Fair Air Charlotte Today

Citizens Committed to Reducing Aviation Noise by Advocating for Dispersion and Higher Altitudes of Local Air Traffic in Charlotte.

July 24, 2011
by WRT
0 comments

Attempts to communicate with FAA by South Charlotte homeowners.

DATE:             July 18, 2011

TO:                 Randy Babbitt – FAA Administrator


CC: Doug Murphy – FAA Regional Manager
Pearlis Johnson – FAA Deputy Regional Director

FROM:            James B. Baldwin, Jr. – 3432 Loch Stone Ct., Charlotte, NC  28210

SUBJECT:      Formal Noise Complaint

You know, if I had wanted to live near the airport I could have done so and paid far less for my house.  As it was, I chose a peaceful, park-like setting on 3Ž4 of an acre in the Cameron Wood subdivision.  Early on I could sit quietly on my back porch and listen through the woods to children laughing and playing all around me.  Now the excess, and repetitive airplane noise we all must deal with is just a shame.

About a year ago, my quiet haven became inundated with the sound of many jets taking off and landing (right over my house) from before 8AM in the morning until after 10 PM at night.  Initially I was irritated because I knew this was caused by the new runway opening up and none of being informed by our pal Jerry Orr that this would be the case.  I now understand from a grass-roots neighborhood organization that this constant noise has been created by the imposition of a special flight pattern devised by the airlines and the FAA.

Judging by the “Fair Air Charlotte Today” (FACT) web sight, many people have risen to the occasion to speak out about this excessive aviation noise.  Simply put, the problem here is the concentration of low-flying aircraft at many points during the day..  I (and we) understand the purpose behind the FAA’s actions but we ask that some common sense also be applied here.  Could flights be controlled out over the commercial I-77 corridor? Can planes gain higher altitude faster when taking off and maintain a higher altitude on there landing approach?   Can less aircraft be concentrated on any one flight pattern?

I am sure that none us has the technical skills to fix the problem, but we know that you and your staff does..  We are, however, interested in being a part of the solution.  We have all taken our time to voice our opinions and would hope you will formally let us know that you have heard us, and will respond by working with us to find a solution.

Thank You for your attention to this matter.

James B. “Jake” Baldwin, Jr.

June 1, 2011
by WRT
0 comments

How to Engage With the Airport and City

To date, neither the city nor the airport have affirmatively indicated to us how they intend to address this issue (let alone confirmed that they will address the issue).  We believe that the airport and city are in a better position than are isolated citizens to influence the federal government/ FAA on the RNAV issue.  Moreover, the airport and city certainly are in a better position to approach the airlines and encourage them to have their pilots more quickly reach higher altitudes upon departure, and to maintain higher altitudes until later in their approach.  Your written complaints, as well as your phone calls, to the city and airport may help them to consider being more responsive to our requests.  Suggested content is below.  Please consider posting any emails you send to the city or airport as a comment below, so that other readers can have a sense of the message we are sending.

Name:

Fair Air Charlotte Today  (FACT)

Purpose Statement:

FACT is an Association of Citizens and Neighborhoods Committed to Reducing Aviation Noise and Emissions by Advocating for Dispersion and Higher Altitudes of Local Air Traffic in Charlotte.  We Support the Use of the Latest Aviation Technology to Assure Optimum Performance of Aircraft, which also Protects and Enhances the Quality of Life for Residents in the Charlotte Region.

Airport Complaints:

Why are “official Airport complaints” needed? Based on what we have learned to date, the number of complaints regarding the dramatic change in air traffic patterns has NOT been significant enough to get the critical attention of Airport officials, the City of Charlotte, or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  In order to clearly communicate and document complaints to the Charlotte Airport, we encourage sending emails.  Often times when residents call the Airport, they are misinformed, or become discouraged or intimidated.  We believe it is very important for all residents in neighborhoods throughout our communities to make formal written complaints via email, and to continue to file follow-up complaints by email on a monthly or weekly (even daily) basis.   As long as the current air traffic pattern stays in effect, complaints need to be filed.   This problem is serious, and needs attention.

In preparing an email complaint, here are the things to consider including:

*   Your Name and Street Address (must include)

*   Request for Airport to send you confirmation of your complaint

*   Important items to consider mentioning:

-  Problem of concentrated low-flying planes.

-  Frequency of over-flights being as often as every 60 seconds.

