Airplane Noise: No changes any time soon

By scott
(3 votes) (report abuse)
24-hour stream of planes arriving (red) and departing (green) SeaTac

Patty Fong is fed up with flight noise from SeaTac. Living on the western edge of the Central District near Yesler, she noticed a big increase in jet noise over the summer that kept her from being able to enjoy her back yard due to the roar of jets overhead. At Saturday's Squire Park Community Meeting, she sought the community's support for a resolution that would demand that the port of Seattle and the FAA change flight operations to distribute jet noise more equitably over the area.

But according to Stan Shepherd from the Port of Seattle, which runs SeaTac, there's not a lot of options. He pointed out that the Central District is due north of the airport's three runways, with arriving planes flying above us as they line up on a three degree descent into the airport. Plus, the port doesn't have any control over flight paths anyway; that belongs to the FAA, and their old systems and rigid procedures don't allow for a lot of operational flexibility.

Residents closer to 23rd Avenue noted that the noise has actually decreased in the last twelve months. But Shepherd said that is unlikely to last. The airport's eastern most runway was out of commission for much of the year as the port rebuilt it from the ground up. That had the effect of moving the traffic to the west to line up with the center runway and the new third runway, accounting for Patty Fong's increase. But the easternmost runway is now open again, and arriving planes will be using it as their primary option during high-demand and low-visibility periods.

As we've talked about before, there is long-term hope for less noise. Stan Shepherd pointed out that the loudest planes are leaving the fleet much more rapidly than the port predicted ten years ago. And new technology will some day allow the FAA to bring some planes in over Elliot Bay and descend with engines at idle. But the required changes to the air-traffic control system and upgrades to aircraft are pushing the implementation of that out for at least three years.

In the meantime, there will be a public process starting early next year to address airport noise. There will be public meetings around the area to discuss the impact on various communities, and it will allow the port to apply for federal funds for mitigation and for installing new noise monitors in areas that need them (we only have one, on the Central Area Senior Center in Leschi).

For more info:

tags: Sea-Tac, Planes, Jet Noise + add tags
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posted on Mon, Oct 12, 2009 08:53 AM
last updated on Mon, Oct 12, 2009 08:54 AM
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I <3 airplane noise. byBarry B.3 months ago (5 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Living directly up-range from 3 international runways of the major regional airport and complaining about the noise is much like living in Seattle and complaining about the rain.

I'd suggest a little personal cognitive therapy: every time you notice the sound of an airplane overhead, think of the fabulous trip to San Francisco you took last year, think of the lovers reuniting at the airport, think of the couple headed to Italy for their honeymoon, think of business being brought to the area. And if you can't change your world view, consider moving somewhere compatible with your own limitations. The airport has been where it is for many decades. Airplanes are always going to come in to land fairly straight overhead; such is life.

Barry, who *likes* to sit on his deck (on 17th/18th) and watch the planes go by, ducking in and out of the clouds on rainy winter days and who has no connection whatsoever to the airline industry.
The Summer Has Been Nice byNorm Gregory3 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I am on 25th and have notice a decrease in the sky high roar. Thanks for the report on why.
I second the motion. byLarzipan Speedwreck3 months ago (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
We live in a large, metropolitan city. We do not live in a far-off bucolic village. Two-thirds of our jobs depend on trade; hence, the need to constantly shuttle goods and people to far of places with expediency (read: with jets). If you feel aurally violated, please feel free to move to an area where your long-suffering eardrums may find rest without absorbing precious space on the already-overfilled agenda of issues that are challenging our community. I wish I had been at the SPCC meeting solely to rebuke this rejectionist bullshit that seems to pervade our community's approach to public policy issues.
It's not so much the noise... byChris B3 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I don't really mind the noise (I live near 23rd & Union), but what really bugs me is the interference that's caused when they fly over. I just use rabbit ears on my TV, and whenever a plane goes by the signal cuts out. It seems like there are certain parts of the day that are worse, and it's really annoying to be watching TV and having it suddenly cut out.
Corrections to Capitol Hill/Central District report of Squire Park meeting 10-10-09 bymusicadelaraza3 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I appreciate the coverage from the reporter from the Capitol Hill Blog. However, I wish to state a few corrections and additions.

I did not suggest that the noise be shared and distributed equally over Seattle. I know that this approach is, as I said, "DOA". Besides it would not solve the problem of aviation noise which is county-wide.

Mr. Stan Shepard of the Port of Seattle Noise Abatement would not answer me when I asked him if the "stair step" approach is being used over North Seattle to the airport. This is a significant question because this type of landing generates a lot of energy and subsequent noise as the plane tries to level out at each successive stage with the noisiest stages being the final ones thus over Capitol Hill, Central District, Beacon Hill, Seatac, Burien, White Center on to Sea-Tac International Airport.

