“Walk with me.”
That’s not something you want to hear from Bob, the owner of the airport where I base my airplane.
“One of our neighbors said you flew directly over their property east of the field.”
“Ummm…,” was the only response I could muster at the moment. I knew better than to try to deny it.
“You can’t deny it,” Bob said as if reading my mind “I have a beautiful picture of the bottom of your airplane!”
The neighbor—the one who sits in their lawn chair with a camera ready to take incriminating photographs of every overflight—had thoughtfully provided the picture to Bob.
“That’s me all right,” I admitted. “I’m sorry, Bob. I know better. I wish I could tell you why I did that. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Anytime you have airports and homes in close proximity, you’ll have encounters like this. It doesn’t matter who was there first—it’s about getting along.
It’s not the aircraft flying overhead that upset homeowners so much, it is the noise from the aircraft that upset the people on the ground.
Noise from powered aircraft is an issue pretty much everywhere you find airplanes and people who (gasp) don’t love aviation as much as we pilots do. To these people, the aviation-adverse, airplanes are noisy nuisances they would like to see go away.
- The “four forces against flight” these folks often raise are:
- Noise
- Pollution (often touted as lead pollution)
- Perceived safety threat
- Tax income (shopping centers and subdivisions pay more property tax than airfields)
The latter is a big one for cities and counties that are airport sponsors. There is also often resentment from homeowners near the airport who operate with the idea that pilots are wealthy and flying is merely a hobby. Having those (unwanted) airplanes going over their homes is akin to living on a golf course and having your windows broken by someone’s crazy drive.
Noise Abatement Procedures
In an effort to keep the peace—in more ways than one—many airports work with the local community to try to establish noise abatement procedures.
First and foremost, they must be consistent with safety.
Suggestions for noise management:
- Identify and avoid noise sensitive areas. While some noise-sensitive areas are depicted by airport management and maps indicating these areas are posted in FBOs and flight schools, why don’t we consider all residential and recreational areas to be noise sensitive. Maintain an altitude of at least 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle.
Remember, your aircraft can be easily tracked with ADS-B, and if the persons on the ground report you to the FAA for low altitude, perceived as dangerous noisy flight, you are the one who will have to answer questions and may face sanctions. It’s not worth it. Be part of the background din, not an annoying intruder. - Make extra effort to avoid overflying designated noise sensitive areas and follow the published procedures. For example, Truckee-Tahoe Airport (KTKR) in California has developed a robust Fly Quiet program. Make researching the noise abatement procedures of airports part of your pre-flight planning. Many airports have this information published online.
Some other ideas include the following (but remember, safety first always):
- On takeoff, gain altitude quickly while still within the airport’s boundaries. Request the longest runway available and line up using every foot of it. Do not accept intersection departures (as if we need another reason not to leave runway behind).
- To mitigate noise, many airports recommend a minimum altitude before turns are made.
- Many noise sensitive airports and touch-and-go curfews. Respect them. During touch-and-goes, plan your touchdown for the first third of the runway. Landing long means you have less time to gain altitude before you pass over noise-sensitive areas.
- In high-performance aircraft, particularly if constant-speed propeller equipped, after reaching a safe altitude and preferably while still within the airport’s boundaries, accelerate to cruise-climb airspeed and set cruise-climb power.
- When landing, aim to touch down on the first third of the runway. Plan your approach so that you don’t need excessive power to maintain your glide path.
Finally, remember that you, the pilot, are the final authority for the safe operation of the aircraft. Don’t compromise safety for noise abatement.
“The future of many general aviation airports depends heavily upon the public’s perception of them,” said Christopher Parker of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. “Noise abatement programs help alleviate the public’s concern over aircraft noise while balancing the needs of airport users and the interests of local residents.
“By using the noise abatement techniques presented here, we, as pilots, can make a positive contribution to the quality of our environment and the survival of general aviation.”
