Friday, November 13, 2020

Changes in how planes approach and leave Raleigh-Durham International Airport (KRDU) may reduce noise, but will anyone notice?

 



MORRISVILLE -- The Federal Aviation Administration is changing the way planes approach and take off from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and some people on the ground might notice the difference.

The FAA says the new procedures will allow planes to approach and leave the airport more efficiently and safely, by following pre-programmed routes that keep planes at a safe distance from each other.

Frequent flyers may notice a smoother glide to the runway or an uninterrupted climb to cruising altitude. There may also be fewer flight delays, because the procedures should help planes arrive and depart on time, according to the FAA.

The Federal Aviation Administration is changing the way planes approach and take off from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and some people on the ground might notice the difference.

The FAA says the new procedures will allow planes to approach and leave the airport more efficiently and safely, by following pre-programmed routes that keep planes at a safe distance from each other.

Frequent flyers may notice a smoother glide to the runway or an uninterrupted climb to cruising altitude. There may also be fewer flight delays, because the procedures should help planes arrive and depart on time, according to the FAA.

“We’re not changing that, so those communities that are closer in shouldn’t see any changes,” O’Harra said in an interview. “We try to avoid over-promising, if that makes sense.”

The FAA will explain the new procedures and answer questions during a virtual meeting that begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. For information on how to tune in, go to www.faa.gov/air_traffic/community_involvement/rdu/.

The new procedures can reduce noise from planes at higher altitudes as they both approach and depart the airspace around RDU.

In a traditional approach, pilots descend in a stair-step fashion, reducing altitude then revving the engines to level off before descending again.

But starting early next year, most planes approaching RDU will follow a steady descent programmed into their computers, allowing the plane to glide almost at idle, with less engine noise.

Similarly, the new process will allow pilots to climb more directly, with less leveling off on the way up. That means planes will get farther from the ground faster, theoretically causing less noise for people below.

Planes will follow the same paths in and out of RDU as they do now, with one exception. The approaches from the north will shift a bit, though O’Harra says most of the changes will occur “above 6,000 feet, so over a mile in the sky.”

The bottom line, he said: “If you hear planes today, you’re likely to hear planes in the future. And if you don’t hear planes today, you’re not likely to hear them in the future.”

AIRPLANE NOISE AN ISSUE IN MORRISVILLE

The new procedures come as RDU and the Town of Morrisville are debating how aircraft noise should continue to shape development in the town.

Town officials are proposing to allow apartments and condominiums north of N.C. 54, in a zone known as the Airport Overlay District. Residential development is currently banned from the district because of noise from planes approaching and taking off from RDU.

But town officials say planes are much quieter now than when the overlay district was created in the 1990s and that they take off and land in narrower flight paths. They say that with stricter insulation and window standards, the town should be able to let developers build multi-family housing in a planned transit-oriented development district near the Wake Tech Community College campus and in an undeveloped area made accessible by the recent completion of McCrimmon Parkway between Airport Boulevard and Aviation Parkway.

But RDU officials say allowing people to live closer to the airport will only invite hard feelings from residents as the airport grows. RDU spent millions fighting and then settling lawsuits over noise in the late 1980s, but Peter Kirsch, an attorney for the airport, said litigation is not the only concern.

“Much more important is the level of community unrest, the level of community concern, frankly the number of times that people come to speak at town council meetings and authority meetings,” Kirsch said during a meeting of RDU Airport Authority and town council members earlier this week.

“Almost all instances of noise problems around airports come from people who moved in to the area once the airport was there,” he continued. “Although we as lawyers can protect against liability, we can’t protect against political pressure and political concern.”

At least two council members replied that RDU has attracted far more political hard feelings by leasing 105 acres of airport land near Umstead State Park for a stone quarry. Council member Donna Fender said residents understand that having planes overhead comes along with living in Morrisville.

“I have not heard one complaint from a resident about airplane noise,” Fender said. “I’ve heard lots of complaints about the potential quarry going in right beside Umstead park. If you’re truly worried about angry residents, and truly concerned about doing no harm, you wouldn’t be leasing the public land for another quarry right beside our beautiful state park.”

Airport and town officials say they will continue talking about potential changes to the Airport Overlay District to try to find common ground.

“I think we’re trying to find the right answer to this,” Airport Authority chairman John Kane said as the meeting concluded. “And I think with continued dialogue we will find the right answer.”

As for the FAA, O’Harra said the agency is not likely to weigh in on zoning and land-use decisions in Morrisville.

“But obviously,” he continued, “we would be concerned about development that would create new noise concerns from houses around the airport.”

1 comment:

  1. Airport Activity
    GA Local:
    GA Itinerant: 45,544
    Commercial: 106,157
    Air Taxi: 24,886
    Military: 1,858
    (12-month period ending on 12/31/18)

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