Lawmakers examine FAA response to aviation noise, say more public outreach is needed

The number of people affected by loud aircraft has declined significantly over the past several decades Lori Aratani March 17, 2022 at 7:08 p.m. EDT A Southwest Airlines jet takes off from BWI Marshall Airport. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) Federal Aviation Administration officials told lawmakers Thursday that they have improved efforts to work with communities

The Noise Center

Hear for the Future® The Center for Hearing and Communication is proud to offer the Noise Center as a public service for people seeking information about the dangers of noise exposure and the steps they can take to promote a safer and quieter world. Exposure to noise is the leading cause of hearing loss—not age.

The impact of noise on childhood cognitive development

Poor classroom acoustics: The invisible reason Johnny can’t read. Poor classroom acoustics create a negative learning environment for many students, especially those with hearing or learning difficulties. According to a report by David Lubman (“America’s Need for Standards and Guidelines to Ensure Satisfactory Classroom Acoustics”) “acoustical conditions in many classrooms are unsuitable for such tasks

Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus Letter To FAA Administrator Steve Dickson re DNL65

Discussion:

Currently, FAA law has extremely complicated rules for establishing a noise boundary around airports. (A noise boundary is a geographic area inside which there is a certain acceptable noise level.) This is referred to as the DNL65. and it has several major flaws. The FAA Reauthorization Act Of 2018 attempted to address these flaws in several ways. This letter, from a caucus of Congressmen engaged on airport community issues complains to the Administrator that the spirit of the law is not being adhered to and demands that he make attempts to put his agency into compliance. The language is fairly technical, however there are a couple of basic points they raise: First, that the noise boundary be determined by actual noise measurements (currently the noise boundaries are 'modeled' and those calculations often do not reflect in any way the lived experience for residents.) Second, that the 'acceptable' noise level of sixty five decibels (hence DNL65) has been determined to be far too high to conform with current understandings of healthy living.

Currently, FAA law has extremely complicated rules for establishing a noise boundary around airports. (A noise boundary is a geographic area inside which there is ...