Noise News
Below are links to stories about noise in relation to airports and aviation.
MPs identify serious concerns about noise implications of Heathrow expansion
On the 18th December 2014, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Heathrow and the Wider Economy launched its report ‘Noise from Heathrow Airport’ which sets out how the Government, Parliament and the Aviation Industry have seriously underestimated the impact of noise from Heathrow’s flight paths. The report considered the present and future noise impact of Heathrow’s flight paths, with the existing two runways, and with the proposed 3rd runway. It found a substantial list of gaps in HAL’s proposals and has produced a list of actions for the Government, Airport’s Commission and HAL that are necessary to tackle the existing problem and that are central to the consideration of any 3rd runway. These include the need for noise to be measured using the WHO formula; the need for full information about future flight paths, and respite periods, so residents are properly informed; proper estimates of numbers affected by noise in future, taking into account the anticipated growth in population in affected areas; and reduction in night flights. The APPG notes that HAL’s CEO has confirmed to the APPG that a successful 3rd runway would pave the way for a 4th runway.
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Heathrow Airport to set up a new Community Noise Forum, to help residents understand flight path issues
Heathrow Airport knows it has a real problem with aircraft noise, that could block its runway aspirations. The recent flight path changes and trials revealed a degree of anger and opposition to increased plane noise that stunned Heathrow staff. Thousands of people newly overflown, or under new concentrated flight paths, expressed their intense opposition to the noise nuisance inflicted on them. Heathrow, at its Consultative Committee meeting on 10th December, was keen to set up a new "Community Noise Forum" through which to try to defuse some of this local anger and dissatisfaction - and to try to win back some trust. For many, the repeated half truths and worse from the airport mean trust has broken down irretrievably. The minutes say: "Even the CAA had been regarded by some as not entirely independent in the process." There is already a "Noise Forum" (which replaced the Heathrow Noise & Track Keeping Working Group (NTKWG)), but that only involves HACAN and not other community groups. The new plan is to get something started as soon as possible, to give the appropriate community members and local authorities access to the raw data on flight path dispersal and concentration. A suitable chairperson needs to be located.
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Straight-talking letter to Stewart Wingate, from aggrieved resident tired of aircraft noise and inadequate Gatwick answers
Residents in Kent and East Sussex have been particularly irritated at perceived changes to flight paths over their areas, by planes arriving at Gatwick. Thousands of people is areas such as Penshurst, Chiddingstone, Tunbridge Wells, Hartfield, Ashurst, Hever etc deeply resent the intrusion of more aircraft above them, with more noise. They particularly resent the failure of Gatwick or the CAA to give straight answers to their questions. One such resident, at the end of his patience, has sent a letter to Stewart Wingate, setting out specific complaints about an aircraft on 31st December. The letter is copied to a large number of people, including Dame Deirdre Hutton at the CAA, and many MPs. And he does not pull his punches. Here are a couple of samples: "Quite why you would seemingly wilfully antagonise people when you are trying to curry favour for a new runway is absolutely beyond me." And "We all know what is going on – GAL has achieved 55 movements an hour at the cost of the destruction of the quality of life for those constantly overflown and that is something that must be changed; the CAA can assist by renouncing its risible current stance that ‘nothing has changed’."
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Cardiff Airport consultation on planned concentrated RNAV flight paths
Cardiff Airport is now holding a consultation for all those potentially affected by changes to its flight paths. As with all other airports and airspace across the UK, RNAV ( aRea NAVigation ) is to be introduced, so planes can fly more accurate tracks, resulting in more concentrated flight paths. The existing Cardiff routes used by aircraft (termed “conventional” routes) rely on 1950s technology of ground based radio beacons. Now RNAV uses a combination of satellite and ground-based navigation technology which enables pilots to fly pre-determined, predictable arrival profiles. Processes are underway at a European level to make modernisation of the route system a legal requirement for the UK and other European states by 2020. The CAA is planning to mandate that all operators will have to be RNAV 1 approved by November 2017, and then require RNAV routes to be introduced by winter 2019. The Cardiff consultation started on 15th December 2014 and ends on 20th March 2015 (another part of the document says 27th). Email responses should be sent to: consultation@cwl.aero
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Residents from Plane Wrong submit a petition to the CAA, opposing Gatwick flight path changes
A petition signed by more than 2,000 Mole Valley residents has been delivered to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by members of the PlaneWrong campaign group. The petition was presented on Monday 22nd December, along with a submission opposing the recent flight path changes implemented by Gatwick Airport last year, which campaigners claim was carried out without direct consultation with those affected by noise pollution. PlaneWrong was formed in September by a group of Mole Valley residents to campaign against the permanent flight path changes to the areas south and east of Dorking, which were previously unaffected by aircraft noise. A spokesman for the group said: “By organising public meetings, door-to-door leaflet distribution, a full social media campaign and engaging with local media, PlaneWrong has united communities, including villages from Coldharbour to South Nutfield, and the towns of Dorking, Reigate and Redhill. PlaneWrong presented its powerful 44-page submission for inclusion in the CAA’s Post Implementation Review (PIR) process. The objective of the PIR is to assess whether Gatwick implemented the change correctly.
