That’s the question on the minds of the Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission, who are considering whether to allow the White Eagles Remote Control Club Inc. to use a field on Birdseye Road as a takeoff and landing zone.
The club already flies remote controlled helicopters and airplanes at the location, but a neighbor’s complaint triggered a meeting Tuesday.
While club members — and some neighbors — came out in support of the flying machines, two neighbors said they were concerned.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has yet to render a decision.
“We’re going to have to find some common ground,” between the opponents and the club, said Anthony Pogoda, the commission’s chairman. He urged everyone to meet with Planning and Zoning staff to resolve their differences.
Club President Dr. Carmen Luciano said the club was founded in 2004 and “basically sponsors learn-to-fly events.”
“The events are very well controlled. We are a community service organization,” he said.
This slideshow is from a member’s Flickr page.
Members said the planes are electric-powered and cost between $500 and $800. They do not make a lot of noise, they said. The club’s flight rules are strict and include penalties for crashes and flying in no-fly zones, Luciano added.
Spotters watch the sky while the pilot controls the plane, the president said.
But neighbor Jeff Woods called the planes “flying weed whackers” and said the planes can cause damage if they hit people.
“The electric ones are silent killers. You don’t know they’re coming,” he said. “It’s a great weed whacker buzzing around my house from 9 a.m. to dusk.”
One plane crashed in his backyard, he added.
Neighbor David Naples said he couldn’t relax in his own backyard after a near miss.
“It’s not easy to dodge a plane. I dodged a plane that day,” he said.
