TagFAA(793)

The FAA Airport Compliance Manual (Order 5190.6B), effective September 30, 2009, provides guidance to FAA personnel on ensuring that airport sponsors meet their federal obligations when they accept federal funds or property for airport purposes. It analyzes grant assurances, surplus property conditions, and other legal commitments that airports must uphold, and outlines the compliance program's objectives, responsibilities, and enforcement procedures. The manual is administered by the FAA's Airport Compliance Division and serves as the authoritative reference for interpreting and managing airport sponsor obligations nationwide.

This FAA guidance document (Advisory Circular 5190.6B, Chapter 13) explains how responsibility for managing airport noise is shared among the federal government, airport operators, airlines, and local governments. The federal government controls airspace and sets aircraft noise standards, while airport sponsors like Sea-Tac have limited authority to restrict access in order to reduce noise impacts on surrounding communities, provided they follow the review and approval process required by the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 (ANCA). Any proposed restrictions affecting Stage 2 or Stage 3 aircraft must comply with 14 CFR Part 161 to ensure they do not unjustly discriminate against airport users or interfere with interstate commerce.

This FAA document (Order 5190.6B), effective September 30, 2009, is the FAA Airport Compliance Manual, which guides FAA personnel on how to interpret and enforce the federal obligations that airport sponsors assume when they accept federal grant funds or federally owned property. It covers the rules and assurances airports must follow to remain in compliance with federal law, including how properties can be used and what commitments sponsors make to the U.S. government. The manual is administered by the FAA Airport Compliance Division in Washington, DC.

The Washington Aviation System Plan is a Long-Term Air Transportation Study published in July 2009 by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT Aviation), partially funded by an FAA planning grant and Washington State grants. It was developed in collaboration with a consulting team including SH&E, WHPacific, URS Corp., PRR, and Cambridge Systematics, with input from airport sponsors and a Technical Advisory Committee. The plan examines Washington State's aviation system needs and future development, though its contents do not represent official FAA policy or commitments to specific development projects.

This 2009 report from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) examines how airports across the country manage aircraft noise in communities that fall outside the standard DNL 65 decibel threshold typically used in federal noise policy. Compiled by consultants from Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, Inc., the synthesis documents real-world airport practices for addressing noise concerns in lower-noise areas that are nonetheless affected by flight operations. The findings are intended to help airport operators, planners, and policymakers develop more responsive and comprehensive noise mitigation strategies beyond federally mandated boundaries.

FAA record of approval for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s Noise Compatibility Program under 14 CFR Part 150. The document evaluates eight noise abatement measures and six noise mitigation measures, with the FAA providing approvals and disapprovals for various proposed actions.

This Port of Seattle document shows a flight-track map of Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) Airport activity on May 24, 2006, between 5:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. During this period, south-flow jet aircraft deviated from their standard routes due to weather conditions, as confirmed by the FAA. The map distinguishes arrivals, departures, fly-overs, training flights, and overshoots by color, illustrating how unusual flight paths spread noise impacts across a wider area of the surrounding region.

The Federal Aviation Administration approved a total grant payment of $4,935,000 to the Port of Seattle for AIP Project Number 3-53-0062-77, covering acoustical insulation work at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Out of $6,476,538.99 in claimed costs, $6,168,750.00 was deemed allowable after disallowing $307,788.99, with the federal share set at 80%. The Port of Seattle submitted closeout documentation in March 2006, though a Circular A-133 audit by Deloitte & Touche and final acoustic test results for Seawind Condominiums were still pending completion at the time of closure.