Why wouldn't he answer this question? The "stair step approach" is apparently being used if you believe the Seattle Times article below which promises "quieter skies" for North Seattle with a NEW approach: CDA, "continuous descent approach".

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/200

Secondly, I asked Mr. Shepard for site-specific noise monitors for the Central District "under the current flight path" which is 12th to 15th Avenues. He equivocated saying they are "very expensive". I know we have one atop the Senior Center in Leschi but that is not under the current intensive flight path.

The landing noise is very specific and is also caused by the landing gear and the flaps being lowered. It is conceivable that if you were a block or two away from the flight path as this was occurring you would not hear this noise. Hence the request for site-specific noise monitors.

I also asked Mr. Shepard why there are noise monitors on Hunt's Point and Mercer Island where they are not under the current flight path. I would have also pointed out that the noise monitor on Beacon Hill is on the West side of Beacon Hill but the flight path is over the east side of Beacon Hill.

Mr. Shepard continued to repeat the "straight line" mantra about the inevitability of the current flight paths. He also said Elliott Bay and the Duwamish were being used. However, I believe what he may have meant about this was that yes, the planes enter prior to landing over the water but then they bank east or west and make a beeline due south in a straight line for Sea-Tac over some of the most heavily populated and highest neighborhoods in Seattle (Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill).

I asked Mr. Shepard and Mr. Carroll for mitigations from the Port of Seattle Noise Abatement office. I believe the Port could be doing a much better job of managing Sea-Tac. I have found documentation with regard to Berliner Flughaven and BAA (which manages Germany's airports) as well as Naples Municipal Airport. All have great mitigation processes in place.

Here is a summary of the mitigations I presented to Mr. Shepard.

REQUESTS:

FROM PORT OF SEATTLE:
Reconvene Noise Advisory Committee to work on these and other issues and mitigations.

Squire Park Community Council representative on a reconvened Noise Advisory Committee of the Port of Seattle and to have city and county representatives as well as at least one elected official on this council.

Noise monitors for the Central District.

Publish noise compliance data.

Have a liaison person for the Central District to monitor dBA levels over the Central District for both landing (especially) and take offs.

More education for and voluntary cooperation from pilots of helicopters, seaplanes,individual airlines and other pilots.

Give the public the ability to look at flight tracks around Sea-Tac on the Port of Seattle website.

As I pointed out to Mr. Carroll and Mr. Shepard, the responsibility for the increased aviation noise is manyfold - from Port of Seattle to City, County, State officials, airline operators, aircraft operators, airplane manufacturers and citizens.

Thank you.
Perspective. byBarry B.3 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Facts: Airplanes are going to make noise. They are going to land by flying in straight lines onto runways. If you live on property up range of those runways, you will hear airplanes coming and going. Changes in weather or construction or technology will sometimes make one place or another a louder or quieter than it was before.

All this talk about filing complaints -- can we also file compliments? Frankly, I'd like it less here if I didn't get to see and hear planes fly overhead...

Barry, happily under the flight path


[And, lest I sound overly positive, the situation is entirely different closer to the airport -- and this is (and has been) reflected in property values. I don't think anyone in Capitol Hill is seeing house prices drop because of airplane noise.]
Perspective, part 2 byandy3 months ago (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I absolutely agree this is not the greatest challenge facing our neighborhoods, but the unwillingness of the Port to even place a noise monitor in the area points, perhaps, to a larger issue. Mercer Island got a noise monitor because they know how to work the system. Do you really think this one segment of Seattle should "get over it" and let the rest of Seattle enjoy relative peace and quiet? I don't expect to see the flightplans change, but let's at least expect a reasonable explanation and attempt at mitigation. If organizing on this one issue leads to more community action on traffic calming, greenspace, public safety, and all the other host of issues facing us then it will be time and energy well spent.
A public health issue bymusicadelaraza3 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I don't think it matters so much whether I am bothered by the airplane noise or someone else is not and enjoys the planes. If the issue of airplane noise and chemical pollution were not significant you would not see airports such as Berlin and the UK's airports with mitigation policies which are far more advanced than ours at Sea-Tac. These policies were instigated because of overall public pressure and demand and the recognition that the public as a whole's interest and concerns needed to be addressed. You may see for yourself what is happening at other airports with mitigations that work in everyone's best interests.

Naples Municipal Airport:
http://www.flynaples.com/index.php/noise-abatement/noise-aba

Berliner Flughaven:
http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/GruenerFlughafen/Fluglaerm/F

United Kingdon and BAA:
http://www.parliament.uk/post/pn197.pdf
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