The Noise Pollution Clearninghouse (NPC) has published "The Failure of America's Aviation Noise Abatement Policy". This 32 page booklet outlines citizen's top 5 concerns about aviation noise.

The study draws several interesting conclusions. Among the more interesting are some very clear common concerns among those who provided comments to the FAA. The top five issues were:

Nighttime sleep issues (ban night flights). 998 of the commenters raised this issue. While the FAA rarely mentions sleep interference, it's clearly the number one complaint among people who have to live with jet noise.

Aviation noise is getting worse. 759 commenters mentioned that the noise problem is getting worse, not better as the FAA has led many people to believe. Because newer aircraft are quieter, the FAA has projected various improvements. But, it's obvious from the comments, these improvements are not being realized. Some likely explanations are that a large number of allegedly quieter Stage 3 aircraft are in fact as noisy as some of the older Stage 2 models (the very popular MD-80 series is the most obvious example). It's also because the number of flights keeps growing.

Aviation noise is unjust. 686 people noted that justice and fairness were often not applied to how aviation noise is distributed. Many commenters suggested FAA officials should have to live under the flight tracks they create!

The current use of the 65 DNL noise measurement is inadequate. 261 people mentioned this as one of their top concerns. The FAA has long used 65 DNL noise contours to define "impacted areas" around airports. They consider people living outside these areas to be relatively non-impacted when in fact, those living in 60 DNL and even 55 DNL areas can suffer greatly from aviation noise. Even the EPA has suggested that 55 DNL is a better criterion. Some want to see DNL replaced entirely with a better measurement.

Increase local control of airports. The fifth most mentioned top concern, with 202 comments, is a request to restore more airport control to the surrounding communities. Federal legislation in the last few decades has all but completely removed local control of airports. The feds have done a poor job of minimizing impacts, as promised, and many suggest it's time to restore some control back to those who have to live with and benefit from nearby airports.

SCAA has a limited number of copies of the full study available. Please contact us if you're interested in obtaining a copy.