Skip to main content

Reagan National Community Noise Working Group

Reagan National Airport, Terminal A - Historic Lobby Conference Center
The Airports Authority continues its outreach efforts in response to community concerns regarding Reagan National aircraft noise affecting residential areas in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
A Reagan National Community Noise Working Group was established in October 2015 to engage broad-based community participation to identify practical aircraft noise solutions and recommendations to the FAA.
Working Group voting stakeholders include community members appointed by elected officials from local jurisdictions, and two airline representatives:
  • Airlines:     American Airlines, Metropolitan Washington Airlines Committee
  • D.C.:           Wards 2, 3, 6, 7, 8
  • Maryland:  Montgomery County:  Bethesda, Potomac
                       Prince George's County:  Accokeek, Fort Washington
  • Virginia:     City of Alexandria
                        Arlington County:  North/South
                        Fairfax County:  At-Large, Dranesville, Mount Vernon
The Airports Authority serves as the facilitator for Working Group meetings and recommendations.  The Airports Authority and FAA serve as non-voting, advisory Working Group members.  The Airports Authority will forward recommendations approved and endorsed by the Working Group to the FAA for consideration and action.
Topics considered by the Working Group include issues related to:
  • D.C. Metroplex - Standard Arrival and Standard Instrument Departure Procedures
  • North and South Flow Operating Conditions
  • Early-morning and Late-night Airline Schedules
  • DCA Nighttime Noise Rule History and Enforcement
  • Airline Fleet Mix
  • Noise Monitoring System


MWAA CWG Recommendation 15
That the FAA propose one or more solutions to mitigate noise levels and frequency of noise
events experienced by people living below the flight path of north flow arrivals on Runway 1. In
developing such solutions, we ask that the FAA give serious consideration to the following
strategies:
1. Raising the altitude at which aircraft fly over populated areas.
2. Changing flight paths to reduce concentration of flights along a single path.
3. Maximizing time over water by creating an alternate flight path following the
Potomac River from a point between Indian Head, MD, and Occoquan Bay.
4. Creating one or more alternate flight paths designed to reduce the number of noise

events over the same populated area, while giving airlines a more fuel and time-
efficient path option, based on the direction from their point of departure.

Reasoning:
The Working Group has made various suggestions over the years, and each has been summarily
rejected by the FAA. We believe it will be more useful for the FAA to develop solutions it deems
more appropriate to present to the WG.

Comments

Popular Posts

What is NoiseQuest?

NoiseQuest is your source for information on aviation and airport noise. Our goal is to improve the relationship between airports and their surrounding communities. Where Does the information on NoiseQuest come from? Government documents News articles Research journals Aviation practices Mission statement This website was developed to provide educational information on aviation noise. The initial site development was supported by the Federal Aviation Administration through the PARTNER Center of Excellence under grants to researchers at The Pennsylvania State University and Purdue University. The ongoing development and enhancement of the NoiseQuest site is supported by the Federal Aviation Administration through the ASCENT Center of Excellence under grants to researchers at The Pennsylvania State University. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Fed...

New Helicopter Noise Complaint System for National Capital Region

  I received this information from Anne Hollander - Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition. Subject: New Helicopter Noise Complaint System for National Capital Region So many of us have been disturbed by low-flying helicopters. We finally got a method to file Helicopter noise complaints. https://www.arlnow.com/press-releases/beyer-regional-officials-unveil-new-helicopter-noise-complaint-system/ A 2021 report by the General Accounting Office (GAO), originally requested by Beyer and other members of the [Quiet Skies] Caucus,  [including MD Representative Jamie Raskin],  recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “develop a mechanism to exchange helicopter noise information with operators in the D.C. area.” The just-announced pilot program was developed with this recommendation in mind and will be evaluated by FAA for potential permanent adoption after a 60-day trial run. “It is important to note that  this system is a pilot program ,...

FAA Noise Portal

  FAA Noise Portal Provide only the privacy information requested below in the associated fields. Do not provide any additional information beyond what is requested. Submitting Multiple Complaints The FAA will not respond to the same general complaint or inquiry from the same individual more than once. The same general complaint or inquiry is one that does not differ in general principal from a previous complaint, and that would generate the same FAA response. Go to this FAA website to complete the form and submit it to the FAA: https://noise.faa.gov/noise/pages/noise.html Go to this FAA website to see the FAA policy on addressing airport nose: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Policy on Addressing Aircraft Noise Complaints and Inquiries from the Public (last updated 12/04/2019) Copy of form to report airport noise to the FAA: FAA Noise Portal Provide only the privacy information requested below in the associated fields. Do not provide any additional information beyond what is ...

Against Beltway Expansion

[PGSC Climate Action] Join Me in Speaking Out Against the Beltway Expansion Our community's health and future are on the line. On October 15th, the Transportation Planning Board will vote on the "Southside Project," a massive beltway expansion that would increase air pollution and traffic in our neighborhoods. I shared in my testimony, this isn't just about traffic, it's personal. I was diagnosed with environmentally triggered asthma at the age of 37, a condition worsened by vehicle pollution. This expansion would fill our air with more harmful pollutants like PM2.5 and ozone, which are known to aggravate respiratory conditions and pose a risk to all of us. But our voices can make a difference. The board needs to hear how this project will impact real people. Will you join me in writing a letter? Share your own story, whether it's concerns about your family's health, the dangerous traffic on roads like MD-210, or the need for better transit options instead...

The FAA routes 70,000 aircraft over Accokeek every year. So many of us don’t seem to realize the jet exhaust is affecting our health.

The FAA routes 70,000 aircraft over Accokeek every year. So many of us don’t seem to realize the jet exhaust is affecting our health. Read the following article.   Pollution from aviation emissions has significant  health  impacts   https://www.aef.org.uk/2015/08/11/pollution-from-aviation-emissions-has-significant-health-impacts/   Filed in  Air Pollution ,  Health ,  News from the AEF   Tagged as  air pollution ,  Massachusetts Institute of Technology ,  ozone ,  pm2.5   Aug 11 2015   A  new study  by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has estimated that long term exposure to aviation related ozone and fine particulates (specifically PM2.5, the smallest particles) contributes to 16,000 premature deaths a year worldwide, costing an estimated $21 billion a year.   The study considered the health impact of near airport, regional and global emissions, estimating...