NOISE IMPACT CONTINUES TO BE MINIMIZED AT LOS ANGELES AIRPORTS
(Los Angeles, California – April 28, 2011) Today, more resources than ever are devoted by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to minimizing the noise impact of its operations on communities surrounding its three airports.
Its latest acquisition is a state-of-the-art airport noise monitoring system that vastly improves its capabilities to monitor and track both airport noise and operations at Los Angeles International (LAX), LA/Ontario International (ONT) and Van Nuys (VNY) airports.
Staff uses the system to perform key duties such as: investigating and reporting on noise complaints, monitoring aircraft operations, conducting noise analyses of aircraft arrival and departure procedures and identifying areas that are impacted by aircraft noise.
The system collects flight track data from the Federal Aviation Administration’s radar as well as noise data from 68 noise monitoring terminals located in communities around the three airports. There are currently 39 monitors at LAX, 15 monitors at ONT, and 14 at VNY. The system is designed to correlate aircraft movements with noise events in the communities.
LAWA also provides residents with a number of options to submit complaints about airport noise. Each airport has a telephone number where residents can contact the airport to register a noise complaint. At LAX the number is (310) 64-NOISE, at ONT it is (909) 937-2719, and at VNY the number is (800) 560-0010.
Each of LAWA’s airports also has a web link where persons can lodge a complaint using an online complaint form. At LAX: http://www331.webtrak.lochard.com/webtrak/lax4, ONT: http://www331.webtrak-lochard.com/webtrak/ont4, and VNY: http://www331.webtrak-lochard.com/webtrak/vny4.
The information received from the online complaint form is transferred directly to the noise monitoring system where follow-up investigations of the incidents and reporting are done by LAWA staff. Staff provides complainants with data on the specific aircraft operation and information about whether the pilot deviated from any voluntary or mandatory noise abatement program. Monthly reports are posted on LAWA’s website and distributed to the respective area advisory committees.
Internet flight tracking systems have also been implemented for the three airports. These systems allow the public to watch the movement of flights and air traffic patterns around the respective airports. Information shown on the systems including the aircraft’s type, altitude, origin/destination airports, flight identification and flight tracks is originated from the FAA radar system.
For LAX the web site is http://webtrak.lochard.com/lax; at ONT it is http://webtrak.lochard.com/ont ; and at VNY it is http://webtrak.lochard.com/vny.
These continuing efforts at noise reduction, however, depend on more than just technological approaches. They also require community involvement to establish the dialogue necessary to determine the most effective noise-related decisions.
At LAX, the Community Noise Roundtable, created in 2000, provides a forum that attempts to ensure cooperation between LAWA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and impacted communities to reduce noise from LAX operations.
LAX’s noise abatement policies have been developed with cooperation from the FAA to address various types of aircraft noise impacts on surrounding communities. Such programs include Preferential Runway Use, Over-Ocean Operations, Early-Turn Notification, Maintenance Restrictions and Helicopter Operations. LAX’s efforts also include the In-Flight Monitoring Program.
ONT’s Noise Management Program has policies and procedures that are very similar to those at LAX. They include Preferential Runway Use, Maintenance Restrictions and the Claremont Over-Flight Monitoring Program.
VNY’s Noise Management Program has both mandatory rules and voluntary procedures, including the Noisier Aircraft Phase-out Regulation, the Noise Abatement and Curfew Regulation, the Non-Addition Rule, Fly Friendly Program (or Quiet Jet Departure Program), No Early-Turn Notification Program and the Helicopter Route and Altitude Deviation Program.
