Mr. Schieffer wishes to use his landowner rights to take off and land his “small class” Bell206 L4 helicopter (categorized as a “small” helicopter by the FAA) on his own 9.7-acre property, right in the same bay as an airport (Seaplane Base identifier M16) at Scenic Drive and Floan Point Road in East Gull Lake.
Your neighbor, Doug Schieffer, asks for your help to protect all of our rights to use our land safely and with respect for one another.
- Asking the city of East Gull Lake to create a land-use ordinance as the first step to allow this to happen
- Currently, there are two options Doug is pursuing
- Option “A” being the least intrusive option is what Doug is going after with the City of East Gull Lake and looking for your support
- Option “B” does NOT require approval from the City of East Gull Lake as he would be landing over the water in which the city has no authority
The property photo on the right showcases even further how there are no surrounding homes to the South, Southeast, East, or West of the proposed landing and takeoff path for Option A (red dots show both options presented for the helipad).
Click picture to enlarge
Option A: Preferred option which does need EGL approval
Ask the city to create this ordinance with several restrictions:
- Must attain MnDOT approval (please note, MnDOT approval is more stringent and tougher to meet than FAA approval)
- Must follow all Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Noise Guidelines
- Hours of operation being 7 am to 10 pm in keeping with MPCA rules for daytime hours
- Wind conditions must be less than 25 knots
- Prevailing visibility must be greater than 3 statute miles as reported by the Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) at Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport
- No more than two flights can occur on any given day
The helipad would not be visible by any neighbors
The minimal noise that is created would be subdued by the home and surrounding trees
This option is extremely safe and non-intrusive being completely out of site
Option B: Not preferred option and does NOT need EGL approval
City would have no jurisdiction and therefore have no control
Would have ability to make as many flights per day as desired, and at any time-of-day, weather permitting
Could possibly seem intrusive to close neighbors
Already excessive traffic on the Lake from boats, planes, PWCs
As depicted in the following video, it is evident that noise created from Doug’s helicopter is less than or no more than common everyday noises already created. Furthermore to utilize Option “A”, Doug would not be sharing the sea plane base runways with boats, PWC’s or with other sea planes so as to not create additional traffic on the lake.
Sea planes land in this bay all the time, they are louder and, according to MNDOT have been shown to be less safe than Mr. Schieffer’s helicopter, and this showcases to the public and neighbors that using Option B creates much more potential turmoil than Option A. Mr. Schieffer prefers to be less intrusive, which is why Option A is so much better.
A Statement from Mr. Schieffer:
I don’t want to be intrusive to anyone, especially my neighbors! I realize many people are not familiar with helicopters, so the main purpose of this website is to depict truths, and not myths. This helicopter is not just a hobby to me, it is a necessary vehicle for work since I work all over the Midwest. This helicopter is also important to my family as it allows me to deal with work, and then still get home in time to attend kid’s sporting events and school functions. It is also a passion of mine, and my family loves to fly!
My home is located on the very same bay as a sea plane base in EGL. Gull Lake is one of the most recreational lakes in Minnesota! With requiring MnDOT approval for safety reasons, landing behind my home away from neighbors with Option A that would keep noise to a minimum, I cannot fathom why anyone would want to take away my property rights. How can we allow motorcycles, sports cars, boats, jet skis, and SEA PLANES, but yet say no to a helicopter? I am hopeful and confident that if people understand the truths about helipads that we will be able to get the city to approve Option A.
The myths and rumors that went around last time were inconceivable. Over a year ago we learned that the City of East Gull Lake makes land-use decisions by weighing opposition, rather than by substantive evaluation and common sense. This is not my assessment, the City of EGL said this themselves.
This is why I am asking for everyone’s support.
Thank you for your time to read through this website and fully understand this issue!