TagFAA(514)

NASA's X-59 aircraft is being used in a community response test campaign to study how people on the ground react to sonic booms from supersonic flight. The mission, called Quesst, aims to collect data that could help regulators move from a blanket speed-based ban on supersonic flight over U.S. land to a noise-based standard. Current federal rules prohibit civil aircraft from flying faster than Mach 1 over the United States, but NASA hopes its findings could lead to updated, sound-level-focused regulations.

The Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions Initiative (EAGLE) is a coalition of government and industry partners, including the FAA and major aviation associations, working to eliminate lead emissions from aviation gasoline by the end of 2030 without compromising the safety or efficiency of general aviation. The initiative operates through four key pillars: supply chain infrastructure and deployment, research and innovation, unleaded fuel evaluation and authorization, and regulation and policy activities. A presentation on the initiative was delivered at the Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium at U.C. Davis on May 2, 2023.

The FAA is reviewing its civil aviation noise policy, which is based on decades-old research, to better address how aircraft noise affects communities near airports like Sea-Tac. The review examines noise measurement systems, acceptable noise thresholds, and the impact of aviation noise on residents—including annoyance, sleep disturbance, and health effects. Public and stakeholder input is being sought to help modernize the policy.

Aviation noise consultant Vince Mestre explains to the Port of Seattle why changing the FAA's 65 DNL noise contour standard — the threshold used to determine acceptable aircraft noise near residential areas — would likely require an act of Congress rather than a simple regulatory update. The 65 DNL standard is embedded in at least three federal regulations and orders (CFR 14 Parts 150 and 161, and FAA Order 1050.1F), all of which trace their authority back to enabling legislation such as the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act (ASNA) of 1978 and the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) of 1990. Because the FAA's rulemaking authority is granted and bounded by those Congressional statutes, modifying ASNA would most likely be required before the FAA could formally lower or otherwise change the noise compatibility standard.