Ask any Magnolian about their neighborhood and they'd tell you it was green, quiet and litter free. But not when you look skyward.
The rushing din of commercial airplanes arcing overhead as they approach Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, has raised the dander of many a Magnolian. And they've had it. So last week, about 50 people, mostly Magnolia residents, attended an open meeting at the Magnolia Community Center to listen to their neighbors and industry officials address the issue of airplane noise.
Representatives from Boeing Co., Alaska Air Group and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spoke at the event. They were mainly there to listen to residents.
"By definition it's a cookbook approach," said David C. Suomi, FAA deputy regional administrator. He explained the way to reduce airplane noise is complex. It is reviewed by many people to ensure all ideas are suggested and the best option, or recipe, is selected.
Alaska and its sister company, Horizon Airlines, have been working on noise reduction, said Megan Lawrence, managing director of government and community relations for Alaska Air Group, Alaska and Horizon's parent company. Alaska is working on a project with a goal to "use technology in order to create more efficient and a quieter approach path at SeaTac Airport," Lawrence said.
The two main components of the project are Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and Optimized Profile Descent (ODP). RNP would enable planes to fly shorter flight paths during the approach for landing which would save time and fuel, while also reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
ODP, also known as continuous descent arrival, would "eliminate the traditional step-down approach," Lawrence said. With this new procedure, flights would be able to approach SeaTac at higher altitudes, she said. The benefit would be reduced noise, less fuel and fewer emissions. Alaska is working closely with SeaTac, Boeing and the FAA to implement these procedures, said Lawrence.
Most commercial aircraft have to "stairstep" down in altitude when approaching an airport. But with new technology, which most aircraft aren't equipped with (though newer models such as the Boeing 787 possess) aircraft can lock onto a trajectory and glide down, Suomi said.
Cargo flights are also contributors to noise pollution over Magnolia. UPS and other major carries have shown an interest in RNP and continuous descent arrival, said Lawrence. "It's more a matter of working with the FAA to make it workable in the airspace," she added.
Boeing Field is working with UPS on a procedure that would reduce noise over Magnolia by 37 percent, said Robert I. Burke, airport director of Boeing Field. There is a noise monitor in Discovery Park that Boeing watches to track the noise in Magnolia. However, the FAA is in charge of airspace and the aircrafts in flight, Burke said.
Boeing is committed to reducing the impact of airplane noise to the best of its abilities, Burke said. Community members have complained about the loud rumbling of airplane noise being localized to certain pathways, particularly close to the water tower. "Give us your address and we'll come out," he added.
This was the first community meeting on airplane noise that a senior FAA representative has attended, showing that the FAA is listening, said Burke. Additionally, the meeting's high attendance spoke for itself, he added, reflecting a need for improvement.
"The FAA is committed to this [noise reduction]," Suomi said. "We're trying to figure out the best way to integrate it into the existing system." The MCC has no follow-up meetings scheduled with the FAA. Suomi will take the information gathered at the meeting and give it to his bosses. Those authorities could deem the issue a non-issue or pursue it. Pursuing it could take weeks or years as it would require environmental process reviews, additional community meetings and technology updates.
To file a noise complaint or for more information call Boeing Field at 206-205-5242 or SeaTac Airport at 206-433-5393.[[In-content Ad]]
