Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 16 February 2018
Phoenix legal defeat prompts FAA to address noise concerns

By ANITA SNOW Following the court ruling,
PHOENIX (AP) — Nearly Phoenix and the FAA on
100 people strolled through Nov. 30 announced a joint
the high school cafeteria plan aimed at resolving
throughout the evening, the dispute. Under the plan
studying colored graphs of filed with the appellate
flight takeoffs and jotting court, the FAA agreed to
down comments for offi- reach out to residents while
cials. temporarily resuming the
More than three years af- previous departure routes
ter they awoke to find win- starting April 1.
dow-rattling flights rerout- In a second step, it will de-
ed in an airborne highway velop satellite-based pro-
above their homes, resi- cedures for the original
dents of Phoenix's down- routes, seeking community
town historic districts said feedback throughout the
they finally felt the Federal process.
Aviation Administration “I think we will get a consid-
was listening. erable amount of relief with
A court victory by Phoenix the return of the flights to
and neighborhood groups their previous paths,” said
over the FAA last year has Brent Kleinman, president
prompted the agency Associated Press of the Encanto-Palmcroft
to be more responsive to Historic Preservation Asso-
residents as it continues borhoods of charming Washington, D.C., as flights cuit on Aug. 29 agreed with ciation in central Phoenix.
to beat back noise com- bungalows, ranch houses took off at lower altitudes, the city and historic districts “But the majority of the work
plaints around the United and Spanish revival homes, in narrower paths and on that the FAA was "arbitrary is going to be in the second
States over the air traffic some dating to the 1920s more frequent schedules. and capricious" in its flight part of the process,” he
modernization plan known and earlier. About 2,500 The rollout of the proce- procedure revisions in that said, which will decide the
as "NextGen." households were affected. dures in Phoenix initially rep- area. The court said by final flight paths.
While challenges by resi- The noise got so bad for resented NextGen's "most leaving people in the dark, During last week’s work-
dents of Washington's some, they sold their homes problematic implementa- the agency made it impos- shops, Phoenix residents
Georgetown neighbor- and moved. tion," said Chris Oswald, sible for the public to ex- received printed material
hood and other jurisdic- The FAA started revising vice president of safety press views on the project's and mingled with FAA en-
tions are still being heard in flight paths and proce- and regulatory affairs with potential effects — some- vironmental experts and
court, people in other af- dures around the United Airports Council Interna- thing the FAA is especially the airspace designers who
fected areas such as Santa States in 2014 under the tional-North America, a required to do for historic fashion flight paths.
Cruz, California, have not NextGen plan, which uses trade association that rep- places and parks. “This is a format that we’ve
sued the agency because more precise, satellite- resents commercial airports Phoenix residents said they used at other workshops,
they believe their com- based navigation to save in the U.S. and Canada. received no forewarning and it works really well,”
plaints are being consid- time, increase how many He said he was cautiously about the flight changes said Ian Gregor, public af-
ered. Phoenix residents said planes airports can han- optimistic about the FAA's after FAA officials deter- fairs manager for the FAA’s
they appreciated the FAA's Pacific Division, who at-
current approach. tended all three sessions.
"They are being transpar- “The people who have
ent now," Opal Wagner, actually designed these
a resident of the vintage procedures are on hand to
Willo district and vice presi- answer questions.”
dent of the Phoenix Historic Phoenix isn’t the only place
Neighborhoods Coalition, where people say the FAA
said at the first of three FAA didn’t explain new routes
public workshops held last or give them an opportu-
week. She and others ex- nity to comment.
pressed disappointment In the Washington metro
that a fourth one wasn't area, Georgetown Uni-
scheduled downtown versity and neighborhood
where most noise com- groups have said the agen-
plaints originated. cy left them out of the loop
"I think that it's good that about changes at Ronald
they are now dialoguing Reagan National Airport. In
with the public," Wagner nearby Maryland, residents
said. "Maybe if they had objected to aircraft noise
done this in the beginning, from both Reagan Nation-
there wouldn't have been In this Feb. 6, 2015 file photo, Steve Dreiseszun, a resident of the F.Q. Story historic district in Phoe- al and Baltimore-Washing-
a lawsuit." nix, holds a graphic of the increased noise brought on by airplanes flying along new flight paths ton International Thurgood
out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The historic districts and the Associated Press Marshall Airport. ut in Santa
city sued the agency after Cruz County, residents who
the FAA changed Phoenix initially complained about
Sky Harbor's flight routes in dle, and reduce fuel burn more open approach. mined they would have noise from planes headed
September 2014, bringing and emissions. Noise com- In the Phoenix case, the no adverse impact and to San Francisco said the
airplane noise to public plaints poured in from Or- U.S. Court of Appeals for claimed a “categorical ex- FAA has been responsive
parks and the quiet neigh- ange County, California, to the District of Columbia Cir- clusion.” to their worries.q