palm Beach Helicopters is the only operation mentioned in conjunction with noise and safety issues.