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How long will the FAA take to review the report? When will the plan be implemented? How many flights will the Fed Ex hub add? What is a head-to-head operation? What options exist to minimize noise in addition to head-to-head night operations? How is the community involved in the Part 150 process? What is the role of the advisory committees? What is the extent of their authority? How will the Citizens Committee work with the two other committees? Can one group lobby through the Part 150 process to have a specific change made to the plan? Can the work of the Part 150 committees stop the FedEx project? What will the committees do to ensure that safety isn’t compromised? Is it within the power of the committee to extend the buyout area? What are the potential noise mitigation costs and who will bear the burden of those costs?
A “FAR Part 150 Study” is an in-depth process that involves developing a detailed analysis of airport noise levels and variables, working with the community to address its concerns, and creating a plan to reduce the impact of aircraft noise. It is called a FAR Part 150 Study because it is a noise and land use compatibility study that is conducted under Federal Aviation Regulation Part 150. The Piedmont Triad International Airport study will entail approximately two years of analysis before a detailed report is submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration.
How long will the FAA take to review the report? The FAA conducts an evaluation of each Noise Compatibility Program (NCP) and, based on that evaluation, either approves or disapproves the program, or portions of it. The FAA conducts its review within 180-days of formal receipt of the required documents (as posted in the Federal Register). The FAA may exceed the 180-day review timeframe regarding portions of the NCP that relate to the use of flight procedures for noise compatibility purposes. The FAA regulation states that in this case, approval or disapproval “will be issued within a reasonable time after receipt of the program.”
When will the plan be implemented? Once the FAA reviews the Noise Exposure Map (NEM) and accepts the noise contours, reviews the NCP and approves it, then the NCP may be implemented. The FAA approval of the NCP may contain conditions that must be satisfied prior to implementation of portions of the NCP. Otherwise, the airport can proceed with approved components of the plan. Thus, we expect that implementation would begin approximately two years after completion of the study.
How many flights will the Fed Ex hub add? When the FedEx hub opens, 26 FedEx flights (a “flight” is considered a landing and a take-off) each day are planned in the Triad. These 26 flights include eight to nine flights a day already operating out of Piedmont Triad International Airport. At full capacity, FedEx is expected to operate 63 flights per day, five days a week.
What is a head-to-head operation? Head-to-head operations allow arrivals and departures to take place over the same runway end, which reduces aircraft taxi time and minimizes aircraft noise at the highest levels over the most densely populated areas. Plans by FedEx to run head-to-head operations were evaluated in the FAA’s Environmental Impact Statement. The procedure will consist of arrivals to the northeast on runways 5L and 5R and departures to the southwest on runways 23L and 23R. While there will be simultaneous operations on the parallel runways, all operations during a given period of head-to-head activity will be either arrivals or departures.
What options exist to minimize noise in addition to head-to-head night operations? FAR Part 150 mandates consideration of a full range of measures:
FAR Part 150 recognizes that some measures may be inappropriate for a specific airport. Further, as noted earlier, analysis under FAR Part 161 is required before an airport may implement a noise-related restriction on use of the airport.
How is the community involved in the Part 150 process? Three local committees have been formed to consider the noise impact of the expansion of the Piedmont Triad International Airport: the Citizens Advisory Committee, the Airport Users Advisory Committee, and the Government Advisory Committee. As one aspect of the FAR Part 150 Study, the committees provide the perspective of residents, airlines and other airport users, and local government to the airport noise analyses and resulting noise compatibility program.
What is the role of the advisory committees? What is the extent of their authority? The committees’ role is one of advisor to the consultants responsible for developing the PTIA Noise Compatibility Program. Committee members are asked to provide input about the interests and concerns of their neighborhoods. They are asked to review and comment on all aspects of the study, such as analyses of noise exposure, noise impacts and potential noise abatement measures. The committee is able to propose noise abatement measures and suggest refinements to measures proposed by other participants in the study. Finally, the committee will be asked to review and critique the proposed and recommended Noise Compatibility Program.
How will the Citizens Committee work with the two other committees? The consultant conducting the FAR Part 150 Study, Andrew S. Harris Inc., is responsible for drawing upon the input from all three committees. However, all the committee meetings are open, so members of each Committee are free to sit in on the other committee meetings. Individual committees may choose at the committee’s discretion to assign a particular member to monitor the meetings of the other two committees.
While many of the elements of a Part 150 Study are the same, every airport and every community is different. As a result, the needs, the process and the outcomes of the Part 150 Study are unique to each airport region. The most successful studies are those with a successful process.
Can one group lobby through the Part 150 process to have a specific change made to the plan? The Part 150 Study will develop mitigation measures so that aircraft noise affects the fewest people. A change in procedures will not be made so that a greater number of people in a different area are negatively affected for the benefit of a smaller group. In other words, it is not possible for a small, vocal group to override the interests of a larger, less-vocal group. Openness assures that one group will not have advantage over another.
Can the work of the Part 150 committees stop the FedEx project? No. The mission of the committees is to examine how noise may be reduced once the airport expansion and FedEx projects are complete and the hub and runway are operational. In fact, if the airport expansion and FedEx projects were not to go forward for some reason, much of the work of the Part 150 committees would no longer be necessary.
The committees have begun their work with several decisions set. They are:
In addition, federal regulations or policies have determined other parameters, including:
The committees’ work is as advisors to the Part 150 process.
What will the committees do to ensure that safety isn’t compromised? Safety is always the overriding concern. The FAA will not approve measures that are unsafe.
Is it within the power of the committee to extend the buyout area? No, FAA policy and federal law establish the use of funds for measures such as buyout.
What are the potential noise mitigation costs and who will bear the burden of those costs? The FEIS included cost estimates for buyouts and sound insulation at $10.8 million. During the Part 150 Study we will update the cost estimates. The costs will be paid primarily with federal funds.
When the Noise Compatibility Plan is completed, homeowners will have the chance to learn about the results and adequate time to consider their options. Some Part 150 studies have essentially “open-ended” enrollment for sound insulation; home owners may accept sound insulation in those programs as long as funding is available. |
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