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

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 ...

Energy Resilient:

What it Means to be Energy Resilient: Preparing for and Bouncing Back from Power Disruptions Energy resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to energy disruptions, as well as the capacity to rapidly recover from them. In an era of increasing extreme weather events, cybersecurity threats, and an aging electrical grid, the concept has become a critical priority for communities, businesses, and governments worldwide. It's about ensuring a reliable and continuous supply of energy to power our essential services and daily lives, even when the unexpected happens. While often used interchangeably, energy resilience is distinct from energy reliability. Reliability refers to the day-to-day consistency of the power supply under normal conditions—preventing routine outages. Resilience, on the other hand, is about withstanding and recovering from major, often unforeseen, events like hurricanes, wildfires, cyberattacks, or physical attacks on infrastructure.

The Cornerstones of Energy Resilience

  The Cornerstones of Energy Resilience Achieving energy resilience is a multi-faceted endeavor built on several key principles: Robustness: Hardening energy infrastructure to withstand physical damage. This can include elevating substations in flood-prone areas, burying power lines to protect them from high winds, and using stronger materials for utility poles. Redundancy: Having backup systems in place. This can range from individual homeowners having portable generators to hospitals having sophisticated uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Resourcefulness and Diversity: Utilizing a variety of energy sources to avoid over-reliance on a single fuel or technology. A diverse energy portfolio, including renewables like solar and wind, alongside traditional sources, can provide more flexibility during a crisis. Flexibility and Adaptability: The ability to reconfigure energy systems in real-time to respond to changing conditions. Smart grids and advanced control technologies can a...

Inequalities in exposure to noise

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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...

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...