When I was thinking about moving to Pinehurst 15 years ago I was told that we get a lot of airplane traffic overhead from planes coming north past the airport, then turning around a bit north of us and going south by the same route to land. Before I made an offer on the house I sat in my car in front of it and timed and listened to the plane traffic. I clocked about one plane a minute, which surprised me. Most of the noise was faint and it didn’t bother me, so I bought the house. But once in a while (like this morning) I hear an intrusively loud plane overhead.
One of our neighbors has noticed a lot of airplane noise over the years and he wants to bring it to the attention of the Port of Seattle. Folks in Lake Forest Park and Shoreline are also starting to report to the Port and the Port is taking note.
If you would like to help let the Port know about especially loud flyovers, when you hear one please report it. You will need the time and date of the noise occurrence, so make a note of that if you are going to log a report later. A cell phone’s clock is a reasonably accurate measure of time, and may help pinpoint the source of the noise with more precision than a traditional wall clock.
Noise comment form is here:
http://www.portseattle.org/Environmental/Noise/Pages/Noise-Comment-Form.aspx
If you really want to report the info, use a tool that can tell you which flight it is:
http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KSEA
You can see on the map which plane is overhead. Some of the loud flights are cargo going to Boeing Field and occasionally Renton.
IMHO the jets are much less annoying than the helicopters, especially when there is a traffic or crime incident and they just hover overhead for long periods.
Noise regulations for big jets are pretty good. Most are coming in well over 3000 feet (the bottom of the class C airspace over our heads) and mostly higher than that as the glideslope is much higher. But some of the older jets are really loud.
Smaller jets crossing Pinehurst east to west below 3000 feet are not on IFR plans (mostly) and are much more likely to be bizjets not on the Seatac live maps. In my experience these are loud and close, but pass by very quickly.
The quietest neighborhood I know is Normandy Park – due west of the airport and therefore with very little overhead traffic since the pattern makes a big box around them. The east side of Seatac is the approach for Renton and Boeing field.
The benefits of living in a big city include access to transport, including aircraft, as well as the shipping that they bring. So my recommendation is to report the violators to keep them under pressure to improve, but remember that aviation is a huge boon to society as long as the jets aren’t bouncing the china off the shelves 😉
I agree with Thomas on this one. I love that we live close to a major airport and also that we are fortunate to have a vibrant economy that benefits from aircraft production. I have no complaints at all about the airplane noise.
Forgive me for disagreeing – I also appreciate the jobs and economic benefits of Boeing and others in our region – but dont think that reporting noise issues is going to drive jobs away – that is ridiculous. The FAA, Port of Seattle, and even Boeing, want to hear from the community. Making our communities and jets quieter is a priority and deserves our attention. Its not an either-or “jobs vs airplane noise” tradeoff.
SeaTac and the port take these reports seriously. There have been ongoing programs closer to the airport to tune jet engines, upgrade windows, and soundproof homes. Hasnt that also been a big job generator for our region?
Here is the response I received after reporting a noise complaint:
Thank you for contacting the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Noise Programs Office.
The Airport Noise Programs Office appreciates hearing from our neighbors, and is committed to addressing the impact of aircraft noise on the community.
__X__We recorded your information and sent a copy to the Federal Aviation Administration.
____We are researching your inquiry and will mail your requested information to you as soon as data becomes available.
The Port is currently engaged in a Part 150 Study, a voluntary planning effort designed to address and mitigate the effects of aircraft noise within the community. To keep up-to-date throughout the Part 150 process and to learn the latest about SeaTac’s noise reduction programs, sign up to receive email updates by visiting http://www.portseattle.org/community/environment/noise.shtml
The information contained in all correspondence with this office is disclosable to third party requesters under the Washington State Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).
—end response–
Hi, all…this is a great topic of discussion. I work out of my home here in Pinehurst/Victory Heights (who knew?)…and I am home during daylight hours when many are out in different areas working. I can tell you that our house fairly rattles the windows out of their frames from the sound of a low-flying jet of some sort that passes overhead about once a week or more. It is actually scary! My clients and I sit there and kind of hold our collective breath until it passes – you cannot think while it happens. Is it crashing? Why is it so low?
So, having a place to let someone know what is happening is a great gift to me! Thanks for passing that on…
Have 4 planes/ helicopters circling tonight for 40 minutes now. Flying low and so unbelievably loud. This is ridiculous!