Save our seaplanes !! Please lend your support.

[PH-UKU]

I am writing to seek your help and support to fight for the future of seaplane flying at Loch Lomond in Scotland.

As you may all be aware the Loch Lomond National Park is carrying out a Public Consultation with the proposed aim of introducing a byelaw to ban seaplane operations. The Public Consultation runs until the 8th April 2005 and I urge you all, as flyers and enthusiasts to get in touch with them and let your views be known.

If I tell you that there are 4 or 5 seaplanes in the whole of Scotland …. yet over 5400 registered boats, jetskis and cruisers on Loch Lomond alone, perhaps you will see why we are so incensed about this blatant discrimination.

Spurious arguments have been stirred up by a very vocal minority of ‘environmentalists’ who now have the ear of the National Park Board. The Park want to "be seen to do something" so are picking on the easiest and smallest target – seaplanes.

Never mind that there are 10 million vehicle movements or 5 million visitors each year. Never mind that chainsaws, motorbikes, National Park chartered helicopter flights, agricultural grass-cutters or jetskis etc…
might be more polluting or all make more noise.

First the argument was noise, then it was pollution and both of these charges were refuted. Now it seems they want to ban us ‘because’. One of the more absurd 'reasons' is that seaplanes will have to prove that their shadows do not disturb wildlife !!! I suppose the Park Authority will now seek to ban clouds too ?

This is the thin end of the wedge. Start with one small group, and then pick off the others. Make no mistake, this is a direct attack on every pilots freedom to fly.

The Seaplane Assocation (http://www.seaplaneassociation.org.uk) has been set up to counteract this proposal and to fight for the rights of seaplanes in Britain.

Please take 5 minutes to visit our website, read our comprehensive and detailed arguments and then, PLEASE, put in your submission to –
[email protected] ([email protected] ) - we also have included a comprehensive contact list for further lobbying on the website.

We are also keen to welcome new members (you can join on-line) and look forward to hearing from you !!

Thank you very much for your support.

[wbryce]

I sent an email trying to give some support.

I did read how ever on another sea plane website that:

""In a five year study of the environmental effects of Seaplanes, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded: Air Quality: no impact Water
Quality: no impact Soil Quality: no impact Wildlife: no impact
Fisheries: no impact Noise: similar to that created by a large
speedboat""

Perhaps if you could get a copy of the full report you will have some form of documentation to battle the ‘environmentalists’

It would also be good if we could get alot of support from fellow flyers.

[AC-DC]

:confused: :confused:
Try to gain support/facts from Canda and Alaska. I will send and email.

[PH-UKU]

Campaign now entering the next phase.

6 weeks left. Please don't put it off any longer .......

[Johnm]

Got this reply to my email

Thank you for your email regarding the proposed Byelaw, the wording of which is as follows:



No person shall knowingly cause or permit to be landed on or taken off from the surface of Loch Lomond any vessel which is an aeroplane unless the prior written approval of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority has first been obtained.



It is too early in the consultation process to say what the final outcome will be. However, should, after consultation and subsequent agreement by Ministers, the proposed byelaw come into force, the Park Authority would only presume against the use of Loch Lomond by planes if it cannot be proved that there is no immediate or long-term cumulative impacts on the landscape, biodiversity, water environment and recreational experience of Loch Lomond. The National Park is not being 'hostile to seaplanes'.



You mentioned the issue of jet skis and motor boats on the Loch. In this regard, the Park Authority are also running a parallel consultation to review the Loch Lomond Registration and Navigation Byelaws (1995). I would urge you to contribute to this process if you are able.

Information on the consultation and copies of the consultation documents can be obtained from the Park Authority's website at http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/html/news/2004/44byelaw%20consultations_in.htm



I trust you will find this information helpful.

[Floppy Link]

41 emails sent today to addresses given on the site...

It took all morning but was worth it.
In the immortal words of Delia Smith

"Let's be having you!"

All support required!
Russell

one got rejected

neither
[email protected]
or
[email protected]

work.
Has he been kicked out?

[grow45]

Floppylink

For Stewart Stevenson's e mail address you need a "dot" between "scottish" and "parliament". Alternatively his constituency address is [email protected].

He is a member of Edinburgh Flying Club and an active PPL although I have not seen him around much recently - presumably running the country takes priority.

g45

[Floppy Link]

aha!
I just cut and pasted from the campaign "OK what can you do now" webpage.
Sounds like he's onside anyway.

