Community forum to explain new satellite-based control system for planes
After you vote Tuesday, you can come to downtown McLean and hear about a new plan to alleviate airplane noise over the neighborhood.
Noise from low-flying airplanes has long been a subject of discussion and complaint for many residents of McLean, especially those who live in the expensive addresses near the Potomac River.
The McLean Citizens Association and Cong.Frank Wolf, R-Va, are cosponsoring a community forum to discuss a new FAA satellite-based system which should help alleviate noise from airplanes.
The forum will be held 7pm Tuesday at the Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean. Representatives from the FAA will brief the community on the new GPS system.
"I got a message from Congressman Wolf's office stating that because of our interest, the controllers would like to talk about their new system that they've got," said Rob Jackson, president of the McLean Citizens Association.
"It should provide better control with less noise, with safety for all of the passengers, which is very important," he said.
Rather than having the FAA explain the new system to a small group of community leaders, Jackson said he recommended a public forum because of the high level of interest.
Although November 8 is Election Day, it was one of the few dates that could accommodate the public forum, Jackson said.
Arlene Salac, spokesperson for the FAA, said that pilots attempt to closely follow the path of the Potomac River in order to reduce noise. But until now they have had to rely on visual skills alone to do so.
"The new GPS system will allow them to be more precise," she said. This should enable pilots to avoid flying directly over homes in McLean and Washington located along the river. Some of the McLean homes that have been affected by low-flying airplane noise are multi-million dollar homes with influential homeowners.
There can be as many as 450 planes that flyover the Potomac River, near McLean, each day during takeoff or landing at Reagan National Airport, depending upon the wind and the weather. Currently, the FAA has no time frame for implementing the system. More information about the new system will be available at Tuesday's forum.
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