Those affected by noise from airfields
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Strathaven Airfield
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A & C,
I knew you had just forgotten us!
But my serious point is that a typical microlight trainer - ie C42 or Eurostar - is a lot lot quieter than a Cessna 150.
As my wife said when she heard a Cessna doing power checks outside our house: do we have to have that sort of aircraft on our airfield?
Yet there is a solution.
Hush kits are approved and fitted on Cessnas in Germany, and we are all in EASA-land now.
So why aren't we fitting them here?
The idea that Cessnas are making no more noise than they ever did doesn't apply today, when airports are forcing jet operators to use ever quieter types, industry cannot dump waste as it used to, cars cannot pollute as much as they did.
But GA?
We think we have a god-granted right to continue in the same old ways?
Funnily enough, I don't think most pilots think that way. But from the outside, we must appear a bunch of arrogant tossers.
And, yes, noise certificates have helped us here at Strathaven. Local council were quite impressed, to put it frankly.
I knew you had just forgotten us!
But my serious point is that a typical microlight trainer - ie C42 or Eurostar - is a lot lot quieter than a Cessna 150.
As my wife said when she heard a Cessna doing power checks outside our house: do we have to have that sort of aircraft on our airfield?
Yet there is a solution.
Hush kits are approved and fitted on Cessnas in Germany, and we are all in EASA-land now.
So why aren't we fitting them here?
The idea that Cessnas are making no more noise than they ever did doesn't apply today, when airports are forcing jet operators to use ever quieter types, industry cannot dump waste as it used to, cars cannot pollute as much as they did.
But GA?
We think we have a god-granted right to continue in the same old ways?
Funnily enough, I don't think most pilots think that way. But from the outside, we must appear a bunch of arrogant tossers.
And, yes, noise certificates have helped us here at Strathaven. Local council were quite impressed, to put it frankly.
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: north of barlu
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xrayalpha
I do take your point about redusing the noise to a minimum but the older types do have performance issues conected with silencers and some of the silencers reduce the climb rate, the result being that more people are disturbed by a slightly less noisy aircraft.
The issue here is not one of flying with as little noise as posable, most of use do so and the reasonable 95% of the population are happy with this, the issue is dealing with the uninformed and unreasonable.
Recently a friend of mine witnessed a person in a small south Devon village complaning about the noise of one of those aircraft from the airfield at the top of the hill, he had to point out to the lady that the Dash 8 was from Exeter airport ! further questioning revealed that the noise from the "little aircraft" did not bother her but her name had been put on the anti airfield petition in error as it transpired as the protest group had misreprisented the type of aircraft flying from the airfield.
The same airfield has had protests from a few very nasy people who attemped to use misinformation (see Above) and clever use of the law to get the airfield shut, there was no reasoning with these people, it was my view that it was an attempt to increase their property price by getting the airfield shut.
Persistent noise protesters are usually only interested in upping the price of their property and/or have too much time on their hands and just need some issue to give their lives some sort of meaning. Newly retired professionals are the worst they have the time and the nous to be a real pain !
The issue here is not one of flying with as little noise as posable, most of use do so and the reasonable 95% of the population are happy with this, the issue is dealing with the uninformed and unreasonable.
Recently a friend of mine witnessed a person in a small south Devon village complaning about the noise of one of those aircraft from the airfield at the top of the hill, he had to point out to the lady that the Dash 8 was from Exeter airport ! further questioning revealed that the noise from the "little aircraft" did not bother her but her name had been put on the anti airfield petition in error as it transpired as the protest group had misreprisented the type of aircraft flying from the airfield.
The same airfield has had protests from a few very nasy people who attemped to use misinformation (see Above) and clever use of the law to get the airfield shut, there was no reasoning with these people, it was my view that it was an attempt to increase their property price by getting the airfield shut.
Persistent noise protesters are usually only interested in upping the price of their property and/or have too much time on their hands and just need some issue to give their lives some sort of meaning. Newly retired professionals are the worst they have the time and the nous to be a real pain !
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Alaska
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When I lived in Chicago in the middle 70's there was a lot of the same tune. FAA changed the flight patterns of airliners and most were happy.
My point of view is if you buy property around an airport then expect planes coming and going.
Just because a town increases in size or a farmers field is bought and developed into a housing complex is no reason to penalize aircraft operation.
My town has one runway, summers are busy with tourists flights in and out up to midnight.
Buy a home next to an airport and be happy, folks are having fun and other folks are making a living!!!
Have a good one
My point of view is if you buy property around an airport then expect planes coming and going.
Just because a town increases in size or a farmers field is bought and developed into a housing complex is no reason to penalize aircraft operation.
My town has one runway, summers are busy with tourists flights in and out up to midnight.
Buy a home next to an airport and be happy, folks are having fun and other folks are making a living!!!
Have a good one
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Oz
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At our aerodrome, they build new houses under the flight path about 10-15 years ago, and of course all the people in those houses now want the airport shut down.
Despite the constant battle with the local council, it looks like they are going to resurface the runway (although I think its fine) and apparently are going to also resurface the taxiways and add a new area for run-ups.
