Council delays decision on drop zone for sky divers.Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard CRESWELL - Concerns over safety of a sky-dive "drop zone" at the municipal airport here landed in the lap of the City Council Monday night. The Creswell Airport Commission, its airport director and owners of the airport's two sky-diving operations - Eugene Skydivers and Wright Brothers Skydiving skydiving Sport of jumping from an airplane at a moderate altitude (e.g., 6,000 ft [1,800 m]) and executing various body maneuvers before pulling the rip cord of a parachute. Competitive events include jumping for style, landing with accuracy, and performing in teams (e.g. - have clashed for months over whether the drop zone is unsafe or incompatible with other aviation operations there. The City Council Monday night noted receiving its second letter in a month from an attorney for Eugene Skydivers owner Urban Moore. The letters accuse airport Manager Shelley Humble of bias against sky divers
n. A person who needlessly alarms or attempts to alarm others, as by inventing or spreading false or exaggerated rumors of impending danger or catastrophe. " distortions of alleged incidents at the airport, and request a council inquiry of the matter. Mayor Ron Pettiti told residents attending the meeting that the council would not make any decisions on the drop zone Monday until after it discusses the matter with its attorney. The council also postponed action on a proposed agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation, which owns a 4-acre parcel adjacent to the airport's runway, for continued use of the property for "airport-related purposes." In the past that has included the drop zone. Terms of that agreement include carrying liability insurance for coverage of activities occurring on the property, and acknowledgement that the state is not liable for injury or death of any person during the airport's use of the property. Councilors said they wanted more information before approving the agreement. In a 19-page letter dated Feb. 13, Moore's attorney Douglas Minger minger Noun Brit informal unattractive person complained that Moore and Wright Brothers owner David Wright David Wright may refer to:
In a March 9 follow-up, Minger referenced a letter from the Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control exonerating Eugene Skydivers pilot Michael Pohll after Humble forwarded to the agency a written complaint filed against Pohll by another airport user. In that letter, FAA Aviation Safety Inspector Gary Burns noted that "all witnesses agreed that you did nothing wrong and in fact avoided a looming hazard." Minger also chided Humble for classifying as "runway incursions A runway incursion as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on April 27, 2006 is: Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing " sky divers walking across active runways, contrary to prior authorizations prior authorization, n See predetermination. prior authorization Health insurance A cost containment measure that provides full payment of health benefits only if the hospitalization or medical treatment has been by the city and FAA of an earlier Eugene Skydivers safety plan that included such crossings. In their same packet of meeting materials Monday night, however, council members received copies of letters to Humble from other FAA officials advising her that they cannot recommend as a safe drop zone the sky-dive landing area the city inherited when it took over airport operations in 2000. In one of those letters, FAA District Supervisor William Watson William Watson may refer to:
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