"FAA nixes Burbank airport's noise plan"

Monday, May 24, 2004

FAA nixes Burbank airport's noise plan
By Alex Dobuzinskis
The Los Angeles (CA) Daily News


BURBANK -- The FAA flatly rejected a bid by Bob Hope Airport to ban all
nighttime flights as a concession to frustrated residents, but left the
door open for the airport to argue for other noise-abatement
restrictions.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority had asked the Federal
Aviation Administration in October for guidance in its years-long effort
to impose stricter noise restrictions on private and commercial flights,
including a curfew on all planes from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The FAA's response, issued May 19 and released Monday, said an
across-the-board ban that would include small, quiet aircraft could be
"unjustly discriminatory."

The letter, which was written by Victoria Catlett of the FAA's Office of
Airport Planning and Programming, also noted that the airport already
had a 97 percent compliance rate with its voluntary 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
curfew on large, commercial aircraft. 

That "raises the bar in terms of evidence" that would be required for
the airport to justify a mandatory curfew, according to the letter.

"Based on our review of the limited information presented on a 'full
curfew' restriction on all aircraft types, this proposal would not be
consistent with the statutory requirements that a restriction be
reasonable, nonarbitrary and nondiscriminatory," Catlett wrote.

The FAA stated it would continue to work with the Airport Authority to
find ways of reducing noise for neighbors of the airport.

Airport spokesman Victor Gill said such measures could include a ban on
nighttime flights from the airport, which is located within one mile of
5,400 homes.

Charles Lombardo, president of the airport commission, said he was not
completely surprised by the FAA's position, but hoped that the authority
could strengthen and enhance other noise-abatement rules.

"We're not going to stop. We're going to continue trying to get
meaningful nighttime noise relief for the people around the airport," he
said.

In addition to having a voluntary curfew, the Bob Hope Airport bans
flights by the noisiest types of private aircraft between 10 p.m. and 7
a.m., and it bars pilots from revving up their engines for test purposes
at night.

A nighttime curfew has long been an issue for Burbank residents, who in
2001 passed a ballot initiative that required a nighttime flight ban as
a condition for building a new passenger terminal. The terminal plan was
ultimately abandoned because of broad community and political
opposition.

But recognizing the impact of noise on its neighbors, the Airport
Authority is overseeing a $140 million project to soundproof all the
homes and schools within a mile of the facility. The program includes
installing double-pane windows, attic insulation and central air
conditioning.


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