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Letter: “Quality of life will be destroyed” if Gatwick is allowed to build a 2nd runway
A letter in the local West Sussex press, in the lady's own heart-felt words, expresses far better than any number of lengthy consultant reports, the impact of a 2nd Gatwick runway on people. She says: "We live in the village of Warnham and recently suffered the six month trial of the new proposed flight path - it was horrendous. It was unbearable being woken every morning before 6am with the continuous drones of these low flying aircraft. We did not move to a small village to be made to suffer this life changing nuisance. We have now received a letter from the CEO of Gatwick Airport which was a grovelling explanation of why Gatwick needs this extra runway and what advantages it will offer, also offering compensation in the way of money off council tax fees for the worst affected! How insulting is this! As if any amount of money could compensate for the misery caused by the noise of the aircraft. The impact on our health was huge, my husband was recovering from a double heart bypass and I have had several years of illness. What we need is for our lives to NOT be destroyed by this proposal, and make no mistake, it will destroy our quality of life and our mental health."
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Airports Commission adds an Addendum document on noise levels to its consultation
The Airports Commission put out their consultation on the three runway schemes, on 11th November. But on 19th December the Commission added a document on noise, entitled the "National and local noise assessment addendum". It was prepared for the Commission by Jacobs, as many other papers including those on noise. The addendum deals with Imminent/Future Aircraft Modelling Assumptions. There are tables indicating the noise levels of current and future aircraft; the latter must be partly speculative. Jacobs says these future aircraft types have been modelled by using an existing similar aircraft as a surrogate type and adjusting the noise levels as required, for arrivals and departures separately. The noise forecasts for the runway options partly depend on the noise level of the aircraft in future as well as a forecast of the mix of aircraft using each runway. There is inevitably a large degree of uncertainty in any such forecasts.
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Newark Airport aircraft noise targeted by New York Port Authority in 3-year, $6.6 million study
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is spending $6.6 million on a 3 year study on how to reduce aircraft noise at Newark Liberty International and Teterboro airports. There have been complaints by local residents for years about the level of aircraft noise. The $6.6 million is being paid to an airport noise consulting firm to prepare maps detailing aircraft noise levels for areas of northern New Jersey around the two airports. The study will begin next month, and last through till November 2017. The study is part of an FAA program that provides federal funds for mitigation projects when airport noise exceeds certain levels. The aim is to make noise tolerable, so there can be an increase in flights. The Port Authority and the FAA are developing new facilities to implement a new air traffic control system intended to meet increasing demand for air travel at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK, which already make up the busiest airport system in the country. A similar study began last month for Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in Queens. The president of a local citizens' group commented: “Will it result in the reduction of noise? Maybe, maybe not. What it will tell us is what people are being subjected to.” It might lead to a more fair dispersal of flights.
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Half of Heathrow’s busiest airlines miss landing noise reduction targets
Heathrow's own figures show that 25 of the busiest 50 airlines at Heathrow are missing landing noise targets. John Holland-Kaye said he has written to the airlines, to warn them amid continued problems with noise. Landing noise test scores were revealed by Heathrow in a 'Fly Quiet' table after monitoring between July and September this year. Airlines receive a red, amber or green rating for six noise-related categories, with green indicating the quietest performance and red the noisiest. Among the categories measured is the continuous descent approach (CDA), by which planes maintain a steady angle of approach (3 degrees) when landing, rather than descending in stages. CDA cuts fuel use and reduces noise compared to long periods of level flight because it requires less engine thrust and can keep aircraft higher for longer. But half Heathrow's airlines missed out on green CDA scores between July and September which is 5 less than in the preceding 3 months. Heathrow is hoping to cut noise from approaches a bit, by summer 2015, to try to persuade people a 3rd runway would be tolerable. The report ranks airlines by their noise performance.
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HACAN East’s official response to London City Airport’s flight path consultation
London City Airport has a public consultation on changes to its flight paths, which ends on 27th November. The consultation has been widely regarded as inadequate, as there is insufficient detail, and among those criticising the consultation are several councils. The community group representing people under London City Airport flight paths, HACAN East have published their consultation response. It says concentration of flight paths, without respite, is inequitable and will subject thousands to significantly more noise. They say this concentration without respite is contrary to Government policy, as the CAA itself states: "When seeking opportunities to provide respite for those already affected by aircraft noise it is important that decisions about respite should always be made after considering the specific local circumstances and through engagement with the local community." HACAN East also complains that the quality of the consultation has been poor. The airport did not directly tell local authorities, MPs, GLA or local residents, and refused to hold public meetings in, or leaflet, the affected areas. They are unimpressed at the claims flight path changes would contribute much in savings of carbon emissions.