A Whangarei skydiving firm is overwhelmed at the support it has received since an anonymous vandal destroyed its sign, replacing it with one accusing the activity of "noise pollution".
Ballistic Blondes Skydiving Company was dumbfounded last week after a sign advertising its business was removed from near Whangarei Airport and the
anonymous critic erected a sign proclaiming the "skydiving plane poisons the air with noise".
The company has more than 1000 jumps a year, with each flight in a Cessna 182 taking four people on two jumps.
The Blondes' Kelly Cullen said the company has been overwhelmed with the positive response in phone calls and drop-ins after the Northern Advocate ran a story on Friday.
There has also been an extraordinary number of letters to the editor about the situation and almost all of them are in support of the Blondes.
Some of the comments included: "Stealing council signs and erecting propaganda is not only illegal but doing it without owning up is spineless."
"If the skydiving plane's noise is annoying , the answer is quite simple - move away! Why should so many people be deprived of a wonderful sport because of selfishness or narrow-mindedness?"
"Anyone who gets that annoyed with the distant hum of a light plane really needs some genuine problems and then some time to count their blessings."
However, there were a couple of letters which agreed that the noise was too much:
"I do not have an issue with the skydivers carrying out their operations, but I do have an issue with the continuous noise ... it is the continuous droning of the aircraft engine which is wearing us out."
"Whilst I have sympathy for the Ballistic Blondes facing criticism ... I have no sympathy for that plane of theirs which is undoubtedly the noisiest thing that flies over our neck of the woods."
