Other danger at Suvarnabhumi

Officials at Bangkok’s new airport worried about the hazard of birds in the flight path. But perhaps the following article and the accompanying image of expected noise levels in the vicinity may suggest another cause for worry!

New Zealand Man Threatens to Shoot Down Air Force Jet Because of Noise
PUBLICATION: The Dominion (Wellington, New Zealand) DATE: October 23, 1997 SECTION: News; National; Pg. 11 DATELINE: Palmerston North, New Zealand ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Matthew George Moody, resident
The Dominion reports that a man in Palmerston North, New Zealand who threatened to shoot down a noisy air force jet flying over his home was given a 12-month suspended sentence in Palmerston North District Court.
According to the article, Matthew George Moody admitted that he had made the threat to Garry Goodman, city airport manager, on September 29. Moody told Goodman if the jets did not stop flying over his home near Palmerston North airport he would "shoot the bastards out of the air" and there would be a "dead pilot next day."
Moody's lawyer, Steve Winter, told Judge Patrick Mahoney that Moody had had a long-running fight against the air force and the city council over the noise from the Palmerston North airport. Winter said Moody lost his cool after "continually banging his head against a bureaucratic wall," but had no real intention of carrying out his threats. Winter added that Moody purchased his home near the airport 14 years ago, before the air force flew planes out of the airport. Six years ago, the air force gained permission to fly Aermacchi jet "touch and go" operations out of the airport. Winter said, "The noise of aircraft as they land, and particularly when they take off, is extremely loud, and they fly very low over his house. The effects of this are that normal conversations are difficult, telephone calls are impossible, livestock is frightened and children are disturbed."