UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Analysis of Aircraft Noise Abatement Programs: A Case Study of Selected General Aviation/Reliever Airports A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF COMMUNITY PLANNING 2004 By James C. Nevis MSc. Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland BA. Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio Abstract Aircraft noise effects on its environs have been a subject of discussion since the first aircraft jet took off into the skies some decades ago. To this end, airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, airports, and Federal, state and local governments have made substantial efforts to find ways to either reduce aircraft noise, or at best, make its impact manageable and acceptable to the airport neighbors. Hence, substantial resources have been devoted to the research and development of quieter aircraft engines, in addition to establishment of programs for existing engines and to develop noise compatibility projects. Also, to provide methods and formulae for predicting the annoyance effect of aircraft noise on the airport communities and to adequately study the health and other effects of aircraft noise on both humans and the environment. However, most of the these efforts were directed to major commercial airports with little or no consideration for reliever airports, as the latter was thought to be far away from major populated urban areas, with nothing but “cornfields and cows” as neighbors. As suburban sprawl continues to plague America, these airports that were once in the middle of nowhere are now experiencing the fast residential growth encroaching on them. Thus, the reliever airports are now becoming a source of major aircraft noise complaints. This thesis will examine aircraft noise abatement programs at reliever airports. It will use four reliever airports as a case study and to determine the effectiveness of the programs at each airport. In addition, it will examine the overall impact, if any, of the noise abatement programs on the individual airport community. This thesis is dedicated to my wife, Adjo Baah-Yeboah whose threat to divorce me if I didn’t finish the thesis by December 2004, compelled me to finish it and to my children: Edem, Mawuli and Elorm. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my Thesis Committee members: Dr. Roger Barry, Committee Chair, Dr. David Edelman, and Mrs. Cheri Rokow of Lunken Airport. Also my thanks go to Dr. Michael Romanos, Dr. Carla Chifos, Dr. Johanna Looye, Attorney Robert Manleey, Ms. Connie Dean, and the entire Working In Neighborhoods Staff, especially the Director, Sister Barbara Bush and my boss, Mrs. Myra Buggs. Additional thanks go to Mr. Richard French, Van Nuys Airport, and the rest of the staff from the various airports that generously shared information about their airports with me. Without your assistance, I could not have completed this Thesis. My deepest appreciation goes to my family, friends, and people from different agencies that offered their time and knowledge. Last, but not the least, I want to take this opportunity to thank the following: Tika Morrison, Michael Schorr for using your precious time to help with the typing, copying, etc., into the Wee Hours and Barry Behanu and his wife, Mimi for all their assistance. Above all, my greatest thanks go to Almighty God for given me the wisdom, the courage, strength, and the perseverance to complete my Thesis. Kofi Nevis Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction 1 2. Problem Statement 2 3. Reason for Thesis 2 4. Literature Review 3 4.1. National Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) 4.2. The National Airport System 4.2.1. Commercial Airports 4.2.2. Reliever Airports 4.2.3. General Aviation Airports 4.2.4. The Early Aircraft Noise Reduction Initiatives 4.2.5. Aircraft Noise Abatement Policy 4.2.6. Aircraft Noise Abatement Programs 5. Strategies for Aircraft Noise Abatement Implementation 7 5.1. Land Use Control 6. Authority Responsible for Aircraft Noise Control 9 6.1. The Federal Government 6.2. The Airport Authority 6.3. State/Local Governments 6.4. The Air Carriers 7. Aircraft Noise Compatibility Planning 14 7.1. Federal Government Aircraft Noise Regulations 7.1.1. F.A.R. Part 36 & 91 7.1.2. The FAR Part 150 Program 7.1.3. Air Traffic Control 8. Funding Aircraft Noise Abatement Projects 19 9. The Aircraft Noise Problem 19 10. What is Noise? 20 11. How Aircraft Noise is described 26 11.1. Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) 12. Aircraft Noise Analysis Methodology 26 12.1. Noise Metric 12.2. Integrated Noise Model (INM) 12.3. Noise Exposure Maps (NEM) 13. Land Use and Noise Compatibility 32 14. Predicting Noise Compatibility 36 15. Reasons for Noise Compatibility Study 36 16. Aircraft Noise Effect on its Surroundings 37 16.1. Humans 16.2. Residential Property 16.3. Health Effects 17. Methodology 40 17.1. The Methodology consists of PART TWO 1. Case Study –Selected Airports 42 Facts About the Airports 43 2. Analyze the Noise Abatement 43 2.1. Legislative 2.2. Community Participation 2.3. Funding 2.4. Role of the airport 3. Scottsdale Airport 44 3.1. About the airport 3.2. The Scottsdale Airport History 3.3. Jurisdiction and Responsibilities 3.3.1. Federal Government 3.3.2. State 3.3.3. Local Government 3.4. Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 3.5. The Airport Proprietor 3.6. Other Area Airports 3.7. Noise Abatement Procedures at Scottsdale Airport 3.8. Existing Land Use in the Airport Area 3.9. The History of Noise Abatement at Scottsdale Airport 3.9.1. “Good Neighbor Pledge” 3.9.2. The Updated Noise Compatibility Program 3.9.3. Noise Abatement Component 3.10. The Impact of Noise Abatement Actions at Scottsdale Airport 3.11. Land Use Management Procedure 3.11.1. Program for Scottsdale Airport 3.12. Program Management Process 3.13. Costs and Funding 3.14. Economic impact of the Airport 4. Flying Cloud Airport, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 68 4.1. Flying Cloud Airport expansion plans and operational forecast 4.2. Flying Cloud Airport Operator 4.3. The History of the Airport 4.4. Noise abatement measures 4.5. The Noise Abatement Plan 4.5.1. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Committee 4.5.2. EIS Noise Mitigation Committee 4.5.3. Airport Advisory Commission 4.6. Rule I Noise abatement takeoff and approach procedures 4.6.1. Piston Engine Aircraft or Turbo Prop Aircraft. 4.6.2. Jet Aircraft 4.7. Rule II Traffic Pattern Procedures 4.8. Rule III Maintenance runups 4.9. Rule IV Helicopter training 4.10. Rule IV Nighttime restrictions 4.10.1. Noise complaint procedure 5. Van Nuys Airport – Van Nuys, California 85 5.1. History of the Airport 5.2. Economic impact 5.3. Noise Abatement Program at Van Nuys Airport 5.4. The noise management program 5.4.1. Noise abatement and curfew regulation 5.4.2. Quite Jet Departure Program 5.4.3. Early turn program 5.4.4. Helicopter route and altitude deviation program 5.4.5. Residential Soundproofing 5.5. Other noise abatement programs 5.5.1. Noise and complaint monitoring 5.5.2. Response to the community 5.5.3 Community Awareness 5.6. Van Nuys Airport Plan 6. Lunken Airport, Cincinnati, Ohio 98 6.1. History of the airport 6.2. Lunken’s Noise Compatibility Programs 6.3. Existing Noise Abatement Procedures 6.3.1. Arrivals 6.3.1.1. Aircraft from the northeast 6.3.1.2. From the south and the east 6.3.1.3. From the southwest 6.3.1.4. From the northwest 6.3.1.5. Departures 6.4. Other Measures 6.4.1. Maintenance Run-up Restrictions 6.4.2. Telephone Hotline 6.5. The airport’s economic impact 7. Findings and Recommendations 109 References LIST OF TABLES Title of Table Page Table 1: Noise Zone Classifications 25 Table 2: Land Use Compatibility w/yearly Dates Day-Night Average 29 Table 3: Permissible Noise Exposure 31 Table 4: Suggested Land Use Compatibility Guidelines 33 Table 5: Aircraft Operations 71 Table 6: Aircraft Operations/Expansion Alternative 72 Table 7: 18 Year Aircraft Inventory History 88 Table 8: Van Nuys Airport Total Operation History 91 Table 9: Van Nuys Airport Economic Impact (millions) 92 Table 10: Annual Net General Fund Revenue Amounts 1995-2015 92 Table 11: Aircraft Category and Typical Aircraft Types 100 Table 12: Annual and Daily Aircraft Operations 100 Table 13: Aircraft Fleet Mix 101 Table 14: Economic Activity 108 Table 15: Economic Activity 108 Table 16: Non-Aviation Related Activities 108 LIST OF MAPS Title of Map Page Map 1: Aerial View of Scottsdale Airport 44 Map 2: Location Map of Scottsdale Airport 46 Map 3: Aerial View of Flying Cloud Airport 68 Map 4: Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission System 74 Map 5: Flying Cloud Airport-DNL Noise Contour 76 Map 6: Aerial View of Van Nuys Airport 85 Map 7: Layout Map 86 Map 8: Aerial View of Lunken Airport 98 LIST OF FIGURES Title of Figure Page Figure 1: Part 150 Process 18 Figure 2: Stage 2 Jet Footprints 21 Figure 3: Stage 3 Jet Footprints 22 Figure 4: Noise Levels Measured for Flyover 23 Figure 5: Noise Levels in Decibels 24 Figure 6: Land Use Noise Sensitivity Matrix 30 Figure 7: Flying Cloud Airport Total Operations 1991-2000 72 Part One 1.