Linda Howe, Project Director
ITS Technology Transfer Program
University of California, Berkeley

Chairman, Board of Port Commissioners (Invited)
San Diego Unified Port District

Specific compliance dates for the transition to an all Stage 3 fleet were established as a result of the Airport Noise and Capacity Act. The airline industry has expended and will expend significant amounts of money to comply with the federal regulation. Have the noise and aircraft operating benefits of this effort been positive for the stakeholders? Will the airlines meet the 1999 phaseout date for retiring their Stage 2 aircraft or will some seek last-minute extensions of that deadline?

Speakers:

Richard M. Halik, Senior Airport Engineer
Aviation Technical Services
Port Authority of NY & NJ

Barbara Beyer, President
AVMARK Inc.

Many European countries have been involved in the regulation of compatible land uses near airports for many years with some success. However, some national regulations are being improved in order to take into account an increasing sensitivity to noise exposure. With continuing globalization, 90% of intercontinental air services to and from Europe are concentrated at 33 large airports. Present capacity levels will not accommodate further growth and they cannot be increased without further noise reductions.

In order to mitigate the economic impact of such reductions, various measures are combined such as awareness and training sessions with pilots and controllers, adapted operational procedures, financial and non-financial incentives, noise limits, and operational restrictions. Efforts are made by states and airport managers to develop an exchange of experience and to promote international harmonization on these issues.

Speaker:

Dominique Gardin, Environmental Coordinator
Direction Generale de L'Aviation Civile

Changes in funding levels in the FAA grant-in-aid program, together with efforts to privatize or modify the sources for funding airports, has caused concern about resources for funding noise mitigation efforts. These noise mitigations are typically vital elements in NEPA environmental documents and in Part 150 studies.

Speaker:

David E. Pomper, Partner
Spiegel & McDiarmid

More states are enacting real estate laws requiring the disclosure of existing conditions that might have a negative influence on a potential property buyer's decision to purchase. Aircraft noise is one such potential nuisance identified in the actual application of these laws. How this is accomplished, who does it and the basis on which it is done raises major concern, not only for potential buyers, but to existing proper ty owners, airport proprietors and local governments as well.

Speaker:

Annette R. Bogna, Senior Counsel
California Association of Realtors

Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations exempts aircraft with gross take off weights of less than 75,000 lbs from compliance with the mandatory provisions of Stage 3 noise reductions. This leaves many communities adjacent to general aviation airports and many public airport owners without the benefits offered by the federally imposed noise mitigation.

Speakers:

Moe Haupt, Senior Manager
Airport & Environmental Services
National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA)

Ted Soliday, Executive Director
City of Naples Aviation Authority

Aircraft ground run-ups are routine aircraft engine maintenance tests which require operations of an engine at high power for extended periods and generate continuous elevated noise levels. A newly built run-up enclosure at Chicago O'Hare International Airport has reduced engine run-up noise levels by 20 decibels. The first of its kind in the country, the run-up enclosure is being studied for potential implementation at several airports around the country.

Speaker:

Ted Woosley
Landrum & Brown

The FAA is updating its Aviation Noise Abatement Policy to reflect the numerous legislative and regulatory changes, and aircraft noise reduction improvements that have occurred since 1976. The update policy does not change the basic DNL 65db Federal compatibility standard; however, the document recommends local actions to further decrease noise impacts in the airport environment.

Speaker:

Paul Dykeman, Deputy Director
Environment and Energy
Federal Aviation Administration

While the technical aspects of the aircraft noise problem often receive the greatest attention, the political processes frequently present the most complex challenges. This session examines how various groups understand the problem of airport noise and how this understanding translate s into action or inaction.

Speaker:

Betty Ann Kane, Executive Director
NOISE

Environmental Justice is a new issue facing airport planners and noise abatement officers. Claims of discrimination for existing and future noise abatement programs are difficult to defend. However, data from an airport's Noise Management System can be used to analyze fairness of existing programs or used in ensuring that future programs take this information into consideration. Combining data from the Noise Management System with Graphic Information Systems (GIS) tools, demographic and land use data can be used to illustrate relationships between noise, flight tracks, complaints and demographics.

Speaker:

Paul Dunholter, President (Invited)
BCS International

As new information has been obtained on air quality and the impact of various emissions levels on humans, the EPA has modified its air quality standards. Is there a possible parallel to the noise issue?

