Airplane Pollution -- The Dangerous, Noisy Blue Angels Demonstration

Once again the people of Seattle and the Puget Sound region are getting ready for the joyous events of Seafair. One of the most popular events is the Seafair Unlimiited hydroplane race on Lake Washington, which inconveniences neighborhoods along the lake. The inconveniences are minor, though, and we enjoy sharing our wonderful location.

There is a part of Seafair weekend, however, that is worse than an inconvenience - the low-altitude aerial display by the squadron of Navy fighter jets, the Blue Angels.

Who could forget the scenes of disaster at the Ramstein Airshow in West Germany in September 1988, when more than 50 people died and 400 were injured?

According to Federal Aviation Administration and Navy records, at least 22 Blue Angel and 19 Thunderbird pilots have died in crashes resulting from either mechanical failures or errors in judgment. How many Seattle residents know that it even happened here once?

On April 21, 1962, opening day of the Seattle World's Fair, a military jet on a routine flyover lost power and crashed into seven homes, killing two people.

The FAA grants numerous waivers each year for the Blue Angels' demonstration. The waivers allow for six airplanes, each carrying more than 10,000 pounds of fuel at speeds of up to 700 miles per hour, to fly as low as 200 feet above our children's heads. The FAA requires only that one ambulance, one fire truck, one crash wagon, one physician, and one helicopter be in place in the event of a crash.

Even when the event goes off without a hitch, the noise level of 130 decibels in the area closest to the flight path is over 20 times the noise level that can cause hearing damage after a 15-minute exposure, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The noise disturbs humans, domestic animals, and wildlife under the flight path.

I think the Navy would gain more in terms of recruitment if it would address the concerns of the community and find better, more creative ways to advertise.

- Phil Turet, Seattle