My neighbor left @6PM and forgot the big speakers on. I don't know
what it was on, TV, radio, don't care. But @8 i thought i had it and
went for a walk. It's 11:44 now and it's still on by the way. I can only
hear the base.
It's not the noise so much as the dust.
I used some flat paint when i moved in thinking it's going to be better
than glossy, more noise absorbent and with TiO2 that acts as a catalyst
in it could help with decomposing the formaldehyde emanated from the
fiberboard of the floor.
But when the half inch panels
the walls are made of vibrate they also release dust. This type of paint
catches dust easier and it releases it when a plane or loud car passes
by. Sometimes exactly when you are trying to have a meal, ending in your
plate. (I dusted the walls and ceiling with an electrostatic duster a
couple of days ago).
So i left for a walk. There was a
guy with a dog dancing with his dog in the night. I mean they made
unpredictable, complicated moves and to me it looked a bit like he was
driving his dog on the sidewalk and the street in a very curious and
sophisticated way. Left, right, forward, back then again left, right,
etc.
Finally passed him while cars passed me and went
further down the street on Eagle Crest towards Stephenson. But exactly
when i saw the two big neon 5s at nr 55, a noise and some lights
appeared on the sky, first faint then louder and brighter, then louder
then louder then i felt my spine vibrating. I pulled my phone trying to
call home so i can record the noise on the answering system. But it took
too long until it rang 4 or 6 times and the thing passed 100 feet above
me, some 50 feet above the trees, climbing. I could see its gray belly
with 4 wheels. I think they were 4 wheels. No, it couldn't have been the
OHSU helicopter, that one is orange.
Two hours later i opened
Port of Portland Noise Management page with a link to
WebTrack
site. As i was explaining to that lady at FAA one day (she said "what,
your are tracking planes on a site???"), it's a site where yes you can
track planes, not in real time, but with a two hours delay so you can
complain (in vain, i tried so many times) of noisy planes or
helicopters. So i waited two hours, opened that site and put in my
address, time, etc and tried to figure what was that. It came from the
OHSU all right, but couldn't figure the type of the helicopter or where
it went cause it disappeared from the tracking area of the site just
south of Aurora, OR. It might have been an emergency, alright, but why
every time when i go for a walk on Eagle Crest when i come at nr.55, no
sooner, no later, there's always one or two planes, civilian or military
or helicopters flying by? Sometimes there are more as i go towards
Stephenson. Always under 1500 ft which is the safety limit established
by FAA. I assume it's 1500 above the ground level not see level, cause
it wouldn't work on higher grounds. So if nr.55 is at about 600 ft, they
are always in violation at that location. But why? Is nr.55 some sort
of a portal to other dimension where there is no common sense, no laws
and generally people can do whatever they want, including what they see
in movies? Fulfill their fantasies and fly above a cuckoo's nest?
Or maybe they are just test flying a new helicopter they bought from the recent 125 million donation from Nike?
It took me about two hours for that strange
physical sensation to disappear from my back. It literally moved my vertebrae in all directions.
When
i climbed back on Eagle Crest from Stephenson, i saw at nr.55 the huge
two car garage door opened withe lights on and a guy moving around the
house.
But i was lucky. They were evenings where i
could count 10-20 planes mostly big liners approaching to PDX from SE,
most under the 1500 ft limit during a 30 minutes walk. Tonight there was
only that helicopter and maybe a plane or two, can't really remember.
Why are they approaching at this angle, since main runaway is kinda
parallel to this direction, don't ask me. They go NW pass above here
then make a 180 degree turn within 3 miles from the runaway then land
from NW. But that is only @8PM and only when i go for a walk. Otherwise i
don't hear them from inside. Here is the map with the tracking of the
helicopter. Can click to enlarge. On the map the height of the house
(apartment) is considered at 0 ft above see level which is not true. It
is at 720 feet. The helicopter at its closest point of the house is just
above 1000 but i thing it was just 100 feet above the house. I was not
at home but further down the street at nr.55 as i said but my wife
confirmed the big noise.
Why i didn't say this before? It's not really fun to write about these things...