Portal created to understand how different aircraft operations affect noise levels
By Chad Winthrop
LAX recently launched a noise portal to understand how different aircraft operations affect noise levels within communities, including Culver City, a city currently in a legal battle with the airport over aircraft noise.
On September 2, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) launched two new mobile-friendly websites that provide quick and easy access to information about aircraft operations at both Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) general aviation airports.
“The new noise portals offer the public an interactive site, driven by data and multimedia content, to understand how different aircraft operations affect noise levels within neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles and surrounding communities,” LAWA said in their announcement.
Click here to access the Noise Portal for Los Angeles International Airport.
The sites offer neighborhood-specific details about how changes in aircraft takeoff or landing directions, as well as other procedures implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), can change aircraft noise levels in certain areas. Diagrams, videos, fact sheets, animations and illustrations offer a detailed but easy-to-understand look at typical aircraft routes and FAA procedures under different conditions. Visitors to the site can enter a specific address, or select a general area, and see diagrams of normal aircraft activity and more information.
“I am proud to announce that Los Angeles World Airports, the operator of Los Angeles International and Van Nuys airports, has launched an interactive portal providing access to information about aircraft operations and how those operations affect air traffic noise in our community. I have been working for years to compel the FAA to effectively regulate low-flying air traffic over Culver City. This website is a major step towards giving us the information we need to continue the fight against low-flying air traffic over Culver City and the noise and disruption these flights cause,” said Culver City Mayor Göran Eriksson.
According to LAWA, selecting the North and Northeast Communities area on the LAX Noise Portal, which covers neighborhoods from Playa Del Rey to View Park, will provide explanations about “early turns” and where aircraft fly during westerly or over-ocean operations.
The sites also offer “by the numbers” sections, which provide interactive reports including details about the types of aircraft and operations, runway usage during different times of day and more. There are also links to the LAX/Community Noise Roundtable, which provides a forum for local residents to engage on aircraft noise issues, a live flight tracker and instructions for leaving comments about aircraft noise.
The launch of this portal comes amidst a legal battle between the City of Los Angeles and Culver City and the FAA over the volume of noise planes create coming and going from LAX.
