What The FAA Is Doing About Aircraft Noise, Delays In Tampa Bay

TAMPA,FL -- NextGen Metroplex, a Federal Aviation Administration initiative to transform the national airspace system, is coming to Florida.

With the improvements, airlines, general aviation operators, pilots and air traffic controllers will have access to better information and tools that will help passengers and cargo arrive at their destinations more quickly while aircraft consume less fuel and produce fewer emissions. This transformation is being achieved through an ongoing roll-out of improvements Peajor airports across the country. The roll-out began in 2007 and NextGen remains on target to be completed by 2025.

As part of the modernization effort, the FAA is redesigning airspace and addressing inefficiencies, introducing new Performance Based Navigation procedures and making use of time-based flow management to make the Florida Metroplex airspace more efficient and improve access to its airports.

NextGen is projected to cost the FAA and taxpayers about $20.6 billion and aviation industry partners about $15 billion for new equipment and training.

Starting April 29, the FAA will hold community meetings to educate residents on NextGen and how it will impact them.

Three meetings will be held from April 29-May 2 in the Tampa Bay area:

April 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Clarion Inn & Suites, 20967 U.S. 19, Clearwater

May 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, Tampa

May 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Jan Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., South Tampa.

The Florida Metroplex focuses the following airports: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Miami International Airport (MIA), Opa-locka Executive Airport (OPF), Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE), Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport (TMB), and Tampa International Airport (TPA).

The FAA is providing multiple opportunities for public involvement as the agency proceeds through the design, required environmental analysis and implementation of procedures. Some public involvement meetings will be informational. Others will be public workshops where interested members of the community can speak with FAA airspace designers to learn what the agency plans, ask questions and find out how the airspace changes might affect their community.

Saving Time And Money

According to the Florida Metroplex Study Team, the changes to the national airspace system will preserve 5.4 million gallons of fuel, which translates into a $15.5 million savings annually. The changes will also eliminate 46.1 thousand metric tons of carbon each year.

The modernization efforts include new procedures that make it easier to access airports across the country during bad weather and at night when it is hard to see. The FAA reduced landing visibility requirements from 2,400 feet to 1,800 feet at more than 500 runways. This means aircraft can land more often at their intended destination rather than diverting to another airport. At the Philadelphia airport, the reduced visibility requirements enabled about 85 more arrivals per day.

Airports along the Gulf of Mexico, including TIA, are already benefiting from the implementation of the ADS-B surveillance system (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) that allows controllers to track aircraft during radar outages in controlled airspace and permits pilots to keep track of aircraft flying in front of them during a visual approach to a runway, said the FAA.

This is especially crucial in the Gulf of Mexico where radar surveillance is limited. Flights that used a special ADS-B route in the Gulf due to adverse headwinds saved seven to 11 minutes of flight time on average, burned less fuel and created fewer aircraft exhaust emissions than flights on traditional Area Navigation routes.

Reducing Aircraft Noise Levels

As part of the overall modernization plan, the FAA and aviation industry are working to reduce aircraft noise levels for people living near airports. At the same time airport traffic is increasing, so is the population of residents living around airports.

According to the FAA, the following has already helped reduce noise:

• Reduction of noise at its source, such as quieter aircraft engines, aerodynamic improvements and operational procedural modifications
• Federally funded noise mitigation programs, which primarily include property acquisition and sound insulation for eligible homes, schools and noise-sensitive facilities such as health care facilities and houses of worship
• Noise compatibility planning, which is a structured approach to enable airports, airlines and other user groups, the FAA and neighboring communities to reduce the number of people exposed to significant noise

As part of NextGen, the FAA is working with aircraft and engine manufacturers and airports to further reduce aircraft noise and attempting to route flights over water, industrial areas or other nonresidential areas as much as possible.

The FAA is also conducting research on sleep disturbance, children's learning and the impact of annoyance and irritation from aircraft noise on cardiovascular health with the Aviation Sustainability Center.

Although NextGen procedures generally provide noise relief for a majority of communities, the FAA conceded that they sometimes result in flight pattern changes that concentrate noise for residents living directly under those flight paths.

"We strive to make sure that all voices are heard when something is done that affects a community, but the FAA can't solve noise issues alone," stated the FAA. "All aviation stakeholders, from local airport authorities to the airlines, need to take an ownership stake on noise issues. That means working together to engage communities early and often, and meeting them where they live. By listening to people's concerns, we can make an earnest effort to find workable solutions."

Florida Airport Performance

• Tampa International Airport is the 29th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and the 33rd busiest in terms of cargo volume.
• Miami International Airport is the 10th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and the fourth busiest airport in terms of cargo volume with two million metric tons of freight and mail passing through its facilities.
• Orlando International Airport 13th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and the 25th busiest airport in terms of cargo volume.
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the 21st busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and the 41st busiest airport in terms of cargo volume.
• St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport wasn't included on the FAA's airport performance snapshots.

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