A letter from retired aviation professional Walt Bala urges the Port of Seattle to enforce limits on the use of reverse thrust by aircraft landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM, arguing this is both safe and already supported by FAA standards and the airport's own master record. Bala contends that aircraft are certified to land without reverse thrust, that brakes alone are sufficient to stop a plane under normal conditions, and that airlines may be using reverse thrust primarily to reduce brake wear at the expense of neighboring communities' peace and quiet. He calls on the Port to back up its existing noise abatement guidance with concrete action, including incentivizing quieter airline operations through gate allocation policies.Open full document
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A letter from Walt Bala, a former USAF Flight Examiner, US Airways Captain, and FAA Aviation Safety Inspector, addressed to the Port of Seattle urging them to encourage airlines to limit the use of reverse thrust above idle during quiet hours (10:00 PM to 7:00 AM) at Sea-Tac Airport. Bala argues that aircraft are certified and dispatched without reliance on reverse thrust, making such a restriction both safe and reasonable, and questions whether the Port’s liability concerns are genuine or a pretext. He also suggests installing an Engineered Materials Arrestor System (EMAS) as a safety enhancement and proposes using gate allocation incentives to reward quieter airline operators.