September 27, 1977August 1, 2026

Letter from Port of Seattle Executive Director Richard D. Ford regarding Concorde aircraft noise concerns

In this September 1977 letter, Port of Seattle Executive Director Richard D. Ford responds to a community member's concerns about the Concorde supersonic jet, expressing alarm that the Federal Government amended its noise regulations to allow a noisier aircraft to operate at U.S. airports. Ford warns this decision undermines the Sea-Tac/Communities Plan, which was built on the expectation that aircraft would become progressively quieter over time. He calls on the federal government, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to aggressively pursue quieter engine technology as a necessary solution to airport noise problems.

Open full document

Notes

Letter from Port of Seattle Executive Director Richard D. Ford to Virginia E. Dana expressing concerns about the Concorde aircraft (supersonic) and federal regulations permitting noisier aircraft operations. Ford discusses how this undermines the Sea-Tac Communities Plan’s cornerstone principle that aircraft should become quieter, not noisier.

Sidebar On/Off

As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.

continue...

V V

Notes

Message