BRIDGEPORT — Ryan LaRoche can’t stand the noise anymore.
In February, when the 38-year-old culinary professional bought a house in earshot of the Chicago Helicopter Experience, he appreciated the novelty of watching the flying machines take off and land at the heliport less than 2,000 feet from his home.
His view changed in the spring, when the number of flights in and out of 2420 S. Halsted St. increased. By the time summer showed, some flights shook the glasses on his kitchen table.
“It’s unbelievable,” LaRoche told DNAinfo Chicago. “There was a moment when I thought, 'This can't be legal.’”
On Tuesday night, LaRoche and a handful of Bridgeport residents met at the heliport for a community forum and shared their concerns with the man at the helm of Chicago Helicopter Experience: Trevor Heffernan, a former hog trader turned CEO of the tourism company that makes its money giving passengers aerial views of Chicago and Lake Michigan in expensive — and noisy — helicopters.
“During certain times of the day, during certain wind patterns, when all the stars and the moons align, and the wind direction is right, it is incredibly loud,” LaRoche told Heffernan. “To the point where I can’t have the windows open, and I’m pretty sure I can speak for that whole row of people.
"It is incredibly invasive,” he said.
Heffernan referred to the company’s plans to roll out a “Phase 2” design that would give pilots more room to take off, placing them on pads about 200 feet farther east of the sound wall between the heliport and LaRoche’s home on Mary Street.
“Is it going to make it better and all go away? No, I’m not telling you that,” Heffernan said. “It will make a difference.”
LaRoche told Heffernan he has seen helicopters fly west of the sound wall, passing the cluster of family homes there.
“We try not to,” Heffernan said.
“You try not to? Or you’re not supposed to?” LaRoche asked. "Is it a rule? Or is not a rule?”
“It’s my commitment to the community and to the alderman and to the people around here,” Heffernan responded.
During last year's 11th Ward aldermanic race, outgoing Ald. Jim Balcer's decision to support the controversial heliport project was a flashpoint for voters. Many residents said the project was rushed and they weren't given enough warning.
At a candidate forum in January 2015, Ald. Patrick D. Thompson said he was "against the heliport at that location." The helicopter company — named Chicago Helicopter Express at the time — had been presented with a "covenant" to operate under certain guidelines.
If the company were to break that pact, Thompson said at the time, "we go after them pursuant to the law." Thompson did not attend Tuesday night's meeting.
“No one’s coming here trying to make you guys unhappy,” Heffernan said.
Construction on Phase 2 design plans will begin in the spring, Heffernan said. Designs include a two-story building with a green roof, four helipads and a dock on the Chicago River that will add a stop for the Chicago Water Taxi.
“We always are figuring out how can we make little adjustments, incremental change to make improvements" Heffernan said.
LaRoche is skeptical and fears Heffernan is holding community meetings only because his covenant with the 11th Ward requires him to.
"I don't care how they fix it. I just want them to fix it," LaRoche said after Tuesday's meeting. "I wouldn't have bought the house if I knew about this."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
