Recreational pilots are objecting to proposed restrictions on the number of flights allowed from private airstrips in the Wakatipu Basin.
At present, flights from "informal airports'' are unrestricted, but the Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing rules aimed at reducing "noise nuisance'' to neighbouring residents.
Speaking at the council's district plan hearing in Queenstown yesterday, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association member Vance Boyd said a proposed 500m setback from building platform boundaries was "unjustified and excessive''.
Depending on the location of the building platforms, up to 100 hectares of land would be required to comply, Mr Boyd said.
The majority of submissions on the issue had come from private, recreational pilots, most of who were only allowed to fly during the daytime.
"They are community people and have no wish to to annoy or upset neighbours.''
He suggested two flights a day with a setback of 100m, and a limit of 10 flights a week.
Commercial pilot Steven Bunn said a daily limit of two flights would "severely restrict'' the use of the air strips. Because an average of one in three flying days were lost to bad weather, he wanted a flexible rule in which flights could be "banked'' over a month or a year. Flights prevented by bad weather could then be made up on other days.
The proposed 500m setback rule had "no credible basis'', Mr Bunn said.
"It's an arbitrary figure, plucked from thin air and put into the document.
"Many current airstrips would not meet this criterion, although they have happily operated in the community for years.''
The fact there had been no noise complaints relating to airstrips indicated they were not operating anywhere near their noise limit.
Mr Bunn asked that pilot training be added to the list of unrestricted activities at informal airports, so pilots could practise landings and be prepared for emergencies.
Replying to a question from commissioner Ella Lawton, Mr Bunn said there were many helicopter landing sites in the Wakatipu Basin, but only "half a dozen'' private landing strips for fixed-wing aircraft.
The hearing continues in Queenstown on Monday.
