Noise News
Below are links to stories about noise in relation to airports and aviation.
Road noise combined with aircraft noise raises risk of laying down increased abdominal fat
Living near a main road causes people to gain weight, with the risk of obesity doubling for homes that are also under a flight path and near a railway line. Researchers believe that the stress of traffic din may raise stress levels to the point where the body starts laying down more fat because it thinks it is heading for a time for crisis, when food may be scarce. The noise exposure may be a physiological stressor that raises the production of cortisol, which increases appetite. Normal traffic noise is around 45 decibels, but research indicates that for every 5 decibels above that, the average home-owner gains an extra 0.2cm on the waist measurement. “Traffic noise is a common and increasing environmental exposure, primarily due to ongoing urbanisation and growth of the transport sector,” said lead author Dr Andrei Pyko, Karolinska Institute in Sweden.....Our results suggested associations with waist circumference primarily in the age group below 60 years.” Obesity around the waist is one of the most harmful types of fat, and has been linked to diseases like diabetes. Researchers at Imperial College also found that hospital admissions for stroke, heart and circulatory disease are higher in areas with high levels of aircraft noise.
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Residents say Belfast City Airport’s plans to treble flights will cause intolerable and unacceptable noise level
Residents affected by aircraft noise from George Best Belfast City Airport say the noise will be “intolerable” and unacceptable. Under the plans, which are to be considered at a public inquiry starting on 18th May, lasting for 4 days, the airport’s own figures show that the annual number of flights could rise from the current level of 14,000 per year to 43,000 if the proposals are implemented. Up to 18,000 residents could be affected at a noise level which the UK government says causes significant annoyance (57 dB Leq) with the projected impact higher than the noise footprint of Gatwick and Stansted, where around 3,700 and 1,900 people respectively are affected at the same level. Local group, Belfast City Airport Watch, commissioned a survey that showed how much plane noise is already disrupting their lives. This showed of those living near the flight path 38% said plane noise was "very high" at their home. 20% said planes disrupted their sleep “very often” or “quite often” and 25% of parents with young children said their children’s sleep was disrupted “very often” or “quite often.” Belfast City Airport Watch said: “It’s quite intolerable for the airport to heap further misery on residents in the pursuit of higher profits when we already have an international airport sitting in a green field site with spare capacity just up the road.”
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FAA plans major study of noise at US airports due to anger at introduction of “NextGen” with new flight paths
n the USA, the FAA - equivalent to the CAA in the UK - is now planning to study aircraft noise across the USA. The main aim is to defuse opposition to changes to flight paths, and save the aviation industry delays in implementing the new system. The FAA will begin polling communities around 20 airports within the next 2 - 3 months, and finish gathering data by the end of 2016. While some newer planes are marginally less noisy than older models, there are now more flights. The FAA has also been introducing "NextGen", which is the US equivalent of PBN or PR-NAV in the UK - meaning planes navigate accurately by satellite, rather than the old system. This allows narrower flight paths, and more intense noise for those overflown. The aim of NextGen, and PBN is to save the airlines time and fuel, and therefore money. Airspace controllers can control planes more accurately, and have them landing and taking off closer to each other than before. There has been intense opposition from communities now finding themselves newly overflown. There is anger at the inadequate way in which aircraft noise is measured and averaged. The FAA will see if it needs to make changes to this.
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Speculation from Swedish research that stress from aircraft noise could raise risk of obesity
Millions of urban Europeans are exposed to aviation noise that contributes to stress, high blood pressure and even weight gain, say health specialists who want stronger measures to make flying quieter. While plane engines have become slightly less noisy over the past 3 decades, there are considerably more flights and also demand for bigger passenger planes - which make more noise than smaller ones. As well as the effects of exposure to noise being linked to heart and blood pressure problems, and slower learning in children in some circumstances, there is now concern about an increase in obesity. Medical researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have added weight gain to the potential impact of noise on public health. In a study of people living near the Swedish capital’s Arlanda Airport, the research team found that prolonged exposure to aircraft noise caused a “statistically significant” increase in waist sizes. They found a noise level raised by 5 decibels correlated with an increase in waist size of 1.5 cm. The mechanism for this may be that stress from sleep disturbance and annoyance could increase production of cortisol, leading to increased appetite.
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Public inquiry into the ending of the “Cranford Agreement” to start on 2nd June and last 3 weeks
The Cranford Agreement was made in the 1950s, to ensure planes cannot take off from Heathrow's northern runway, to the east, except in exceptional circumstances. That protected Cranford when there are easterly winds. However, it has meant that on easterly operations all take offs are from the southern runway, and all landings on the northern - hitting Windsor hard. Ending the Cranford Agreement would give Windsor residents more respite from the noise. Though the Agreement was formally ended in 2010, Heathrow needed to make changes in access and exit taxiways off the northern runway and consent is needed from Hillingdon Council. They have refused permission (on noise and air quality grounds), but the issue is now going to a public inquiry that starts on 2nd June. It is likely to last for 3 weeks. The Heathrow plans needing planning consent are also the creation of a new 'hold area' at the western end of the northern runway, and the construction of a 5 metre high acoustic noise barrier to the south of Longford Village.
