“I’m not aware …”
“Well, I
“Aren’t you losing your temper, Mr. Bakersfeld?”
“No.” Mel smiled. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not.” He was conscious of having seized an advantage, catching the lawyer by surprise. Now he went on, “You’ve had a good deal to say, Mr. Freemantle, and not much of it politely. But there are a few things I’d like to get on the record, too. Also, I’m sure the press will be interested in both sides even if no one else is.”
“Oh, we’re interested all right. It’s just that we’ve heard all the wishy-washy excuses already.” As usual, Elliott Freemantle was recovering fast. But he admitted to himself that he had been lulled by Bakersfeld’s earlier mild manner, so that the sharp counterattack caught him unawares. He realized that the airport general manager was more astute than he appeared.
“I didn’t say anything about excuses,” Mel pointed out. “I suggested a review of airport noise situations generally.”
Freemantle shrugged. The last thing he wanted was to open up some new approach which might be newsworthy and, therefore, divert attention from himself. At the moment, though, he didn’t see how he could prevent it.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mel began, “when you first came here tonight something was said about plain, blunt speaking on both sides. Mr. Freemantle has had his turn at that; now I will be equally candid.”
Mel sensed he had the full attention of the two women and four men in the delegation; also of the press. Even Cindy was watching him covertly. He continued to speak quietly.
“All of you know, or should, the measures which we have taken at Lincoln International Airport to make life easier, more bearable, from the point of view of aircraft noise, for those who live in the airport vicinity. Some of these measures have been mentioned already, and there are others, such as using remote airport areas for the testing of engines, and even then during proscribed hours only.”
Elliot Freemantle, already fidgeting, cut in. “But you’ve admitted that these so-called systems fail to work.”
Mel snapped back, “I admitted nothing of the kind. Most of the time they
“Most of the time!”
“No, sir! And please allow me to finish!” Without pausing, Mel went on, “The fact is: airports — here and elsewhere — have come close to doing as much as they can in the way of noise reduction. You may not like hearing this, and not everyone in this business admits it, but the truth is: there isn’t a lot more that anyone can do. You simply cannot tiptoe a three hundred thousand pound piece of high-powered machinery into any place. So when you do bring a big jet airplane in — or take it out — inevitably it shakes hell out of a few people who are nearby.” There were several quick smiles, though not from Elliott Freemantle, who was scowling. Mel added, “So if we need airports — and obviously we do — somebody, somewhere has to put up with some noise, or move away.”
It was Mel’s turn to see the reporters’ pencils racing with his words.
“It’s true,” Mel continued, “that aircraft manufacturers are working on noise reduction devices, but — again to be honest with you — few people in the aviation industry take them seriously, and certainly they do not represent a major effort like, for example, development of a new aircraft. At best, they’ll be palliatives. If you don’t believe me, let me remind you that even though trucks have been in use for many years more than airplanes, no one has yet invented a really effective truck muffler.
“Another thing to bear in mind is that by the time one type of jet engine gets quieted a little — if it ever does — there’ll be new, more powerful engines in use which, even with suppressors fitted, will be noisier than the first engine was to begin with. As I said,” Mel added, “I’m being absolutely frank.”
One of the women in the delegation murmured gloomily, “You sure are.”
“Which brings me,” Mel said, “to the question of the future. There are new breeds of aircraft coming — another family of jets after the Boeing 747s, including behemoths like the Lockheed 500, which will come into use soon; then, shortly afterward, the supersonic transports — the Concorde, and those to follow. The Lockheed 500 and its kind will be subsonic — that is, they’ll operate at less than the speed of sound, and will give us the kind of noise we have now, only more of it. The supersonics will have a mighty engine noise too,
“You may have heard or read — as I have — optimistic reports that the sonic booms will occur high, far from cities and airports, and that the effect on the ground will be minor. Don’t believe it! We’re in for trouble, all of us — people in homes, like you; people like me, who run airports; airlines, who’ll have a billion dollars invested in equipment which they must use continuously, or go bankrupt. Believe me, the time is coming when we’ll wish we had the simplicity of the kind of noise we’re talking about tonight.”
“So what are you telling my clients?” Elliott Freemantle inquired sarcastically. “To go jump in the lunatic asylum now, rather than wait until you and your behemoths drive them there?”
“No,” Mel said firmly, “I’m not telling them that. I’m merely saying candidly — the way you asked me to — that I haven’t any simple answers; nor will I make you promises that the airport cannot keep. Also I’m saying that in my opinion, airport noise is going to become greater, not less. However, I’d like to remind all of you that this problem isn’t new. It’s existed since trains started running, and since trucks, buses, and automobiles joined them; there was the same problem when freeways were built through residential areas; and when airports were established, and grew. All these things are for the public good — or so we believe — yet all of them create noise and, despite all kinds of efforts, they’ve continued to. The thing is: trucks, trains, freeways, airplanes, and the rest are here. They’re part of the way we live, and unless we change our way of life, then their noise is something we have to live with too.”
“In other words, my clients should abandon any idea of serenity, uninterrupted sleep, privacy and quietness for the remainder of their natural lives?”
“No,” Mel said. “I think, in the end, they’ll have to move. I’m not speaking officially, of course, but I’m convinced that eventually this airport and others will be obliged to make multibillion-dollar purchases of residential areas surrounding them. A good many of the areas can become industrial zones where noise won’t matter. And of course, there would be reasonable compensation to those who owned homes and were forced to leave them.”
Elliot Freemantle rose and motioned others in the delegation to do the same.
“That last remark,” he informed Mel, “is the one sensible thing I’ve heard this evening. However, the compensation may start sooner than you think, and also be larger.” Freemantle nodded curtly. “You will be hearing from us. We shall see you in court.”
He went out, the others following.
Through the door to the anteroom Mel heard one of the two women delegates exclaim, “You were magnificent, Mr. Freemantle. I’m going to tell everyone so.”
“Well, thank you. Thank you very …” The voices faded.
Mel went to the door, intending to close it.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said to Cindy. Now that the two of them were alone again, he was not sure what else they had to say to each other, if anything.
Cindy said icily, “It’s par for the course. You should have married an airport.”
At the doorway, Mel noticed that one of the men reporters had returned to the anteroom. It was Tomlinson of the
“Mr. Bakersfeld, could I see you for a moment?”
Mel said wearily, “What is it?”
“I got the impression you weren’t too smitten with Mr. Freemantle.”
“Is this for quotation?”
“No, sir.”
“Then your impression was right.”
“I thought you’d be interested in this,” the reporter said.
