Amount of flights over Hobart a concern

THIS tourist season has seen a dramatic increase in the number of tourist flights in small aircraft and helicopters over Hobart. Last summer I noticed the occasional flight overhead, but this season, before Christmas, one day I counted 30 flights. These aircraft, especially helicopters, have introduced a significant new noise to Hobart by their increased frequency.

In trying to discover how this has happened, I learned that the airspace west, north and south from the Eastern shore is relatively unregulated com- pared to airspace east of the Derwent, nearer to larger commercial flights. It is not independently monitored and there are what I would call low minimum flying heights only.

It seems businesses running scenic flights over Hobart have increased and expanded operations recently. There are more aircraft being supplied into the market along with more tourist services, which use them and more promotion of these flights.

It does not seem right to me that these operations, which use the public space over Hobart and are contributing to a big change in Hobart’s public amenity, particularly in terms of noise creation and possible risk, appear to be doing so without consultation processes or discussion, at least that I have seen.

Even though the number of flights over Hobart at this time is decreasing, as the tourist season winds down, my guess is next season we will see a further increase and so on. Is this what we want in Hobart? Let’s have a discussion about it. Roger McLennan Hobart