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Home My WebLink About1984-2754 AIRCRAFT OPERATION OVER THE CITY & LANDING OF HELICOPTERS WITHIN THE CITY ORDINANCE NO. 2754 4111 AN ORDINANCE relating to public safety and morals; regulating aircraft operation over the City of Yakima; permitting and regulating the landing of helicopters within the City; amending Sections 6.32.010, 6.32.020, 6.32.030 and 6.32.040 and enacting 6.32.050 as a new Section, all of the City of Yakima Municipal Code. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF YAKIMA: Section 1. Section 6.32.010 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: "6.32.010 Altitude Restrictions. A. General. No person shall operate or fly any aircraft, other than a helicopter, over any portion of the area embraced within the limits of the City of Yakima at such an altitude as to endanger human life or safety; and in no event shall such craft, other than a helicopter, be operated or flown over any portion of the City at an 4111 altitude lower than 2,095 feet above sea level except when embarking from or alighting upon a regularly estab- lished landing place or flying field. B. Helicopters. Except in an emergency, or except as authorized by a helicopter landing permit issued pur- suant to Section 6.32.050 of this chapter, no person shall operate a helicopter over any congested area of the City, or over any open-air assembly of persons, at an altitude lower than 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the helicopter; provided, not withstanding the minimum altitude provided by this sub- section, no person shall operate a helicopter below an al- titude which would allow an emergency landing to be made without undue hazard to persons or property on the earth surface in the event of a power failure to the helicopter. Provide, further, the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to helicopters landing or taking off from a heli- copter landing space established by resolution of the City Council pursuant to Section 6.32.040 of this chapter." 4110 Section 2. Section 6.32.020 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: "6.32.020 Dan:erous Maneuvers - Dro.ping Articles While In Flight. No persoh s a operate or y over the City any aircraft in such a manner as to endanger human life or safety by the performance of unusual or dangerous maneuvers; and no person shall drop or throw any missal, paper or other article whatsoever from an aircraft while in flight unless authorized to do so by a helicopter landing permit issued pursuant to Section 6.32.050 of this chapter. Section 3. Section 6.32.030 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: "6.32.030 Landin: Within Cit Limits. Except in case of an emergency, no person s a' an. any aircraft within the City limits of the City of Yakima except upon a regularly established field or landing space, except as authorized by a helicopter landing permit issued pursuant to Section 6.32. 050 of this chapter." - Section 4. Section 6.32.040 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 1111 "6.32.040 Establishing Flying Or Landing Fields - Permit. No flying field or landing Place for aircraft, including heli- copters, shall be established or maintained within the limits of the City of Yakima without a permit therefore first having been granted by resolution of the City Council, and any landing place or flying field established within the limits of the City shall be subject to such regulations as the City Council may from time to time by resolution adopt." Section 5. Section 6.32.050 is hereby enacted as a new section of the City of Yakima Municipal Code to read as follows: "6.32.050 Helicopter Landing_. A. Helicopter Landing Unlawful - Exception. It shall be unlawful for any person to land a helicopter within the City of Yakima at any place other than a helicopter landing space designated in accordance with Section 6.32.040 of this chapter without complying with the following regulations: 1. A helicopter landing permit must be obtained from the Chief of the Yakima Police Department in accordance with subsection B of this section. 2. The helicopter operator must have obtained approval for helicopter operation and landing plan from the local district office of the Federal Aviation Authority, which plan shall include coordination with the air traffic controller at the Yakima Air Terminal. 3. Each flight must be conducted at an altitude and over a route that will allow the helicopter to be landed in an emergency without hazard to persons or property on the earth surface. 4. The landing space shall be at least one and one-half times the length of the rotorblade measured from end to end. 5. The landing space shall be protected by rope, barricade or similar means suitable for restraint of persons. Personnel shall be stationed at points inside the restricted area to guard against persons from entering the landing space. B. Permit - Application. (1) Application for a helicopter landing permit shall be made in writing to the Chief of Police at least thirty days in advance of the date of the contemplated helicopter landing; provided, the Chief, in his discretion, may reduce or waive the application time period for an unexpected occasion when such reduction or waiver will not result in or contribute to creating a hazardous condition. The application shall be made in writing on a form approved by the Chief of Police and shall be accompanied by documentation to show that the applicant has the approval of the local district office of the Federal 4 11/ Aviation Authority for the helicopter operation and landing for which the permit is sought. (2) The helicopter landing permit application shall be made on a form approved by the Chief of Police and shall include the following information, together with any additional infor- mation deemed by the Chief of Police to be necessary or de- sirable to administer the provisions of this chapter: -2- • 1. The name, address and telephone number of the applicant; name, address and telephone number of any sponsoring organization; name, address and telephone 4110 number of any persons having charge or control of the helicopter landing; 2. The date and time of the proposed helicopter operation and landing; 3. The location of the proposed helicopter operation and landing place; 4. The time of takeoff from the landing space; 5. The route to be traveled by the helicopter in approaching and leaving the landing space; and 6. The purpose for the helicopter operation and landing. C. Permit - Effect. A permit issued pursuant to the provisions of subsection B of this section shall authorize 1111 the helicopter operation and landing conducted in accordance with the permit. The Chief of Police may impose conditions on the issuance of the permit and may impose regulations to the helicopter operation and landing in addition to those provided by this chapter, all as the chief may deem necessary for the safety of persons or property. The permit may in- , clude a provision allowing the dropping or throwing of pamphlets or other non-hazardous items from the helicopter, on conditions which the Chief of Police may impose at his discretion in the interests of public safety, including a requirement for cleaning up any surplus paper or other material so dropped or thrown. Section 6. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect thirty days afters its passage, approval and publication as provided by law and by the City Charter. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, signed and approved this 13th 4111 day of - nrdhdl , 1984. " ) , ayor ATTEST: • je-6*----()--L5) City Clga III/ Publication Date 3/15/84 Effective Date 4/15/84 -3-