Schiff Urges FAA to Review Airplane Noise Surrounding Burbank Airport
Residents are Concerned NextGen Implementation has Lowered Airplane Altitudes, Increasing Noise
Washington D.C. – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell, urging the FAA to review the impacts of NextGen air traffic control technology on the community surrounding the Hollywood Burbank Airport.
“Airplane noise is not new to the Burbank area, but residents are concerned that NextGen flight path changes may have exacerbated the problem,” Rep. Schiff said. “I’m asking for an authoritative study from the FAA to determine whether NextGen is the cause of increased noise to area residents. If it is, we would urge the FAA to adjust current flight paths and ensure that established altitude levels for planes flying above residential areas are safely enforced.”
The FAA has been implementing NextGen -- a shifting of air traffic control from ground-based radar and radio navigation to more precise satellite-based navigation and aircraft tracking -- across the country. Los Angeles County implemented NextGen via the Southern California Metroplex in April 2017, which altered flight routes for some airports in the Los Angeles region.
The full text of the letter follows:
March 20, 2018
The Honorable Dan Elwell
Acting Administrator
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20591
Dear Administrator Elwell:
I write to ask that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) review the impacts of NextGen on the community surrounding the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Since the implementation of the Southern California Metroplex, a number of my constituents have experienced increased aircraft noise coming in and out of the airport.
Airplane noise is not new to the Burbank area. For years, I have been working to get a mandatory curfew in place at the airport to give my constituents relief from nighttime flights. Now there is concern that the noise is only exacerbated due to new flight patterns instituted by the FAA as part of the NextGen air traffic control technology. I understand that the City of Burbank along with the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority wrote to you earlier this month regarding these concerns. I share these concerns, and I ask for an authoritative study to determine the cause of any increased noise around the Hollywood Burbank Airport.
As the FAA reviews its post-implementation of Southern California Metroplex, it is imperative that the FAA examine the changes made and ensure that these changes do not detrimentally affect the daily lives of those living around the airport. Should the FAA determine that NextGen is the cause of this increase in noise, I ask the FAA to adjust the current flight paths and ensure that the FAA-established altitude levels for planes flying above residential areas are safely enforced.
Thank you for your consideration of my concerns and those of my constituents. I look forward to hearing from you and working together on this issue.
Sincerely,
Adam Schiff
Member of Congress
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