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New O’Hare flight paths wake hundreds of Chicagoans beyond free-insulation zone
Chicago O’Hare Airport has a real noise problem. Figures for March show hundreds of Chicago residents were kept awake by aircraft noise, even though they live outside an area predicted to shoulder the worst noise from new flight paths. Analysis from the complaints website shows these people live outside a “noise contour” that determines eligibility for free sound insulation. The noise complaints came from up to 13 miles away from the airport, which is over 8 miles beyond the limits of the noise contour that the FAA predicted would experience onerous jet noise once an $8 billion O’Hare Modernization Program is completed. Studying the locations from where complaints come, it can be seen that many are between two flight paths, which shows people are being affected by noise from both. (That would be the case over London if there was another runway - two parallel arrivals routes a mile or so apart). Changes to Chicago flight paths were made from October 2013 when flight were shifted to being mainly over suburbs north and south of O’Hare to mostly areas east and west of it. Some people are aware of many flights over them at night, with one resident counting 19 between 11.30pm and 6am on one night. People are finding the sleep disturbance very distressing.
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Heathrow “Community Noise Forum” to get independent study into continuing changes (or not) to flight paths
In December 2014 Heathrow decided to set up a "Community Noise Forum" to set up dialogue with deeply upset and angry community groups - and try to build up some trust. There is already a separate “Noise Forum.” The Community Noise Forum consists of representatives of the Airport, the CAA, NATS, BA, local authorities, community organisations and campaign groups. One key task of the new Forum is to try to resolve the dispute between Heathrow and the communities affected by the flight path trials. These took place last year, and while the airport is adamant that the situation has returned to the pre-trial pattern, residents in areas such as Ascot, Teddington, Englefield Green, Lightwater, Binfield and Bracknell, are adamant that it has not. The Forum is to commission an independent study (it has to be independent) to look at the flight paths before the trials, during and afterwards. The aim is to see whether flight paths post-trial really have gone back to their pre-trial routes, or not. The independent study will also look into whether any other changes had taken place. Heathrow can give technical assistance and will pay for the study. A steering group will draw up the brief for the study, and report back to the Forum.
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Edinburgh Airport unveils 5 month trial of flight path to boost the airport’s capacity
Edinburgh Airport has unveiled details of a 5-month trial of a new flight path for aircraft taking off to the west, in a bid to increase capacity. The Airspace Trial, which will begin on 25 June, will introduce a new SID route, the purpose of which is to allow more flights to use the runway, and allow aircraft to take off at one-minute intervals. This is to "allow the airport to maintain safe and sustainable growth without affecting punctuality." Most of the time the flights take off to the west and there are currently 3 SID routes - known as Grice (which goes north), Gosam (which goes south west) and Talla (south). The new route - Tutur - will see aircraft take off in a south westerly direction and turn right towards the River Forth, passing over West Lothian and to the east of Linlithgow. The settlements worse affected, with planes at 1900 - 2000 feet, would be Uphall and Dechmont. Map Aircraft will climb as they turn, to fly over the coast and down the Firth of Forth passing North Queensferry, and then fly back over land at approximately 13,000ft near Musselburgh. The airport says the aircraft using the trial route are likely to be their least noisy (B737s, A319, A320, A321, 787 and A330s). The airport says the trial would monitor the impact on local communities, and noise monitors would be placed along the flight path to collect data on the flights.
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April 29th: International Noise Awareness Day – Campaigners issue their ‘Noise Manifesto’
Noise campaigners representing different organizations in the UK are joining forces with campaigners in Germany, to mark the 29th April - as International Noise Awareness Day. UK campaigners want the next Government to take noise seriously. They have a manifesto on noise, which includes a demand for reductions in aircraft noise with fairer flight paths; reduction in road traffic noise by lower speed limits; measures to limit noise from wind farms; and a ban on piped music in public areas where people cannot avoid it. 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of Noise Awareness Day. The UK noise campaigners have made links with anti-noise campaigners in Germany. In Berlin, a day of events, including demonstrations and a conference, will take place on 29th April organized by campaigners against road, rail and aircraft noise. Val Weedon, president of the UK Noise Association, said: “Each year local authorities and government departments are deluged with complaints about noise. Yet the election manifestos are virtually silent on noise. We are urging the next Government to speak out about noise and implement practical measures to improve the noise climate”.
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Why Schiphol will never become ‘Heathrow’s 3rd runway’ – it has tight noise and ATM limits
We are routinely told that, if Heathrow doesn’t expand, people from other UK airports like Newcastle, Edinburgh and Liverpool will choose to fly to Schiphol (Amsterdam) to interchange onto long-distance flights. The CEO of Schiphol Airport has even rather cheekily called it ‘Heathrow’s third runway’ or referred to Amsterdam as "London's 2nd hub." However, John Stewart explains that this is not a situation that can continue indefinitely. Though Schiphol has 5 runways, in reality only two can be used at one time. And unlike airports in the UK, Schiphol has strict noise regulations about which runways can be used, and when. The use of the two runways which go over densely-populated areas is avoided whenever possible. Schiphol has almost reached its permissible noise limits, with around 425,565 flights last year - and a limit of 510,000 per year (cf. 480,000 at Heathrow). When the noise from planes using one runway reaches a certain point, no more is allowed in that year, and traffic should be diverted to alternative runways. The system in use at Schiphol to protect residents from aircraft noise is more rigorous than in the UK, and the Dutch take their noise responsibilities on aircraft noise too seriously to allow Schiphol to become effectively a UK hub.