And here I am, living almost under the approach path for RWY 14 @ YBBN (Brisbane International) and I am pissed because the new parallel runway is going to see the end of the aircraft traffic!! My house is in Class C to SFC.
Despite the constant battle with the local council, it looks like they are going to resurface the runway (although I think its fine) and apparently are going to also resurface the taxiways and add a new area for run-ups.
And here I am, living almost under the approach path for RWY 14 @ YBBN (Brisbane International) and I am pissed because the new parallel runway is going to see the end of the aircraft traffic!! My house is in Class C to SFC.
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Warwick
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In the UK, if anyone makes an official noise complaint, it is one of the things that must be declared when selling the property so that future purchasers are aware of it.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Up in the clouds
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I am a G.A pilot and I live under a flight path close to an airport. I deal with noise complaints for an airport and there is a lot to be said about how airfields deal with the complainant. If the complaint is not dealt with in the correct way then the complainer will come back again and again and cause more issues. I take a proactive approach to the community surrounding the airport and I have found that if you are open with your operation then the complaints get curbed quickly. If you can demonstrate that you do as much as you can (as far as practicable - noise preferred routings etc) then people tend to be more satisfied. Everyone will agree that NPR's are a bit of a pain in the @rse to fly but they are a better compromise than losing all flying rights.
If airfield operators take the stance that these people are just a pain and treat them with contempt then this approach will exacerbate the situation. Give out as much information as possible so people are informed.
If airfield operators take the stance that these people are just a pain and treat them with contempt then this approach will exacerbate the situation. Give out as much information as possible so people are informed.
A seem to remember that the noise complaints about the Heathrow-Gatwick helicopter shuttle continued for several years after the service ceased. Some people just like to complain.
At Rotterdam airport a Boeing Turkish 727 took off fairly early in the morning and the phones would ring off the hook. One day it went u/s and the phones still rang off the hook!!!!!!
It became evident that the complaints were base on the airports website. That morning the website had not been updated to show the delay.
At our local airfield we host at least one event a year for the local villagers, our noise complaints are virtually non existent.
At Rotterdam airport a Boeing Turkish 727 took off fairly early in the morning and the phones would ring off the hook. One day it went u/s and the phones still rang off the hook!!!!!!
It became evident that the complaints were base on the airports website. That morning the website had not been updated to show the delay.
At our local airfield we host at least one event a year for the local villagers, our noise complaints are virtually non existent.
I seem to remember a story about Concorde's first visit to Heathrow. Residents living on the final approach track to the east were given (I think) pre printed postcards to sign to say they were objecting to the noise. When the postmarks were analysed, it was found that many had been posted long before the Concorde had commenced its final approach!
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: glendale
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in our city, there is an active campaign to retrofit homes near the airport with sound proofing.
really folks, if you are buying a house near an airport and you don't expect noise, then you are a jerk.
so, don't be a jerk. buy a house somewhere else. maybe near an oil refinery!
really folks, if you are buying a house near an airport and you don't expect noise, then you are a jerk.
so, don't be a jerk. buy a house somewhere else. maybe near an oil refinery!
buy a house somewhere else. maybe near an oil refinery!
The local airport complaint groups are a real hoot. But they did get money from the airport to retrofit nearby houses with double pane windows and such...
As for noise abatement procedures, I've always done my best to fly as quietly as conditions allow. At the airports like SMO and SNA that have noise enforcement sensors, one has to learn the proper techniques to defeat the noise police and deny them their fine! For the years I flew charter out of BUR, I was often the one giving the nice people of Burbank their 5 AM wakeup call! But then, I love airport noise.
westhawk
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: eastcoastoz
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As a youngster in the 1950s I lived close to a major airport.
Airliners such as the Boeing Stratocruiser, Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC7 would come close by, fully loaded and only slowly gaining height.
Aside from the noise (which I loved), they would rattle the windows and shake the crockery in the cupboards.
The thing that did inconvenience the oldies, though, was that the ignition systems would interfere with the TV reception.
Well, when you've got 112 individual cylinders firing at take-off power, in the case of the B337 Strat, (4 x P&W 4360s), you could expect that, couldn't you?
These days, people move next to an airport and then complain about the noise from C172s and PA28s.
I'll just leave it at that, I think.
Airliners such as the Boeing Stratocruiser, Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC7 would come close by, fully loaded and only slowly gaining height.
Aside from the noise (which I loved), they would rattle the windows and shake the crockery in the cupboards.
The thing that did inconvenience the oldies, though, was that the ignition systems would interfere with the TV reception.
Well, when you've got 112 individual cylinders firing at take-off power, in the case of the B337 Strat, (4 x P&W 4360s), you could expect that, couldn't you?
These days, people move next to an airport and then complain about the noise from C172s and PA28s.
I'll just leave it at that, I think.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Anglia
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The simplest way to deal with unreasonable noise complainers is to ask them to make an official complaint to the local council.
At the same time you warn them that this will be held on file and must be disclosed in any pre sale questionaire. ie they must tell any prospective purchaser that these is a noise problem with their property.
Normally they go away at this point.
At the same time you warn them that this will be held on file and must be disclosed in any pre sale questionaire. ie they must tell any prospective purchaser that these is a noise problem with their property.
Normally they go away at this point.
