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 agency’s 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 FAA’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts. You can register to attend the webinar on the website.
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 the results of the Neighborhood Environmental Survey, a multi-year research effort to review and improve FAA’s 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 the Federal Register. A link to the notice is also available on the FAA’s Aviation Noise website.
Successfully addressing noise requires continued collaboration among all aviation stakeholders. In this regard, the FAA’s research programs provide important insight into the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and the well-being of people living in communities surrounding our nation’s airports. As part of FAA’s 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.
Today’s 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 400,000–more 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.
