Noise Abatement Procedures

Noise abatement procedures are generally designed by local airports in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control facilities managing air traffic at larger airports to minimize noise exposure to residential areas while propagating flight safety.

Noise abatement procedures may be a combination of formal and informal procedures such as radar vector departures, curfew hours, high and tight traffic patterns, avoidance of noise sensitive areas and aircraft manufacturer’s and air carrier noise practices such as using reduced power settings on departure.  Profile docents into major airports where by a flight crew may limit power up events, can also be effective in expanding noise abatement procedures for noise sensitive residential areas.

Some formal noise abatement procedures include radar vector departures designed to route aircraft away from noise sensitive residential areas, however, since there is normally no required distance from the airport before the air traffic controller can turn an aircraft, this type of noise abatement procedure has limited success

Voluntary noise abatement procedures are not normally effective.  Airport entities often try to cover their lack of specific action to protect noise sensitive areas by claiming that they have no authority because the pilot is always the ultimate authority.  Even though a pilot has the “ultimate authority” for the operations of his aircraft, Federal Aviation Regulations still apply, and when one is broken, the pilot has to justify his or her actions.