Back to the top...

[Sir George Cayley]

Those loverly people at the CAA have just published this;

Water Aerodromes (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/NTL200501.pdf)

Timing couldn't be better!

Sir George Cayley

[had_enough]

This is a ban not regulation - the following is from advice given to the national park committee from the NP Director of Planning and the NP lawyer as found on their web site (Document No. NPA/01/2004 22nd March 2004) they stated ;

“The byelaw would only bring the seaplane under the nominal control of the Park Authority, and what is done with that control is thereafter determined by how the control is exercised. For this reason, the criteria could be a more powerful tool than the byelaw itself.” The list given “is not exclusive”.

That is, the policy after the byelaw is passed will be whatever they want it to be. Only 5 of the 25 committee members are elected - the rest have agendas - there is no right of appeal. Modern democratic scotland/UK - yeh right !!!

They have tried in the past and will try again to have overflights banned - how many national parks in the UK ?? That would leave about 5 square miles in the UK for GA use !!!!!

Precedent !!!

E-Mail MSPs and MPs and also [email protected]

Send those E-Mails.

If you have a boat - send the E-Mails. Imagine what's going to happen in the underwater parks !!!

[chester2005]

KEEP OUR SEAPLANES!!!!!!!!!!!

i did a little at Caledonian Seaplanes last year at Loch Earn and i intend to return and finish the rating

KEEP OUR SEAPLANES

HOW CAN I HELP?

apologies for my ignorance but have just heard/read about this potential injust travesty!

chester

i say again
KEEP OUR SEAPLANES

[PH-UKU]

Chester, if you want to contribute then visit ...



www.seaplaneassociation.org.uk (http://www.seaplaneassociation.org.uk)

There you can read all the arguments, and make a submission to the National Park. You can also join the Association if you want to get more involved.

Cheers

[chester2005]

PH

i have sent an e-mail of objection against the byelaw
when i get a spare minute i will join the assoc
hope all goes well
chester

[Hope 2 fly]

Hi Flyers,

I was surfing & read your post PH-UKU.

Your call sign put me off responding & supporting your appeal at first.

However I checked it out & found a copy of a related planning document about registering change of use of land on Loch Lomond so i see your problem.

I would like to support your appeal and maintain the freedom to use the loch for flying.

There is too much information to wade through for a passing supporter who would like to try a seaplane site seeing tour of the area from a loch lomand base.

The wording of any objections are important.

Could you please post up a draft objection letter for people like me to send in.

This type of stratagy for support seems to work for newspaper campaigns. It might also help increase your responses.

regards

Hope2

[PH-UKU]

Sorry, but I don't think it is a good idea to put up a standard letter. That is just seen as a petition by authorities and like it or not carries little extra weight. Such is the democracy we live in.

The Seaplane Association have provided a lot of useful facts on their website - we would rather that people did take the time to read through it and make their own considered response. We do not believe that a thousand identical emails is a good idea.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Sorry, but I don't think it is a good idea to put up a standard letter. That is just seen as a petition by authorities and like it or not carries little extra weight. Such is the democracy we live in. That's correct. Public representations will be summarised by officers and presented to councillors or whoever makes the decision; individual distinct comments will make it through separately whereas if officers get 487 copies of a form letter they'll just say "and there were 487 copies of this form letter".

However, I've just been reading through (for today's meeting of Cambridge City Council's environment scrutiny committee) a set of public consultation responses to a number of planning issues, and in one case it's quite clear where there has been a letter campaign in one village which has carefully managed to word its comments sufficiently differently that they get reported on separately to members. It's a pity that they're all complaining about something (a) that is outside the remit of what's being consulted on, and (b) isn't going to happen anyway - whilst you might expect the odd individual to make both these mistakes in the same letter it's a bit obvious that it's a campaign when dozens of people make the same two mistakes!

So, avoid form letters, and especially avoid giving people wrong briefings as to what to put in their letters!

[Hope 2 fly]

ok I sea your point.

but will probably not get to see loch lomond from a sea plane after the decision is made.

However I will send in an objection.

best of luck with your campaign.

Hope 2 fly
(to & from Loch Lomond)

[BRL]

The Public Consultation runs until the 8th April 2005 and I urge you all, as flyers and enthusiasts to get in touch with them and let your views be known.
I am away for a few days from early on the 7th until very late on the 10th. I have to unstick this now as I won't be here to do it on friday.

I hope it has helped a bit.

Good luck :)