Panel:

Mr. Paul Brown, Associate Environmental Quality Specialist
Port of San Diego

Richard Kassel, Esq.; Senior Attorney
Natural Resource Defense Council

Kenneth W. Orth, Chairman
Aircraft Noise and Exhaust Emissions Committee
International Coordinating Council Aerospace Industries Association (ICCAIA)
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group

Differential GPS (DGPS) ground stations permit satellite-based GPS precision approaches, positioning GPS as the next generation navigation and landing aid. The capability of GPS-aided terminal area guidance, in terms of straight, curved, or segmented precision guidance (i.e., horizontal and vertical) implies new strategies for launching and recovering aircraft - not only precision approach guidance, but the same precision for departures, missed approach, standard arrivals, etc. Weather need not be the [only] critical factor in determining the types of navigational aids an airport subscribes to. For the first time, land use compatibility consider ations and noise abatement operational needs, can influence the decision to move toward a new navigational system. We are at the very leading edge of a revolution in airspace management, and airports have an opportunity to function as equal planning partners with FAA and airline users, regarding how the operational future will be developed. The potential for using this system to actually change noise levels surrounding airports represents the most important breakthrough in the noise field since improved bypass ratio jet engines.

Speaker:

John Foggia, President
ANSP

"Free flight" is a concept made possible by the latest Global Positioning Systems technologies. It allows aircraft access to flight paths not defined by traditional land-based navigation aids and raises the possibility of increasing airport capacity and more flexibly executing noise abatement procedures while running the risk of introducing noise to previously unaffected populations

Speaker:

Richard Marchi, Senior Vice President
Airports Council International - North America

The Federal Interagency Committee on Aircraft Noise, like its predecessor, continues to receive public comments that seek the regular use of metrics beyond Ldn and requests for criteria beyond the proportion of people highly annoyed. These supplemental metrics may be necessary to properly determine impacts on communities of aircraft noise and to identify necessary mitigations.

Speaker:

Vince Mestre, Principal
Mestre Greve Associates

Speaker:

David G. Stephens, Chief Fluid Mechanics & Acoustics Division
NASA Langley Research Center

Each of the changes can result in noise impacts that are perceived to be negative. Analysis performed to predict the resulting noise impacts often come under attack by the community. How are changes and community responses mediated?

Panel:

Courtney Wiercioch, Program Manager
MCAS El Toro Master Development Program

Allen McCandless, Planning Manager (Invited)
Salt Lake City Airport

Mike McKee, Airport Noise Officer
Denver International Airport

The FAA is developing a methodology to assess the world population impacted by airport noise and to evaluate world-wide strategies for its mitigation. Data has been collected from over 100 world airports to develop a model that accounts for the important airport parameters related to noise impact. This model is applied to airports for which noise data is unavailable, and combined with collected data to estimate global noise impact in terms of the locally-adopted criteria.

Speaker:

Ben H. Sharp, Director
Acoustics Group
Wyle Laboratories

Noise complaint information is collected formally or informally by most airports. For the larger airports, these data bases are large and can extend over long periods of time. While these data are usually publish ed in a summary fashion on a regular basis, they can also be analyzed and used to detect changes in aircraft types, flight routings, land uses and predicting potential community political reaction.

Panel:
John Leyerle, Manager
Access Noise
John Wayne/Orange County Airport

Neal Phillips, Manager Noise Abatement Office
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Armando Tovar, Noise Officer
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority

The "Shultz Curve," used to predict human response to various noise levels, has a data base with wide variations in response for any one noise level. This variation appears in local noise issues in the form of diversity in sensitivity to aircraft noise. This is apparent in locations near airports, as well as for those living many miles from airports in areas well beyond traditional noise impact contours. Some people are looking at criteria that might be used to predict these impacts in specific locations.

Speaker:

Sandy Fidell, Lead Scientist
BBN Systems and Technologies

Syracuse Hancock International Airport has implemented a comprehensive community outreach program to respond to a range of issues raised by airport neighbors. The airport, located outside city boundaries, has coordinated efforts with four towns and one village, inviting each of the communities to nominate residents to a round table committee that will meet monthly to discuss issues noise, including a proposed parallel runaway.

Speakers:

Charles R. Everett, Jr.; Commissioner of Aviation
Hancock International Airport

Ron Seymour, Program Manager
Airport Noise
Sea-Tac International Airport

When there is an ability to apply special routings and/or power management techniques to aircraft departures, significant noise reductions can be achieved. This session introduces some ideas of actions taken in two locations.

Speakers:

Lisa Waters, Noise Abatement Officer
Palm Beach International Airport

Jim Brooks, Senior Aircraft Performance Engineer
Delta Airlines

Captain Bill Frisbie, Flight Operations Consultant (Invited)
San Francisco International Airport

While the higher frequency noise components usually dominate the lower frequencies when an aircraft is in flight, the lower frequencies may become a problem during ground operations. These operations include engine maintenance runups, reverse thrust on landing, back blast in areas behind aircraft departures and taxiing operations.

Speaker:

Steve Alverson
Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, Inc.