https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=96479

This has been in the works for many years, and finally just surfaced. Comments are due by March 15, 2021. Not a lot of time.

This is a very dense, long survey and set of supporting documents. The short story is that local communities historically only have the legal ability to regulate airport activities if the Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) exceeds a certain threshold established by federal law. That threshold was based on studies of noise levels surrounding airports. This study claims that more people are "highly annoyed" by aircraft noise than were previously found to be under previous studies, and that more people are "highly annoyed" by airplane noise than by other kinds of noise.

This new study lays the groundwork for trying to reduce the federal threshold for local communities to regulate airports. Whenever this happens, it's the NIMBYs and developers who show up and pressure local politicians to shut the airport down, impose curfews, fines, fees etc.

There are a lot of problems with the study, but the most important is the that it appears to have been biased in its construction. That shows up in the conclusion that people are more bothered by airplane noise than they are by noise at the same level but from different sources.

Airplane noise is the only specific source of noise the survey asked about. Other sources are cars, traffic, neighbors and "other." (There are other quality of life questions that were included in order to camoflage that the focus of the study was airport noise.) There were also a bunch of follow up questions that were specifically directed at how responsive the airport, politicians, and pilots were to airport noise concerns. If they had asked about leaf blowers, motorcycles, sirens, train horns, etc. and had asked similar follow up questions, the responses would likely have been quite different. We've seen that in surveys around our local airport that included a fair and specific list of other noise sources for comparison. Airplane noise is no different than any other kind of noise.

Another fundamental fallacy is the idea that, by applying multiple layers of complex statistical analysis, you can create something objective and scientific out of something that is fundamentally subjective and unquantifiable. It's like doing a survey to find out the what the best kind of food, music or sex is under different circumstances. It looks pretty with all of those tables and graphs, and it may work for marketing and selling stuff, but it's not a legitimate basis for making transportation policy and regulating individual freedom to travel.

So, please send in comments and spread the word. Blue skies.

CAVU

Well-spotted, thank you!

Public comments are solicited via the actual FRN (Federal Register Notice) link:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/13/2021-00564/overview-of-faa-aircraft-noise-policy-and-research-efforts-request-for-input-on-research-activities

Voluminous to be sure, but this is our chance to strategically affect policy.

Suggest reviewing the still-growing Public Comments and note the difference between well-reasoned versus just-cranky submittals. All submittals are reviewed, so please be among the well-reasoned when you press SEND.

pat