-  Occurs from 7 AM until after 11:30 PM.

-  Home’s location is NOT near the Airport or aligned with the runways (assuming correct).

-  Air traffic needs to be dispersed beyond a few miles of the runways.

-  You have lived in your home for years, and NEVER had a problem (assuming that statement is accurate for you).

Here is the contact information for the airport and the city:

Contact the Mayor/Anthony Foxx:
Email: mayor@charlottenc.gov
Address: 600 East 4th Street, 15th Floor
Phone: 704-336-2241

Contact the City Manager/Curt Walton:
cwalton@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Same physical address as above.

Airpirt: Jerry Orr, Aviation 704‐359‐4003, tjorr@charlotteairport.com

    Sample Complaint 1:

    I am writing to register a formal complaint about the noise and disruption of continuous low-flying plans over my home and neighborhood. The planes fly over all day and late into the night, often times as frequently as every 45 to 60 seconds.  I have lived in this neighborhood for many years, and we have never had an issue with normal air traffic.  It is simply wrong to have low flying planes on the exact same flight path at distances of 7 to 15 miles from the end of the runway.  This situation is serious, and it needs to be changed.

    My  address is:  Joe Smith,  1212 Peaceful Street, Charlotte, NC  28278

    I request a written confirmation of your receipt of this complaint.

    Sample Complaint 2:

    My name is Mary White and my address is 1234 Quiet Drive, Charlotte, NC 282XX.  This is a written complaint, and I request that the Airport send me confirmation to document receipt.

    The new air traffic system implemented in Charlotte is causing continuous noise and disruption on our neighborhood.  We live more than XX miles from the Airport and XX miles east of the runways, yet we are subjected to 300 or more direct overflights every day.  We have lived in our home for XX years without air traffic issues, and suddenly face continuous low flying planes.  This is wrong.  What environmental assessment was done that would allow such a system to be implemented without a public forum?  Please advise me as to what is being done to address this situation, and let me know when we can expect some relief.

    Sample Complaint 3:

    Same email addresses.

    We are filing yet another complaint about the continuing problem of air traffic in our neighborhood and community.  There are clearly 300 to 400 flights a day following the exact same flight path and at low altitudes.  We DO NOT live near the airport and it is wrong to concentrate the air traffic beyond a few miles of the Airport.  Our address is XXXXX.   This problem must be addressed soon.  I request a written confirmation of the Airport’s receipt of this complaint.

    (Contributed by Pahl Davis and WRT)

     

    June 1, 2011
    by WRT
    5 Comments

    Did You Know?

    • For the past 30 years, Charlotte Douglas International Airport has operated under the fundamental philosophy of dispersion of planes beyond the immediate vicinity of the Airport’s runways.  This philosophy allowed for a peaceful coexistence between the Airport and the community.
    • Under RNAV, dozens of neighborhoods in the Charlotte region located 7 to 25 miles from the Airport are now subjected to 300 to 450 direct flyovers every day.
    • The FAA concluded that implementation of RNAV in Charlotte would have no significant impact on the human environment.  In making that determination, the FAA exempted themselves from doing required environmental work under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
    • Prior to implementing RNAV in Charlotte, neither the FAA nor the Airport conducted any public meetings or public hearings.
    • After repeated requests over the past 12 months, the FAA has not provided any written documentation to prove they followed the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) in exempting themselves from a detailed Environmental Impact Study in regard to implementing RNAV in Charlotte.
    • Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the 7th busiest airport in the United States in terms of the number of daily operations (takeoffs and landings).   With the exception of the overnight hours, a plane takes off or lands approximately every 40 seconds from 7:00 AM until 11:00 PM.
    • The Airport’s new runway, which was opened in spring of 2010, is NOT used for departures/takeoffs.  At this time, the new runway is used only for arrivals/landings.  In other words, the RNAV and climb out problems upon which FACT focuses appear, based on what we currently know, to have no connection to the new runway.
    • The Charlotte Airport is in the process of finalizing federal noise study (FAR Part 150 Study).  This study was initiated prior to RNAV, and the study does NOT take into account the change in noise exposure/contours that have resulted from super-concentration of flight tracks under RNAV.
    • Jerry Orr, the Aviation Director, attended a series of public meetings related to the Airport’s recent Noise Study (the FAR Part 150 Study).  According to FACT founder Pahl Davis, he has many comments  “on the record” indicating that RNAV was unfair to the community and that he was holding meetings to bring about changes.

