At the March 2008, annual meeting of the Foothill Communities Association (FCA), attendees concerned with aircraft noise were invited by the Mr. Alan Murphy, Director of John Wayne Airport (JWA), to visit the Airport facilities. The purpose of the visit was to hear a briefing by the JWA staff describing their activities to monitor and regulate aircraft operations that affect noise due to aircraft arriving and departing the airport.
On May 5, 6 and 13, 2008, a total of 40 concerned residents from North Tustin and neighboring cities attended these briefings. In the image to the left Richard Nelson, Eric Freed, Hal Marshall, and Sarah Demont (left to right) stand in front of radar track maps showing aircraft approaching JWA. Mr. Eric Freed, Manager of Access and Noise, discussed the roles and responsibilities of his staff in implementing the County policies and regulations controlling aircraft noise, noting that JWA is one of the most regulated and restrictive airports in the nation. These restrictions include maximum noise levels, the number of noise regulated departures, the number of passengers allowed to travel through the airport annually, and a night time curfew. These restrictions are a result of the 1985 and 2003 Settlement Agreements entered in to by the County of Orange, the city of Newport Beach and two citizen organizations, and may expire in 2015 unless a further agreement is reached.
These regulations do little to control aircraft noise over the North Tustin & Tustin, except during night time curfew hours of 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM. To be specific, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the pilot in command of an aircraft have exclusive control over flight paths and altitudes. As a consequence, most efforts to reduce aircraft noise over North Tustin and corridor cities must be directed to the FAA and the airlines.
The FCA Airport Committee has been studying the issues and is in the process of acquiring the technical information needed to discuss our concerns with the FAA. There are new capabilities in aircraft navigation equipment and procedures that have the potential to reduce noise in our neighborhoods, if approved by the FAA and implemented by the airlines. The Committee plans to explore alliances with neighboring cities concerned with aircraft noise and pollution. The JWA staff has indicated they are fully supportive of FCA efforts to address airspace and navigational issues affecting aircraft noise and will facilitate discussions with the FAA and airlines.
Residents of the North Tustin area, the city of Tustin and neighboring communities concerned with these airport issues are welcome to participate in the FCA airport initiatives. Please contact AirportGroup@FCAhome.org, see the button at the top of this webpage to join a committee, and be sure to inform your neighbors that FCA is trying to make a difference.
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