HERE IS YOUR SCANA UPDATE
Scottsdale Coalition for Airplane Noise Abatement
NOVEMBER 2018
The Nature of Hearing Airplane Noise
Why is it that some of us hear the noise of passing aircraft and our neighbors do not? It usually has to do with several factors: the frequencies your brain is wired to acknowledge, your location and the unpredictability of the noise.
“Our brains are hardwired to pay attention to new, irregular noises because those sounds signify something in our environment is changing”, said Andrew Lotto, an associate professor in speech, language and hearing sciences at the University of Arizona. This was crucial for the survival of our ancestors — an unexpected noise could mean a lion was lurking in the bushes.
Some brains perceive certain low frequencies, such as passing trains, trucks or airplanes, more noticeably than higher frequencies. When we become aware of certain noises, particularly those that are irregular to us, we become attuned to notice them when they do occur. The more frequently there is interruption of unpredictable noise, the more our brain tends to be irritated and takes your focus away from other tasks such as talking or reading. It isn’t always about decibel level.
“There is a disconnect between what you can physically measure and what you psychologically experience,” said William Yost, a research professor and former chair of speech and hearing science at Arizona State University. Part of the issue is low-frequency sound, which experts say can be the most irritating, but contributes less to the overall loudness of a noise than higher pitches on the industry-standard decibel scale used by the FAA to assess noise impacts. Think about the times when you’re stopped at a light and the car next to you is blaring music with its bass notes. Call it the annoyance factor — it might not get loud enough on a standard decibel scale to signal red flags or overshadow conversation but it might get on your nerves so much that you can’t carry on a conversation when it passes through. “Perception is reality,” said Rob Adams, principal with Landrum and Brown, the firm that conducted a Phoenix noise-monitoring study. The FAA determined that Sky Harbor NextGen changes would not have significant impact. Adams said that day/night-level decibel calculation is good at telling how people would react to airplane noise if they’ve lived under the flight routes for 10 to 15 years. “But it is not good at telling us how people are going to react to new noise,” he said
Location is also a key factor. When a person lives in an urban setting where there is constant noise from traffic, shopping malls, construction and commercial activity, the combination of these noises blend into a continuous noise stream that our brain becomes accustomed to and learns to ignore. The addition of a passing airplane is not as noticeable within this pre-existing noise environment. But if you live in a quiet oasis, without any urban or ambient noise, unexpected, irregular noises become much more noticeable, and irritable. Our brain then consciously objects to this interruption.
As a result of all these factors, different people react to the sources of noise differently. So while you may be irritated by passing aircraft, your neighbor or others may not. That’s not uncommon, and neither person is abnormal. But for those who are affected by overhead aircraft noise, SCANA is attempting to make our skies quieter and safer. And that should be a benefit to all persons, even to those who might not consciously notice it.
NATIONAL UPDATE
Cities on both coasts and some in-between are continuing to fight the FAA regarding it's implementation of the NextGen system flight paths. As has happened here in Phoenix and Scottsdale, the FAA changed many flight paths from long established routes to paths that travel directly over residential communities that never before received aircraft traffic. With NextGen routes being consolidated to narrow "rails", these communities receive 100% of the air traffic that travels their direction. But cities and communities are fighting back; legal suits are being filed and officials at all levels are opposing the FAA's actions. The FAA refuses to acknowledge any problems, claiming that NextGen is safer and more efficient. But in Scottsdale's case, how can air traffic moved from unpopulated mountain routes be safer by having them now overfly residential communities, schools, parks and recreational facilities? Such is the nonsense that comes out of this government bureaucracy that Congress created.
FAA STEP TWO PUBLIC MEETING TO BE HELD IN FEBRUARY
As mandated by the Court in the FAA's loss to Phoenix and the Historic Districts regarding westbound flight paths, the FAA was ordered to hold public meetings to receive input on flight path issues in other parts of the metro area. These meetings will be held in February of next year. It is important that concerned residents file comments with the FAA regarding noise and safety issues and attend the meeting to talk directly with the FAA representatives. They need to hear first hand what they have done to endanger Scottsdale residents and how NextGen has ruined the Scottsdale dream for many.
SCANA will keep you posted when meeting specifics are known.
FILE A NOISE COMPLAINT AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN!
While it may feel mundane to continue to file noise complaints with Sky Harbor, it is important that complaint statistics show continued resident opposition to the NextGen flight paths. Just go to https://www.planenoise.com/copad/q3qH4u/ to fill in a form to log a complaint. No log in is required and it only takes a minute!
Please take a few moments to do the following:
1. If you haven't already, please go to the SCANA website at airplanenoise.org and vote YES to support SCANA's efforts to restore Scottsdale's quiet skies.
2. Go to the SCANA Facebook page at Scottsdale Coalition for Airport Noise Abatement
https://www.facebook.com/airplanenoise and "Like" the page and "Follow" it.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS TO RESTORE THE QUIET AND SAFE SKIES SCOTTSDALE ENJOYED BEFORE THEY WERE STOLEN BY THE FAA
WE DID NOT MOVE TO THE FAA, THE FAA MOVED TO US!
