laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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 Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:21 pm Post subject: Noise grounds Snowbird flypast |
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Noise grounds Snowbird flypast
Jets flew over school named for pilot
But complaints halt annual overflight
Sep. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM
RICHARD BRENNAN
GTA BUREAU CHIEF
The Snowbirds precision flying team won't perform its annual flypast over a Whitby school named after one of its fallen pilots, Capt. Michael VandenBos, because of noise complaints from nearby residents.
"We are very disappointed ... and I know the kids will be very disappointed," Jasper VandenBos said yesterday. His son died after his jet clipped the wings of another during a practice at CFB Moose Jaw in 1998.
VandenBos and his wife, Elizabeth, look forward to visiting the school, so they too can join in the celebration of their 29-year-old son's life and career.
Since 2001, the Snowbirds, fresh from their annual CNE performances, have been doing a flypast on the first day of school, while excited students jump up and down wearing their VandenBos school gear.
But not this year, according to a July 25 Snowbirds letter because of "noise complaints ... received from residents in the surrounding area," including an unidentified farmer, the Toronto Star learned, who complained to Ottawa that every time the Snowbirds fly over one of his cows dies.
Navy Lieutenant Petra Smith, a spokesperson for the Snowbirds, said no one is more upset than the members themselves.
"We are extremely disappointed because it is always something we look forward to. It is a wonderful tribute to our teammate Michael VandenBos but with formal noise complaints we were compelled to cancel the flypast this year," said Smith, who did not know how many complaints were received.
Neither the junior kindergarten to Grade 8 school, located on the edge of a rural area near Rossland Rd. and Brock St., nor the Durham District School Board, has received any complaint.
The decision to scrap this year's Snowbirds visit has left several people scratching their heads, wondering how a once-a-year flyby could be so disruptive to people's lives, especially when it brings so much joy to the children, not to mention honouring the Whitby native.
Among those trying to convince the Snowbirds to keep up the flypast is Whitby Mayor Marcel Brunelle.
"We are absolutely disheartened by the news that the Snowbirds have cancelled their traditional flyby over Capt. Michael VandenBos public school on the first day of school," Brunelle said in a statement yesterday.
"I am going to be speaking to the Snowbirds later today and offer to do whatever we can in order to bring them back to honour our fallen hero," said Brunelle, who could not be reached directly by the Star.
Local school trustee John Dolstra appealed directly to Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor because, after all, "this is a tradition."
Cheryl Swan, executive assistant to the mayor and council, said people have naturally inquired as to what the flypast is for "but once they find out the reasoning for it they were fine with it."
"We are just shamed that people would consider this anything but a loving tribute," Swan said.
Susan Jasper, vice-principal of Michael VandenBos Public School, doubted the flypast can be salvaged for this year.
"It does say in the letter that perhaps a flypast might be arranged in the future in honour of Capt. VandenBos," Jasper said.
Susan Robinson, who lives on a dairy farm about six minutes away, assured the Star it wasn't her complaining nor her daughters who run a horse boarding stables not far away.
"We certainly have no objection. It's kind of neat," she said. |
Noise grounds Snowbird flypast
I don't know. Seems a little a.nal |
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