Archive for year: 2021

WASHINGTON The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will hold a public webinar to present its recently-released Noise Research Portfolio and Neighborhood Environmental Survey on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. ET.

The webinar will provide an overview of the agencys noise research program, including the survey, followed by a live question and answer session. It will be held on the Zoom platform and livestreamed across social media on the FAAs Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts. You can register to attend the webinar on www.faa.gov.

The FAA is sharing information on its aircraft noise research programs that include initiatives related to the effects of aviation noise impacts on the public, efforts to mitigate such noise exposure, and research on public perception of aviation noise. This information includes theresults of the Neighborhood Environmental Survey, a multi-year research effort to review and improve FAAs understanding of community response to noise. The survey included responses from more than 10,000 people living near 20 airports across the country, and the results show an increased level of reported annoyance due to aircraft noise in contrast to earlier surveys.

The FAA is seeking public comment on its noise research program, including the Neighborhood Environmental Survey and any additional areas recommended for further investigation. The public comment period opened January 13, 2021, and the notice is published in theFederal Register. A link to the notice is also available onthe FAAs Noise Aviation Noise website.

Successfully addressing noise requires continued collaboration among all aviation stakeholders. In this regard, the FAAs research programs provide important insight into the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and the well-being of people living in communities surrounding our nations airports. As part of FAAs broader research on aircraft noise, this survey data and the research related to noise abatement will be used to inform the collaborative efforts to address noise issues.

The FAA actively engages with airport authorities, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, state and local governments and communities to address noise concerns.Its decades-long effort with these partners includes collaboration with airport authorities and community groups to implement noise abatement procedures safely when operationally feasible. The agency also works with local governments to encourage responsible land use planning that avoids building residential housing in areas that will be exposed to significant airplane noise.

Todays civilian aircraft fleet is quieter than at any time in the history of jet-powered flight, and FAA continues to work with manufacturers and air carriers to reduce noise at the source. In fact, over the last four decades, the number of Americans exposed to significant aviation noise near airports has been reduced from 7 million to just over 400,000more than a 94 percent reduction. During the same period, the number of annual passengers increased from around 200 million per year to more than 900 million per year.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expanding weather-camera services to Hawaii to enhance aviation safety and pilot decision-making. The cameras, which already are installed in Alaska and Colorado, improve safety by providing pilots with near-real time video of weather conditions at their destinations and along their intended flight routes.

The Hawaii project will install 23 camera facilities throughout the islands. The FAA has completed engineering surveys and site selections on Kauai, Lanai, Maui and Molokai, and will begin surveys on Oahu and the Big Island in March 2021. Each facility can accommodate up to four cameras and the images can be viewed at https://weathercams.faa.gov.

The FAA plans to begin camera installations on Kauai in March and will move to the other islands as the agency develops engineering plans, obtains leases and permits, and procures the equipment. The agency expects images from the Kauai cameras will be on its weather-camera website in mid-2021.

The FAA established working groups of aircraft operators and FAA experts on each island to identify prime locations for camera installations and to ensure robust communication between pilots and the agency about the projects progress. The FAA is basing site locations on flight routes and areas where weather conditions commonly affect and interrupt flight operations.

Weather cameras in Alaska have been successful for 20 years. Last year, the FAA helped the Colorado Department of Transportation implement a weather camera program to improve pilot awareness of weather conditions above the Rocky Mountains.

For more insight into the history and future of the FAA Weather Camera Program, go to the FAA Blog,Cleared forTakeOff, to read a new post from our very own Weather Camera Manager, Walter Combs.