Hillsboro Aero Academy to Train European Union Helicopter Pilots

Miki Barnes
December 9, 2020

"The state of the planet is broken. Humanity is waging war on nature. Nature always strikes back – and it is already doing so with growing force and fury. The fallout of the assault on our planet is impeding our efforts to eliminate poverty and imperiling food security. And it is making our work for peace even more difficult, as the disruptions drive instability, displacement and conflict." Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General

Over the past year, a succession of disasters linked to human caused global warming has continued to ravage the U.S. including massive wild fires in Oregon, California and other parts of the Pacific Northwest, an unprecedented number of hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, and widespread drought and flooding throughout the country. The deadly pandemic raging around the globe further exacerbates the situation, especially insofar as the symptoms and spread of COVID-19 are worsened by poor air quality.

The fossil-fuel burning aviation industry is a well known contributor to climate change, yet the Port of Portland continues to promote its business-as-usual agenda by allowing capitalistic greed to completely obscure any discernible sense of social and environmental responsibility. Rigid adherence to its "let the market decide" mentality allows the Port and its tenants to line their pockets while engaging in their "pollute the planet, poison the people" business ventures.

One of the Port’s largest tenants, Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA), owned by two out of state investments firms, Graycliff Partners and Renovus Capital Partners, boasts that it has trained pilots from over 75 countries. The academy operates out of the Port’s general aviation airports - Hillsboro and Troutdale. According to the FAA Master Record IQ5010, in the 12 months ending on July 13, 2020, these two airports combined logged 358,867 total operations - 253,847 at Hillsboro and 105,020, at Troutdale. Far more than the largest commercial airport in the state, Portland International Airport (PDX), which logged 238,376 operations in 2019. In addition, HAA provides flight training at the Redmond Airport (Roberts Field) in Central Oregon.

Despite ongoing public outcry over the noise and pollution generated by HAA, this company has recently contracted with the European Union to train helicopter pilots over our communities.

According to an 11/17/20 press release, "Hillsboro Aero Academy, a U.S.-based leading provider of helicopter and airplane pilot career training, announced that it had received approval to conduct professional helicopter pilot training in accordance with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations. The approval comes through a partnership with Austria-based helicopter flight school RotorSky. HAA’s helicopter school, Hillsboro Heli Academy, will effectively become the only flight school in the U.S. to offer joint FAA/EASA training under the F-1 visa."

The article further states, "Lower per-hour flight training costs have made U.S.-based training an attractive option for European students...Between the parallel training path and lower hourly costs, students may save as much as 30-40%..."

American Public Forced to Subsidize International Flight Training Industry

The savings realized by foreign flight students are due to the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and state and local governments routinely foist the cost onto the American public. A case in point is the third runway at the Hillsboro Airport constructed in 2014 primarily to accommodate the flight training industry. The $17 million price tag was a combination of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) money (generated by commercial passenger fees) and a State Connect Oregon grant ($4 million) along with additional funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Port. The runway was built in large part to pander to Hillsboro Aero Academy’s for-profit International flight training program. Additional Hillsboro Airport multi-million dollar infrastructure projects, including runway rehab rehabilitation, taxiway construction and other airport and maintenance costs, are also paid for with public dollars.

Hillsboro Aero Academy also received a $2-5 million grant from the 2020 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In addition, the Oregon airports where HAA is a major tenant received CARES Act bail-out disbursements - Hillsboro $157,000, Troutdale $30,000, and the Redmond Airport $8,907,654. Even though Roberts Field in Redmond is categorized as a commercial airport, 80% of the operations at this facility are general aviation flights. Many are Chinese pilots being trained by HAA. In addition Oregon airports receive ongoing funding through the FAA and Oregon Department of Aviation.

Oregon Flight Training Airports - Major Polluters

Not only does the public foot the bill while the Port and their tenants profit from the sale of carcinogenic jet fuel and leaded avgas, local residents are also burdened with the noise and pollution generated by the unmitigated, lascivious greed of these businesses. Less than 1/4 of one percent of the population of Oregon is certified to fly. An even smaller fraction receives training at the Hillsboro and Troutdale airports, yet this small minority is responsible for spewing at least 1 1/2 to 2 tons of lead, likely much more, into the air every single year. This figure does not even include the other flight training airports in the area - Twin Oaks, Scappoose, and McMinnville - just to name a few of the most egregious offenders.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2014 National Emissions Inventory (NEI), Hillsboro Airport is the largest facility source of lead emissions in Washington County as well as the entire state of Oregon, while Troutdale Airport is the largest facility source of lead emissions in Multnomah County. These airports are also responsible for dumping tons of PM2.5, benzene, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and a host of other toxins over our homes, neighborhoods, schools, assisted living facilities, senior centers, recreational areas, prime farmland and waterways.

Hillsboro Aero Academy flight students have quite literally pummeled the entire area in layer upon layer of noise and pollution throughout the course of the pandemic, while exhibiting no regard whatsoever for the health and well-being of area residents.

European Union Recognizes Destructive Nature of Aviation Noise and Pollution

In recognition of the negative health and economic impacts of noise, the European Commission Environmental Action Programme "committed to significantly decrease noise pollution in the Union."

