FedEx senior pilot on a mission to quiet the jet noise around Los Angeles International Airport

Dan Delane, one of FedEx's top pilots in Los Angeles, is something of an idealist. When it comes to flying, he likes to see things as they could be. And he thinks airplanes operating at Los Angeles International Airport can be quieter than they are today, using existing technology.

"I'm a one-man Don Quixote to make it happen," he said recently in his LAX office overlooking the airfield's southernmost runway.

Delane said airline pilots take more steps to reduce noise on nearby communities than most residents realize. He noted that it is standard LAX procedure to fly as high and as far off the coast as possible, and that pilots at all airlines are not permitted to deviate from approved courses.

At departure, he said, planes usually take off over the ocean and generally reach 12,000 feet before they are back over land.

But in recent months, Delane has taken further steps, asking FedEx pilots to be especially cognizant of noise whenever it is safe to do so. And that has won him kudos from many community activists, including Denny Schneider, president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion.

FedEx is a relatively small operator at LAX, with 16 arrivals and 16 departures on most days. But more than half of the package carrier's flights occur at night, so Schneider said FedEx's willingness to help the community is particularly important. Many of the noise-related changes could also save FedEx money by making the airplanes more efficient.

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