Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

The Town of East Hampton is embroiled in a multi-pronged legal battle over restrictions that it adopted, but had not yet implemented, for East Hampton Airport (HTO). In April the town adopted a series of restrictions that include a nighttime curfew, an extended curfew for “noisy” aircraft and limits on summertime operations of “noisy” aircraft to one weekly. Most business jets and helicopters would qualify as “noisy” aircraft. The town, however, dropped its plan to ban helicopters outright.

 


In moving forward with the restrictions, the town cited thousands of noise complaints and claims it has political support for its efforts. House aviation subcommittee vice chair Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) earlier this year urged FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to stand by earlier promises that the agency will not enforce certain grant assurances, clearing the town to adopt the noise restrictions. And, the New York lawmaker successfully inserted a provision into the House Fiscal Year 2016 transportation appropriations bill essentially prohibiting the FAA from taking any administrative or civil action against the sponsor of HTO.

 


Airport backers, however, have long argued that the complaints stem from a minority; one household alone was responsible for 2,000 complaints, Jeff Smith, chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC), testified during a hearing in East Hampton. HTO supporters, including the ERHC and national groups such as NBAA and HAI, filed a lawsuit calling the restrictions unfair, unreasonable and unjustly discriminatory.&nbsp;

 


“Despite repeated warnings to town officials from NBAA and other aviation interests that local airports do not have the authority to regulate the types of aircraft that can operate at that airport, East Hampton is setting the stage for years of costly litigation by attempting to implement severe operating restrictions at HTO,” said NBAA COO Steve Brown. “East Hampton is bound by grant assurances and other regulations that require it to operate in compliance with federal aviation law and policy.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

 


<h2>Legal Decisions Pending</h2>

 


The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the restrictions from going into effect. The U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York heard arguments on May 18, and Judge Joanna Seybert initially indicated plans to issue a decision by June 8. But Seybert pushed off the decision for three weeks, citing the complexity of the issues. The town accordingly had agreed to hold off enforcement. “The Town Board remains confident that it will prevail in the litigation; however, out of respect for the judicial process, the Town has agreed to continue not to enforce the local laws pending the court’s decision,” it said. The lawsuit is one of several legal and/or administrative actions that industry groups are taking to combat the restrictions. Earlier they filed a lawsuit to compel the FAA to ensure the restrictions complied with the law.

 


In addition, NBAA joined a number of aviation businesses in filing a Part 16 complaint urging the FAA to issue a cease-and-desist order and finding that the restrictions violate grant agreements. The <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-05-21/nbaa-files-part-16-complaint-halt-hampton-restrictions">Part 16 complaint</a> further asks the FAA to “take corrective action subject to the suspension of further AIP grants and other appropriate enforcement measures.”

 


The complaint argues that the town’s restrictions would prohibit up to 23 percent of operations and “are likely to cripple the airport permanently–by driving existing tenants out of business and undercutting the airport budget.”

 


As for the FAA, it has been examining the legality of the restrictions and whether they can be permitted. Although the agency had indicated a desire to work with the town on its noise issue, it backed the issuance of a temporary restraining order to give it time to review the issues. The agency wrote the court asking for the restraining order, saying it has not yet taken a view on the merits of the lawsuits, but believes “an injunction is necessary so that the FAA can properly consider [the] plantiff’s claims and the town restrictions, develop its position on the issues, and should the FAA determine the town restrictions are contrary to federal law(s) and/or FAA regulation(s)…commence appropriate enforcement action.”

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

East Hampton Delays Restrictions Again at HTO

East Hampton agreed to a further delay in enforcement of new restrictions at HTO after the District Court postponed a decision on the lawsuit.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

New means of compliance intended to support operations of new aircraft in Europe

EASA Issues Innovative Air Mobility Rules Covering eVTOL Aircraft

David G. Mayer

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

FAA has improved on privacy issues

AINsight: Bizjet Owner Privacy Challenges and Solutions

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Senate confirmed Bedford in 53-43 vote

Bedford Steps into FAA Administrator Role

Amy Wilder

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Principal inspectors to contact operators by early September to reissue OpSpecs, MSpecs, or LOAs 

FAA Shifts Foreign Procedure Oversight to Operators

ATC funding recieved broad support

Budget Bill Provides $12.5B for ATC, 100% Depreciation

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

More In Regulations and Government

EASA Issues Innovative Air Mobility Rules Covering eVTOL Aircraft

New means of compliance intended to support operations of new aircraft in Europe

AINsight: Bizjet Owner Privacy Challenges and Solutions

FAA has improved on privacy issues

Bedford Steps into FAA Administrator Role

Senate confirmed Bedford in 53-43 vote

FAA Shifts Foreign Procedure Oversight to Operators

Principal inspectors to contact operators by early September to reissue OpSpecs, MSpecs, or LOAs

Budget Bill Provides $12.5B for ATC, 100% Depreciation

ATC funding recieved broad support

Mexico Restricts GA Airport Access, Tightens Permitting

GA access limited to public use airports

AINsight: Cancer and Flying, Part 2

FAA program allows many AMEs to issue medicals on the spot for pilots with stabilized cancers

Provisions of Reconciliation Bill Welcomed by NBAA

More than 50 aviation organizations support items that would benefit aviation

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN