EWR flight path changes - big changes proposed
 

:mad:I didn't see any threads on this but the FAA is currently reviewing a change which will allow EWR to dramatically increase their capacity by funneling landing flights over densly populated Rockland and Bergen counties. My house will be under the flight path projected to be 5000 feet up where flights will be increased from 200-600/day between 6 am and 12 pm. There was no public hearing in my county for this although there was one in Bergen county NJ.

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pb...WS03/707080382

Since LGA is at capacity and JFK is near capacity they feel they can add many more flights to EWR by doing this. I'm sure FT travelers will know how bad EWR is already!!

So I'm curious to see how many will thing this a good thing and how many that live 45 mins from an airport currently that would object to a dramatic increase in decible and pollution levels if planes suddenly were to take a direct route over their house. Especially if little to no warning was given. August is the target date and the FAA has spent 53 million on the study.

Any comments?

MSV

They are doing (or just did) the same thing to Connecticut residents. They sort of ambushed everybody by not giving out any details like number of planes, type of planes, height, etc.

They stated

The FAA states routing aircraft over parts of Fairfield County would save 12 million minutes of delays per year at area airports, compared to current routes over Putnam and Westchester Counties in New York.

I don't know if that got through or not but the quote above is from the end of April, like a week befor ethe hearing on it.

My hunch is them most FT people live within 45 min of a major airport. I've lived within 1 mile of my current address for 47 years. You don't buy a house in this area without taking many things under consideration. Fortunately airplane noise was never one of them. Checkin and security at EWR is already a terrible ordeal and parking near any monorail stop already costs $25/day. I've also had the longest waits for any flights at EWR. They already pad in so much time to make on-time arrivals from EWR it's crazy. My last flight was from SWF - clearly a NY airport under-utilized!! My next flight will be from BWI because it's easier than the JFK alternative for me.

msv

Where's The Beef?
 

Planes will be flying 5,000 feet over your house and this bothers you?

What am I missing here?

Noise level will greatly increase to 45-60 decibels which is an average over 24hours including the planes that won't fly between 12 am and 6 am. We are under ozone alerts frequently in the summer months without added problems. No place at all if there has to be a fuel dump and the last meeting says yes, under emergencies they will dump on populated areas if necessary. If anything on a plane should break odds are it will hit a very populated area. It's a quality of life thing for me.

Occassionally a plane has gone by very low. It's always the hot topic at work and we all switch our TV's to a station that would report anything nasty. Perhaps we are just especially nervous based on historical problems nearby. My parents that live a mile from me have a clear view of NYC.

msv

I live in western Brooklyn. Planes fly over at less than 5,000 agl day and night. We don't hear them and we don't worry.

I used to live in Brooklyn about 15-20 minutes from JFK. I used to watch the planes on approach to JFK, much lower than 5000 feet and I didn't hear a thing. They were so low I could tell which airline it was from the tail markings.

The only plane I ever heard was the Concorde... and that made the windows shake.

I was just back there recently sitting in an old favorite restaurant and I immediately started watching the planes come in again.

I really don't think you'll hear them.

I second this. I live under an approach path maybe 3 miles from the runways at PHL. The aircraft are so close you can read their tail numbers. Yet they make very little noise... the noise from street traffic is much worse.

BTW - a little perspective here.. everytime the FAA wants to change the flight path to/from EWR even slightly there's a major uproar from the communities who think they'll be affected.

I'm now about 30 miles from EWR and I can see the planes on approach to EWR either on the coastal approach or the inland approach and they're pretty high up and I don't hear anything. But when it was changed there was a similar uproar in the community.

Every now and then I'll hear a low hum, and that's when I know there's "weather" and the planes are flying directly overhead :)

I'll try to be optimistic that the noise won't be any worse than the morning doves that get up much earlier than I and the crickets that don't go to sleep when I want to. It would be much nicer if they could go over the many state parks though. Apparently LGA flights affect using that route.


MSV

I used to live near Mary2e, but even closer to JFK - in a place called Canarsie (paging FTer Canarsie...) - and there is something call the Canarsie Approach to JFK. Planes were low, with gears down, which made for great planespotting, but the noise was never so bad that it bothered anyone. I do agree that the Concorde was louder. My friends in Howard Beach, much, much closer to JFK, had planes much lower overhead and I don't recall their complaining either.

I doubt you will hear anything. Peace and quiet is nice, but honestly, where do you think the planes will go? They have to go somewhere and someone will have to hear it.

Would you rather there not be an airport within an hours drive from your home?

This is just more of the hysteria perpetuated by the media and politicians that need to appear to be doing something for their constituents. And I don't mean you.

There's an approach to EWR where the planes pass right over the toll booth at exit 13A on the turnpike... so close you can wave at the people onboard. It's STILL not noisy.

Consider this... you will only hear a plane on take off an landing when the engines are at full blast. The rest of the time, if you hear anything at all, it will be a hum.

After spending two hours sitting on the tarmac in CLT due to "heavy air traffic in the NY area" and then some time in a holding pattern for the same reason, I am all for anything that increases capacity at EWR.

Honestly I'd like to keep the same flight paths they currently have and yes, this morning I did hear 3 planes in a row go overhead which woke me up about 6 am. I guess you get used to certain noises. I've also been at the toll booth at exit 13 many times when a plane was about to land. I'm also so distracted by it I never take the NJ Turnpike home from south Jersy because they are landing right over IKEA!! My thoughts are if you move near an airport you don't have a thing to say. But if they suddenly change the flight path without a hearing as required you sure do have a thing to say!! Also EWR may say they are not a capacity but as a frequent EWR patron I beg to differ. I do know the "holding pen" when gates are not available all too well. I think limiting the smaller planes from busy airports would help.

msv

You don't take the turnpike home because the runways are near it and Ikea? :confused: :confused: :confused:

I actually enjoy watching the planes.

BTW - you must be a really light sleeper to hear a plane that is over 30 miles from an airport and still above 5k feet :eek:

Perhaps you need to move a little further west/north where there's no chance of getting any kind of noise.