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Residents press Lancaster County to clarify helicopter rules after repeated landings at 244 My Farm Road
Summary
Neighbors described low-altitude commercial helicopter takeoffs and landings at a private waterfront property and urged the Board of Supervisors to close regulatory gaps. The board voted unanimously to send the county ordinance to the Planning Commission and asked staff to investigate potential violations.
A group of neighbors told the Lancaster County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 28 that repeated helicopter takeoffs and landings at 244 My Farm Road have caused noise, environmental and safety concerns and exposed gaps in local and state rules governing helicopter operations.
The neighbors urged supervisors to tighten local regulations after multiple witnesses recorded a commercial helicopter landing and taking off on Aug. 11, and said noise and lingering fuel odors followed the flights. "It's beyond the pale that one would risk the environmental impacts, disturbing neighbors across the county," one nearby resident told the board, adding the flights would avoid an 11-mile drive to Hummel Field.
Why it matters: The episode exposed legal ambiguity between state aviation rules and Lancaster County's zoning ordinance. County staff and the board said the county currently lacks a clear numeric definition of "repetitive" operations and has limited tools to police commercial flights that are not originating at a licensed airport. Supervisors directed staff to investigate…
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