Agenda - Council - 05/14/2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-274- Seaplanes - Mn/DOT has a list of water bodies in the 7 county metro area on which seaplane activity is allowed. Any person with proper training certification can take off and land on any of these identified public waters. To store tb.e seaplane on that body of water requires a license from Mn/DOT. Seaplane activity is prohibited on any body of water in the metro area that is not on that list. The only body of water in Ramsey for which seaplane activity is allowed is the Mississippi River. Mn/DOT would prefer that communities not attempt to regulate seaplane activity. Seaplane activity is not normally regulated by local units of government; it is difficult to get the word out to the pilot community, and pilots wouldn't be expecting that their right to land on the Mississippi River did not apply in the City of Ramsey. Parachutes - Mn/DOT regulated parachute activity quite heavily in the past. Legislation removed parachute regulation from their scope of activity and it has not been a problem. Parachuting just doesn't seem to require regulation anymore. Gliders - Are regulated by both the FAA and Mn/DOT in much the same manner as fixed wing aircraft. The FAA requires pilot training and certification in order to operate them. They can be motorized, but generally aren't. Hang Gliders - Are less expensive than gliders and do not require FAA pilot or medical certification for operation. Hot air balloons - Are regulated by both the FAA and Mn/DOT. On rare occasions, there is a problem if they land in a place where they do not have the property owners permission; especially when a 4 wheel drive vehicle trespasses on the property to pick up the balloon and passengers. Hot air balloonists usually act very responsibly, being careful not to do things that may result in a loss of their recreational rights. Ultralight Vehicles - Technically, ultralight vehicles are not considered aircraft. They are small, generally factory assembled or kits. They have a maximum vehicle weight of 254 lbs., and carry a maximum of 5 gallons of fuel. They can only be used for sport or recreation purposes, and carry no passengers. Ultralight Vehicles operate under FAA regulations (FAR Part 103). The FAA does not require pilot or medical certification nor airworthiness certification for the ultralight vehicle. Mn/DOT has chosen not to regulate ultralight vehicles or their landing fields. The City could require them to obtain a conditional use permit for regular operation within the City. However, if the City is considering evidence of a Mn/DOT license as a condition of the permit, the applicant won't be able to comply because Mn/DOT does not issue those licenses. Recommendation: Based on the above information, Staff is recommending attempting to regulate helicopter activity only at this time. City Staff is recommending that the City Council introduce the attached draft ordinance identified as "A", to require that heliports within the City limits be licensed by Mn/DOT- Office of Aeronautics. If the City Council is inclined to go a step further and require a special permit from the City for heliports so that noise levels can be a part of the consideration, then the Council should consider introducing the draft ordinance identified as "B". Ordinance A would be placing our reliance on the experts to determine when it is safe to issue a license for a heliport. Ordinance B would allow the City to take noise levels into consideration, in addition to requiring that the landing area be licensed by Mn/DOT-Office of Aeronautics. I i I I