TagGreener Skies(30)

In April 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented a NextGen briefing to the Port of Seattle Commission, outlining the agency's initiative to modernize the U.S. air traffic system. NextGen aims to improve safety, reduce flight delays, cut fuel consumption and emissions, and handle growing air travel demand. The briefing is relevant to Sea-Tac Airport stakeholders as these airspace changes can directly affect flight paths and noise impacts on surrounding communities.

This February 2016 document contains FAA responses to noise complaints from Federal Way residents affected by Sea-Tac Airport flight operations. The FAA explains why departures are concentrated to the south 65% of the time due to wind and runway configuration, why flight paths cannot simply be rerouted or 'fanned out' to spread noise across neighborhoods, and why aircraft may appear lower than in the past despite following all published procedures. Any proposed changes to flight routes or procedures must be submitted through the FAA Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP) Gateway for safety, feasibility, and environmental review.

A 2013 U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that the FAA made limited progress in modernizing the air transportation system through its NextGen initiative, with ongoing challenges reducing expected benefits. The report highlights the FAA's Greener Skies project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, initiated by Alaska Airlines, which aimed to shorten flight paths and route aircraft over water to save fuel, but excluded certain eastern flight procedures due to community concerns about aviation noise. The report notes that the full benefits of new flight procedures depend heavily on how often airlines and pilots actually use them.

In March 2013, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta sent letters to key members of Congress reporting on the FAA's strategy to accelerate implementation of NextGen air traffic management capabilities developed through the Greener Skies project. The report was submitted as required by Section 225 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, and draws on recommendations from the RTCA NextGen Mid-Term Implementation Task Force 5 report issued in September 2009. The Greener Skies project aimed to modernize flight procedures in ways that could affect flight paths and noise exposure at airports such as Sea-Tac.

In November 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Record of Decision (ROD) approving new satellite-based navigation procedures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) under the 'Greener Skies over Seattle' initiative. The new procedures, developed with Alaska Airlines, Boeing, and the Port of Seattle, use advanced RNAV/RNP technology to guide arriving aircraft along more precise, optimized descent paths, reducing fuel burn and environmental impact. The FAA determined that these airspace changes would not result in significant environmental harm or any physical airport development.

This document explains the noise metrics used to evaluate aircraft noise around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including decibels (dB), A-weighted decibels (dBA), and the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL). It describes how sound is measured on a logarithmic scale, meaning noise levels don't add up the way ordinary numbers do, and explains why A-weighted measurements are the standard used by the FAA and EPA because they best match how human ears perceive sound. These concepts form the technical foundation for assessing the environmental impact of proposed flight arrival procedures at Sea-Tac.

This document is Appendix D of the Final Environmental Assessment for proposed new arrival flight procedures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, dated November 1, 2012. It contains TARGETS files—technical routing data packages used to define new RNAV (area navigation) flight paths, such as the HAWKZ RNAV Version 4.2 procedure, which charts a series of waypoints guiding arriving aircraft toward Sea-Tac from the south. The files were prepared in coordination with Seattle ARTCC and are intended to support evaluation of how the new routes may affect noise levels in surrounding communities.

This appendix from a 2012 Environmental Assessment documents the published arrival flight procedures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport that would be affected by proposed changes to how aircraft approach the airport. It includes detailed charts for routes such as the JAWBN Three Arrival and Olympia Seven Arrival, showing waypoints, altitudes, and speed restrictions for aircraft arriving from various directions including Canada and southern Washington. These procedures define the flight paths aircraft must follow when descending into Sea-Tac, directly influencing the noise experienced by communities surrounding the airport.