------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Urban noise pollution is worst in poor and minority neighborhoods and segregated cities Nation Oct 7, 2017 3:43 PM EDT https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/urban-noise-pollution-worst-poor-minority-neighborhoods-segregated-cities "Most Americans think of cities as noisy places – but some parts of U.S. cities are much louder than others. Nationwide, neighborhoods with higher poverty rates and proportions of black, Hispanic and Asian residents have higher noise levels than other neighborhoods. In addition, in more racially segregated cities, living conditions are louder for everyone, regardless of their race or ethnicity.....  Scientists have documented that environmental hazards, such as air pollution and hazardous waste sites, are   not evenly distributed   across different populations. Often socially disadvantaged groups such as racial minorities, the poor and th...

When I first started to investigate the airport noise problems in southern Maryland, I did not know anything about the north landing at DCA.  We have problems with NextGen that are unique. For the north landing, ATC at DCA direct airplane to fly due south of DCA as far as La Plata Maryland. the aircraft then make a 180 turn and fly to DCA. I have counted as many as nine aircraft lined up to land at DCA.  The aircraft uses GPS signals and electronics on each aircraft to broadcast their position Each aircraft and the ATC knows where each plane is at any given moment. Using this technology, the DCA ATC can bring in each aircraft to land at DCA one after the other. This process reduces the amount of time it would have taken to bring in aircraft in a given period. From my research, the process is somewhat automatic and requires less control from human air traffic controllers.  The FAA prefers the north landing due to fewer resources required. I believe another reas...

“The Arlington, County Board plans to ante up half the projected cost for a consultant, with the Montgomery County Council putting up the other half. The agreement will ratify a less formal arrangement between the two jurisdictions that has been in effect since last summer.” “At issue is the new flight routing implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2014 as part of its Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The routing continues to take aircraft departing northbound up the Potomac River past Bethesda to the east and McLean to the west. Yet unlike previous route patterns, which diffused aircraft across a wider expanse of terrain, NextGen concentrates the aircraft over tighter corridors as they ascend to reach cruising altitude.” “Arlington government officials plan to formalize their agreement with leaders in Montgomery County, Md., to fund a study on the northerly aircraft departure route out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.” ...

Ever wondered why flight times seem to be getting longer? It’s called “padding”, a phenomenon that helps airlines arrive on time – but at a cost. – The BBC By Kathryn B. Creedy 9 April 2019 “In the 1960s it took five hours to fly from New York to Los Angeles, and just 45 minutes to hop from New York to Washington, DC. Today, these same flights now take six-plus hours and 75 minutes respectively, although the airports haven’t moved further apart.” “It’s called “schedule creep”, or padding. And it’s a secret the airlines don’t want you to know about, especially given the spillover effects for the environment.” “Padding is the extra time airlines allow themselves to fly from A to B. Because these flights were consistently late, airlines have now baked delays experienced for decades into their schedules instead of improving operations.” http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190405-the-secret-about-delays-airlines-dont-want-you-to-know

What is NextGen? NextGen is the FAA-led modernization of our nation’s air transportation system. Its goal is to increase the safety, efficiency, capacity, predictability, and resiliency of American aviation. This overhaul brings together innovative technologies, capabilities, and procedures that improve how we fly from departure to arrival. Airlines,  general aviation  operators, pilots, and  air traffic controllers gain better information and tools that help passengers and cargo arrive at their destinations more quickly, while aircraft consume less fuel and produce fewer  emissions . This transformation is being achieved through an ongoing rollout of improvements which began in 2007. NextGen remains on target to have all major components in place by 2025. The modernization of the National Airspace System is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in U.S. history. https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/what_is_nextgen/ ---------------------------...

As a result of the FAA’s NextGen program, the noise in southern Prince George’s Country has become a problem. The FAA direct over Accokeek Maryland approximately 70,000 aircraft a year using the north flow arrivals, approximately 200 airplanes a day. If you love your children, love your spouse and love your self you should read this article. Out of self-interest, you should get involved in organized opposition to the FAA implementation of the D.C. metroplex Regan North landing. The noise from overhead aircraft is constant on most days from approximately 6 am until midnight. The FAA direct over Accokeek approximately 70,000 aircraft a year using the north flow arrivals, approximately 200 airplanes a day. Most aircraft fly at an altitude of fewer than 2,500 feet. Research indicates this emission from aircraft jet engines travels as far as 10 miles in every direction. “The Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment is a research lab in the MIT Depar...

Using the Day-Night Average Sound Level Annoyance due to Noise Noise comes from many sources, not just aviation. As a result, the level of noise someone experiences day to day can depend on many different factors. Noise in small suburban areas compared with busy urban centers may be very different and result in different types of challenges when looking to address aircraft noise. There are also many different factors that determine how much aircraft noise is experienced on the ground: What model aircraft and what type of engines are being used for each flight? Are the aircraft taking off or landing? What is the flight path of the flights going overhead? How quickly does each plane ascend and descend? Is the aircraft operating at full power or partial power? Noise experienced on the ground also depends on flight schedules, which can vary depending on the time of day, season of the year, or other operational factors. Weather also plays a large role, since sound attenua...

The Quiet Skies Caucus in the United States Congress seeks to raise awareness on the issue of aircraft noise and find meaningful solutions to the problem. The caucus consists of congressional representatives from across the country whose constituents have been impacted by the FAA's NextGen program.   https://nqsc.org/Caucus.html     CONGRESSIONAL QUIET SKIES CAUCUS   ELEANOR   HOLMES NORTON   (DC) D   RUBEN GALLEGO (AZ-7) D   DANIEL LIPINSKI (IL-3) D   DAVID SCOTT (GA-13) D   TED LIEU (CA-33) D   ADAM  SCHIFF  ( CA-28) D   KATHLEEN  RICE     (NY-4) D   SCOTT PETERS (CA-52)    YVETTE CLARK   (NY-9) D   ADAM SMITH (WA-9) D   GRACE NAPOLITANO (CA-32) D   BARBARA LEE   (CA-13) D   JAMES HIMES (CT-4) D   DARREN SOTO     ( FL-9) D   JIMMY PANETTA   (CA-20) D   ...