TagAirport Noise Report(10)

This document summarizes community responses to a questionnaire distributed as part of the Sea-Tac Communities Plan, asking residents near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport about preferred noise mitigation strategies. Respondents most commonly favored acquiring and removing existing buildings for noise-compatible uses, purchase guarantees for residential properties, and other locally-suggested ideas. The survey also captured opinions on open space use, environmental controls, and neighborhood improvement priorities such as greenbelts, parks, and street improvements.

Vincent Mestre is a California-licensed Professional Engineer with over 40 years of experience in noise control and acoustical engineering, specializing in airport noise studies, environmental impact analyses, and computer modeling. He founded Mestre Greve Associates in 1978, later joined Landrum & Brown, and has conducted noise compatibility studies at more than two dozen U.S. airports, including international consulting work for governments and airport authorities worldwide. His published research and leadership roles in professional organizations have contributed to shaping national and international airport noise policy and monitoring standards.

A Seattle attorney sued the Port of Seattle in September 2022 to force disclosure of a fully redacted consultant report examining public health impacts—including noise, air pollution, and higher rates of disease—on communities within 10 miles of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Separately, the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance urged a federal advisory committee to support six research proposals challenging the FAA's longstanding 65 DNL noise threshold, which new survey data suggests dramatically understates the number of people harmed by aircraft noise. The issue also covers the first successful test flight of Eviation's all-electric nine-passenger Alice aircraft in Moses Lake, Washington.

ABCx2, LLC submitted Invoice #1244 to Arlington County on February 5, 2022, for $4,687.50 in Phase II consulting services related to airport noise mitigation and flight procedure analysis. The work, covering January 2022, included community meeting preparation, review of GPS approach procedures and Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs), and meetings with county officials and aviation stakeholders. The invoice represents part of a larger $150,000 Phase II project, of which approximately $133,249.50 had been billed through January 2022.

The City of Phoenix Aviation Department's 2018 Annual Noise Report covers noise exposure trends across Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), Phoenix Deer Valley (DVT), and Phoenix Goodyear (GYR) airports for calendar year 2018. The report recorded 434,252 total operations at PHX, 53,280 noise complaints, and a 99.65% compliance rate with noise abatement procedures. Key highlights include FAA community workshops, implementation of updated flight departure routes, renewal of the Noise and Operations Management System contract, and passage of the FAA Reauthorization bill containing nearly 20 noise-related provisions.

A European study called RANCH examined how aircraft and road traffic noise affects reading comprehension and attention in nearly 3,000 children aged 9-10 in the UK, Netherlands, and Spain. Results showed that higher aircraft noise exposure was significantly linked to poorer reading comprehension, while road traffic noise showed no such effect; neither type of noise impacted sustained attention. The findings suggest aircraft noise poses a greater risk to children's cognitive development than road traffic noise, with implications for school siting and noise exposure policies near airports.