    (Contributed by FACT founder Pahl Davis, 6/1/11).

    May 20, 2011
    by WRT
    0 comments

    New Air Traffic System Is A Major Problem In Charlotte

    During 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a new air traffic control system in Charlotte airspace, which is extremely negative for the Airport, for US Airways, and for the Charlotte community.  This Regional Navigation System (RNAV) was “pushed” into implementation by the FAA without required environmental studies or public input, resulting in a flawed system in critical need of immediate operational review/modification by the FAA.  Upgraded “Next Generation” RNAV technologies and methods already exist that can immediately address the unnecessary constraints of capacity at Charlotte Douglas, return the efficiencies for US Airways operations in Charlotte, and bring about much needed change for tens of thousands of Charlotte area residents living 7 to 25 miles from the Airport who are now “victims” of RNAV’s continuous streams of low-flying aircraft eighteen hours a day, seven days a week.

    Prior to the FAA’s implementation of the RNAV system in Charlotte, air traffic beyond the immediate vicinity (one to two miles) of the Airport runways was dispersed over a wide area, and all planes flew at much higher altitudes in local airspace.  Now we face:

    • No Dispersion of Air Traffic:  There is now zero dispersion of air traffic in local Charlotte airspace.  Subdivisions/communities located 7 to 25 miles from the Airport are being burdened with a constant stream of overflights.
    • Low Altitudes:  All planes are being intentionally held to extremely low altitudes in Charlotte airspace; often flying as low as 3,700 feet at a distance of 13 miles downfield from the airport.  Subdivisions within 7 miles of the Airport receive constant overflights at 2,500 feet.
    • 300 to 450 Overflights per Day:  These neighborhoods and communities 7 to 25 miles from the Airport have many hundreds of overflights day and night.
    • Frequency often 1 minute or less:  The overflights are virtually continuous.
    • Location:  The affected neighborhoods are NOT near Airport.  This issue is not related to the new runway, or immediate proximity to the Airport. Affected neighborhoods were built long before this issue arose in 2010, so this is not a case where the complainants have “come to the nuisance,” or bargained for homes affected by the noise (i.e., we did not acquire our property at a lower purchase price because we knew of the noise issue — the RNAV noise problem did not exist at time of purchase).
    • Disruption & Noise:  The planes continually fly the same precise routes each time over quiet suburbs (even rural areas), causing serious noise issues.

    This new Air Traffic Issue is truly a major problem for Charlotte and US Airways, and a comprehensive regional approach is necessary to get the FAA “to the table” to fully acknowledge the problems that have been created and to make necessary changes/modification.  Charlotte and surrounding communities will benefit along with the airline industry, and there will be no compromise with respect to air traffic safety.

    RETURN DISPERSION & HIGHER ALTITUDES TO LOCAL AIR TRAFFIC IN CHARLOTTE

     

    May 20, 2011
    by WRT
    0 comments

    Executive Summary: Statement of Charlotte’s RNAV Airport Noise Issue

    Spring 2011

    Air Traffic Issue-Charlotte Region

    Executive Summary

     

    During 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a new air traffic control system in Charlotte airspace, which is extremely negative for Charlotte Douglas International Airport, for US Airways, and for the Charlotte community.  This new system (called RNAV which stands for Regional Navigation) is part of the much-anticipated Next Generation aviation technology, but the specific implementation of RNAV in local Charlotte airspace needs immediate improvements/modifications by the FAA.  Upgraded “NextGen” technologies and methods already exist that will immediately remove the constraints of capacity that RNAV has caused at Charlotte Douglas, return the efficiencies for US Airways operations in Charlotte, and bring about much needed change for tens of thousands of Charlotte area residents living 8 to 25 miles from the Airport who are now “victims” of RNAV’s continuous streams of low-flying aircraft eighteen hours a day, seven days a week.

     

    This Air Traffic Issue is no secret among officials at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, US Airways, and the FAA (nor is it a secret among thousands of Charlotte area residents.)  Jerry Orr/Aviation Director knows the magnitude of the problem and has been working quietly to try to get the FAA to address the matter for more than a year. Rather than flying the most efficient and cost-effective routes when departing and arriving in Charlotte, the airlines are now being forced to fly at artificially low altitudes along circuitous routes in local airspace.  The resulting inefficiencies are constraining the Airport’s capacity for takeoffs and landings, and are costing the airlines billions of dollars in fuel-burn and lost time. Charlotte Airport officials and their aviation industry consultants are “on the record” as to the very negative consequences of the new air traffic pattern, and are committed to engaging the FAA to implement changes to flight procedures in Charlotte to return dispersion and higher altitudes for local air traffic.  US Airways is fully supporting these efforts.

