Some Had Bought Homes In An Area They Thought Would Be Free Of Airplane Noise

More than 50 Naples, FL, residents attended a meeting conducted by aviation consulting company ESA Airports Wednesday a part of an FAR Part 150 Noise Study. The voluntary study is used to maximize noise and land use compatibility near airports, according to the project manager. The meeting was one of a series of four planned by the consultant.

ESA was hired by the Lee County Port Authority to conduct the study pertaining to Southwest International Airport (KRSW). According to NapleNews.com, the study was prompted by a 2008 change in flight patterns as part of the Florida West Coast Airspace Redesign. The change meant that homeowners who had not previously been in a flight pattern had traffic flying over their neighborhoods. The study is intended to establish a noise baseline and determine what mitigation, if any, is required. Project manager Mike Arnold said the baseline will be determined using the FAA's noise model. Noise levels for both single aircraft and cumulative operations will be set by the study.

In a 2006 study, done before the change in flight patterns, the FAA determined there was no noise problem from KRSW.

Residents at the meeting expressed concern that the survey is being done during the summer, when there are far fewer operations at the airport. Homeowner Kathleen Fitzgerald said that when an ESA representative visited her neighborhood, there were very few flights passing overhead. "It's not what the traffic is like in season. There is much more," she told NaplesNews.com.

The FAA has set a level of 65 decibels as an acceptable level of interior noise in a residence. The study currently underway will help develop noise exposure maps and assist in the development of a mitigation plan, should one be needed.

FMI: http://flylcpa.com/2011part150study