According to the Commission, "Environmental noise pollution relates to noise caused by road, rail and airport traffic, industry, construction, as well as some other outdoor activities.

"Prolonged exposure to noise can lead to serious health effects mediated by the human endocrine system and by the brain, such as sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases, annoyance (a feeling of discomfort affecting general well-being), cognitive impairment and mental health problems. It can also cause direct effects such as tinnitus.

"The effects of exposure to noise impact EU economies. They lead to a loss of productivity of workers whose health and well-being are affected by noise, put a burden on health care systems and cause a substantial depreciation of real-estate value."

Noise is not the only issue. As stated by the European Union, "Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions...If global aviation were a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters."

According to the Regional European office of the World Health Organization (WHO), "Ambient air pollution and environmental noise are estimated to be the leading causes of the environmental burden of disease in the European Region, followed by exposure to indoor radon, passive smoking, lead, and ozone, according to preliminary results from a WHO/Europe pilot study."

Though the EU acknowledges the importance of reducing noise at the source, it has most unfortunately chosen to mitigate its aviation noise issues, in part, by off-loading them onto Oregon, where impacted residents were denied a voice in the decision making process — yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of the authoritarian policies that permeate the aviation industry. This institutionalized negligence has disempowered entire communities, thereby reducing them to mere pawns ever at the mercy of the self-dealing tyranny of government and corporate overreach. In light of the abject failure of U.S. federal, state, and local elected officials to legislate public health and environmental safeguards on behalf of its own people, Oregonians remain an easy target.

Take Action

Contact the European Commission to voice your opposition to the exploitation of Oregon residents.

• Explain to them that the members of Port of Portland Board of Commissioners are not democratically elected. Also tell them about the Port’s decades long history of suppressing, marginalizing and ignoring public input while disregarding and minimizing public health and environmental concerns.
• Inform them that decisions made by the Port and their tenants are based on capitalistic profit motives and as such do not reflect the will of the people.
• Tell them that this is a social justice issue since people of color, indigenous populations, Hispanics, the elderly, children, pregnant women, unborn babies, and rural residents are disproportionately impacted by flight training noise and pollution.
• Tell them that the counties in Oregon where the training is taking place are the most populated in the entire state. Thus student pilots are complicit in robbing people of the enjoyment of their own property. Homes are meant to be places of refuge and solace not under siege by aviation pilots.
• In light of the serious health and environmental impacts posed by the flight training industry, urge the European Union to stop sending helicopter and fixed wing pilots to train over our homes and neighborhoods.

European Commission on the Environment - env-noise@ec.europa.eu

European Union Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) - eaer@easa.Europa.eu

European Commission on Climate Action
Directorate-General for Climate Action
European Commission
1049 Bruxelles/Brussels
Belgium
Phone - +3222991111
CLIMA-AVIATION@ec.europa.eu

World Health Organization (WHO) European Office
WHO European Centre for Environment and Health
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1
D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: +49 228 815 0400
Fax: +49 228 815 0440
Euroeceh@who.int

Contact U.S. Federal, State, and Local Officials

• Tell them that the local populations bearing the brunt of the cost, noise and pollution generated by these aviation activities should have a democratic vote in the process.
• Tell them to immediately terminate all flight training until impacted communities are provided an opportunity to vote on whether or not they want to forfeit their health, livability, quality of life, and the environment to the Port of Portland, Hillsboro Aero Academy, and flight training industry profiteers.
• Tell them to establish laws insuring that government agencies and aviation businesses that intentionally and knowingly compromise the health and well-being of current and future generations are subject to criminal prosecution.
• Remind them that the antiquated, exploitative, white privilege, patriarchal values that have long been a defining feature of the FAA, Port of Portland, and the aviation industry pose a serious threat to democracy, public health, the environment and ultimately the ability of the planet to sustain human, animal, and plant life.

Federal

Senator Ron Wyden - Portland (503) 326-7525, Washington D.C. (202) 224-5244 or by email at the following link https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/email-ron.

Senator Jeff Merkley - Portland (503) 326-3386, Washington D.C. (202) 224-3753 or by email https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact.

Congressional Representative Suzanne Bonamici - Beaverton (503) 469-6010, Washington DC (202) 225-0855 or by email https://bonamici.house.gov/contact.

Congressional Representative Earl Blumenauer - Portland (503) 231-2300, Washington D.C. (202) 225-4811 or by email https://blumenauerforms.house.gov/forms/writeyourrep/.

Congressional Representative Peter DeFazio - Eugene 541-465-6732, Washington D.C. 202-225-6416 or by email at https://defazio.house.gov/contact/contact-peter.

State of Oregon

Governor Kate Brown - Salem - (503) 378-4582 or by email https://www.oregon.gov/gov/pages/contact.aspx.

Oregon Senators and Representatives - Contact information for state senators and representative is available at https://gov.oregonlive.com/legislators/.

Washington County

Contact information for Washington County Commissioners is available at https://www.co.washington.or.us/BOC/Commissioners/index.cfm.

City of Hillsboro

Contact information for the City of Hillsboro Mayor and City Council is available at https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/your-city-government/the-mayor-and-city-council.