     

    The FAA has been extremely reluctant to acknowledge and address the problems thus far.  While Jerry Orr and his team may have made some headway with the FAA very recently, it is still highly likely that it could take years to see the needed improvements/modifications.  And more importantly, there is no assurance that the FAA will take any meaningful action at all.      This Air Traffic Issue is truly a major problem for Charlotte and US Airways, and a comprehensive regional approach is necessary to get the FAA “to the table” to fully acknowledge the problems that have been created and to make necessary changes/modification.  Charlotte and surrounding communities will benefit along with the airline industry, and there will be no compromise with respect to air traffic safety.

     

     

    The following is a summary of facts and major points:

     

    • Prior to the FAA’s implementation of the RNAV system in Charlotte in 2010, air traffic beyond the immediate vicinity (one to two miles) of the airport runways was dispersed over a wide area, and all planes flew at much higher altitudes in local airspace.  This system was efficient for the airport and the airlines and resulted in a broad distribution of planes (and any related noise and emissions issues).
    • The RNAV system in place in Charlotte has all departing and arriving flights in local airspace on a few densely concentrated, low-flying GPS-precise “rails”.  There is now virtually zero dispersion of local Charlotte air traffic.
    • The current RNAV system could easily be adapted to incorporate dispersion and increased altitudes.  Advanced NextGen technology already exists (Performance-based Navigation) that could provide a nearly unlimited number of safe, precise and higher-altitude flight paths through local Charlotte airspace and beyond.  This “higher form” of technology is what the Charlotte Airport and US Airways are pushing for, and it will mean greater capacity, more efficient operations, and safeguarding the quality of life in the Charlotte region.
    • Under the current RNAV system, the capacity of Charlotte Douglas International Airport is constrained (even with the fourth runway open), which is leading to unnecessary delays and inefficiencies in takeoffs and landings.
    • Under the current RNAV system, US Airways is experiencing excessive fuel-burn and time delays in Charlotte, its largest hub airport.  These inefficiencies are costing the airlines billions of dollars annually.
    • FAA data/records confirm that some neighborhoods and communities 8 to 25 miles from the airport are now burdened with 350 to 450 low-altitude departure overflights per day that often occur at frequencies of 60 seconds or less.
    • FAA data further confirms that altitudes of larger planes are as low as 3700 feet at a distance of 13 miles downfield from the airport.
    • Under pressure to speed up the implementation of NextGen technology, the FAA pushed forward with the RNAV system in Charlotte without appropriate due diligence and public input.  Instead the FAA used its administrative authority (under a Categorical Exclusion) to circumvent standard environmental requirements.
    • Not only have the Airport and US Airways’ operations been negatively impacted by RNAV, there are now severe noise and emissions issues throughout the community caused by hundreds of low flying planes on a limited number of flight tracks.  The negative effects of long-term exposure to continuous overhead air traffic cannot be ignored.
    • Noise measurement standards used by the FAA are simply inadequate to address the noise caused by continuous overflights in quiet suburban and rural areas at significant distances from the airport.
    • The Airport Director/Jerry Orr is “on the record” (currently and for the past 3 years in public meetings) as against the concentration of flights beyond the immediate vicinity of the airport, and in support of dispersion for both departures and arrivals.
    • Dispersion of air traffic in Charlotte airspace has been a fundamental component of the Airport’s operations for the past 25 years.  Dispersion allowed for widespread community support for continued expansion of the Airport over the years.
    • The FAA is a huge bureaucracy and unresponsive.  There needs to be pressure exerted on the FAA on behalf of the Airport, the Airline Industry, the City of Charlotte, and the citizens of this area to address the RNAV inefficiencies and noise problems.  RNAV’s, as currently implemented, are very detrimental to the community and the airlines.
    • Charlotte (City leaders, residents, lawmakers, etc) needs to engage with Jerry Orr and US Airways to determine the best course of action with the FAA.  We need a regional solution for the benefit of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the community and the airline industry.