FAA Agrees To Listen To Noise Abatement Alternatives

Delaware County Council Chairman Andrew Reilly announced at the council's Dec 12 meeting he had secured an agreement from Steve Kelley, an FAA project manager, to consider mitigation proposals in the continuing fight over traffic rerouting in the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania region.

The FAA has developed a rerouting plan for air traffic in the region. Current traffic routes are all but saturated at peak times and delays are becoming more and more common. The FAA proposal is supposed to alleviate the congestion and allow more flights.

The council has campaigned strongly to stop the FAA-proposed airspace redesign because it believes the plan would route more traffic over Delaware County. Apparantly it reached the conclusion if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and started developing rerouting proposals of its own.

At a recent meeting, Reilly said the council's aviation consultant, Williams Aviation Consultants (WAC), has recommended a departure procedure for Philadelphia Intentional Airport which the Reilly says he will present to Senator Arlen Specter and Senator-elect Bob Casey in Washington DC.

WAC recommended the FAA require traffic departing Philadelphia's runway 27 remain over the river until passing 3000 feet.

Reilly told the DelcoTimes, "This is good news for Delaware County. As a direct result of our efforts, the FAA is going to consider our recommendations, including a recommendation to keep planes over the Delaware River until they reach an altitude of 3,000 feet before they can fan out over the region."

He added his county is one of five areas the FAA is considering mitigation proposals in the airspace redesign.

"Here, in Delaware County, we made our voices heard. We met with the project manager, and he agreed to consider any recommendations we had. We already had those recommendations prepared and handed them to him that day (of the meeting). We are still prepared to go to court over this if the FAA does not respond, but the fact that the FAA is considering our proposals is a step forward," said Reilly.

The council has posted a petition on its website allowing residents to voice their opinion to the FAA.

FMI: www.co.delaware.pa.us, www.faa.gov