News Helicopters Blamed for Airport Noise; Aviation: Study by anti-noise activist discounts claims that police and fire aircraft account for most early morning takeoffs and landings at Van Nuys field.: [Valley Edition]

Using official flight logs from Van Nuys Airport, anti-noise activist Gerald Silver on Tuesday revealed tabulations showing more than 1,500 early morning helicopter flights there in the first seven months of this year.

The computer-assisted report, compiled by Silver, also indicated that the helicopter noise was most often caused by news and traffic reporters taking to the air between 5 and 7 a.m. Those aircraft accounted for more than half of all nighttime helicopter traffic, according to the report.

Airport officials and aviation supporters in the past have argued that much of the night and early morning noise is caused by police and fire helicopters responding to emergencies. But Silver said his study of...