Seaplane debate continues in Towns County

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Wing-N-It Seaplane Adventures continues to be a hot topic of discussion in Towns County with citizens both in favor and opposed to the aerial tour company. Letters to the editor of the county’s legal organ have appeared on a weekly basis since FetchYourNews (FYN) broke the story of the heated debate in July. Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw informed FYN last week that his office has been inundated with calls in the past month, mainly in support of the area seaplane. Opponents of the Lake Chatuge flight tours, however, claim that the generated noise is an unbearable nuisance. Others say that the plane’s manuevers pose a danger to boaters and bystanders on the ground.

Wing-N-It Seaplane Adventures issued a statement through FYN last month regarding the multiple complaints voiced to Commissioner Bradshaw. “Wing-N-It Seaplane Adventures, in its third year of partnership with The Ridges Resort and Marina, is proud to play a small part in the growth and development of the tourism industry within Towns County.” the Gainesville-based company said. “We are contributing by providing a safe and family-interactive experience for both residents and visitors to the Lake Chatuge area. Our highly trained pilots have more than 40,000 hours of combined commercial flight time in addition to obtaining recertification and completing continuing education. We comply with all Department of Natural Resources, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Federal Aviation Administration rules/regulations. We frequently operate in the presence of the DNR while they are conducting their routine patrol on the lake.

“Our main interest is not in generating a large profit. We only desire to help facilitate the growth of tourism within the surrounding areas. As such, we do not operate during especially high-traffic times such as Memorial Day Weekend and Fourth of July Weekend. The purpose of our operation is to create memories and help show off the beauty of the area. As such, we have no intentions of increasing operations on a larger scale of that which we currently perform. Year-to-date in 2019, we have only operated on eight days for a total of 31 tours which all occur between the hours of 11:00 am and 5:00 pm.”

Doug Nelson, a homeowner on Lake Chatuge who voiced a group of residents’ complaints to Commissioner Bradshaw, responded to the seaplane company’s statement through FYN on July 21.

“They never address the fact that they have 15,000 acres of lakes in the area to use to give their passengers a seaplane experience. They still insist on concentrating on one single portion of one lake.,” Nelson said on July 21. “Also, I find 31 flights to be a lot, but the reason it’s only that high in my opinion is that it’s been a stormy summer.  You can see from their Facebook page in the posts section why they don’t fly. Like (July 20) there were low clouds in the a.m. and they were afraid of storms in the afternoon. They also may not fly if there is an airshow where they can offer rides. When the weather is good and there are lots of people out, I believe they fly as many flights as they can regardless of congestion on the lake.

“One day last summer, I was watching them weave between boats and stop and start on takeoff. I wrote to them by email several times and asked if there was ever a day when it was too busy to fly.  After a few more flights, they finally acknowledged it was too busy and left. That was the one time they did so that I know of, and I have found them to be slippery on the topic of holiday weekends.”

Nelson submitted a video filmed Aug. 17 of what he considers to be a safety hazard. “As you can see, the plane takes off and attempts to overcome a boat, then does not have sufficient lift, and has to come back down right in front of another boat,” Nelson said. “This is exactly why the situation on Chatuge with the seaplane is so dangerous.”

Supporters of Wing-N-It Seaplane Adventures have praised the unique tour experience that the company offers. Others appreciate the additional tourism that the seaplane draws to the Towns County area.

Related Archive:  

FetchYourNews.com is a now news network that attracts more than 300,000 page views and 3.5 million impressions per month in Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union and White counties as well as Cherokee and Clay counties in N.C. – FYNTV.com attracts approximately 15,000 viewers per week and reaches between 15,000 to 60,000 per week on our Facebook page.