SFO Runway Noise Response

We noted the two runway noise meetings being held by local activists on June 21st here.  Both meetings went off as planned and offered a lot of information and a plan to hopefully force SFO and its owner, the City of San Francisco, to investigate what has changed for the worse since 2015 --and maybe even do something about it.  One of the things I learned at the meeting are that the noise limits that are in place are purely voluntary by the pilots and there are little if any penalties for not following the guidance.  Some airlines are known to be worse offenders than others.  The standard is more than 40 years old and does not account for high and low frequencies.  Also, back in 2011 the County Grand Jury found that the Airport Roundtable was experiencing "diminishing effectiveness".  Given that the Airport Roundtable is the one body that local politicians and city staff have for interacting officially with airport officials, that "diminishing effectiveness" is of great concern.  It hasn't improved in the last seven years!

The airport has reacted like any bureaucracy would in response to legal inquiries about noise.  In a case mentioned during the meeting, they responded with 118,000 pages of "documentation".  We know from a commenter here at the Voice that certain changes in "engineered arresting materials" have been implemented and may be partially the cause of the nerve-wracking noise that we hear far too often.  Just try to find it in 118,000 pages.

The Plan:  The three women behind SFORunwaynoise.com have come up with a plan of attack based on a similar civil action that took place in B'game decades ago and worked.  By getting many B'game and H'borough people to file small claims against the City of SF, which they will naturally deny, residents can build up enough of a record to go to Small Claims court en masse.  It's worth a try.

In the meantime you can enroll at Flightware.com to see which noisy plane is disrupting your afternoon conversation in the yard or your attempt to get to sleep at 1:30 am.  The list of 1:30 am departures is very enlightening (see below).  Is there any reason why three flights to Taiwan or two to Hong Kong cannot leave at a decent hour?  I can't think of one.  Here's the form to fill out to join the effort--get one by emailing SFOrunwaynoise@gmail.com.

CAL3	B77W	Taiwan Taoyuan Int'l (TPE)	01:51a PDT		05:16a CST
EVA27	B77W	Taiwan Taoyuan Int'l (TPE)	01:46a PDT		04:59a CST
CMP383	B738	Tocumen Int'l (PTY)	01:38a PDT		10:24a EST
TAI561	A320	El Salvador Int'l (SAL)	01:36a PDT		07:59a CST
EVA17	B77W	Taiwan Taoyuan Int'l (TPE)	01:32a PDT		04:44a CST
SIA1	B77W	Hong Kong Int'l (HKG)	01:28a PDT		05:31a HKT
FJI871	A332	Nadi Int'l (NAN)	01:20a PDT		07:01a +12
CPA873	B77W	Hong Kong Int'l (HKG)	01:16a PDT		05:47a HKT
UAL2364	B752	Newark Liberty Intl (EWR)	01:12a PDT		09:12a EDT
UAL9	B788	Chengdu Shuangliu Int'l (CTU)	01:09a PDT		05:18a CST
UAL1197	B738	Houston Bush Int'ctl (IAH)	01:08a PDT		06:36a CDT

Comments

[Jo]

I think we should understand nextGen project, I don't think the GPS will reduce the noise, nor 13 degree parallel flights, they gave more freedom to the pilots.

1) Without GPS, we don't experiences that much noise, after nextGen, most of neighbors have more noise complains, I don't see GPS helped anything.
2) When airplane landing, you did not see any parallel flights, so why need 13 degree parallel flight path. since we use GPS, flight path should have less deviation, then FAA should remove the parallel flight path, and better control flight altitude.

[Cassandra]

1:30 am

[Hollyroller]

Regarding Noise issues, a questionnaire could/should be sent to all people who live between:
-Broadway and Poplar
-El Camino Real and 101

The single Question directed to City of Burlingame's "Noise Village" inhabitants would be, "Why do you live here.
That information can provide City of Burlingame Elders with possible solutions to this problem. As well as others.
PS
Will Hillsider be giving out Tricks or Treats this Halloween?

[Sally Meakin]

A few corrections, if I may. The number of daily flights at SFO has remained steady at 1200/day/average for the last few years. Corroborated by SFO statements as well as the Airports Council International and SFO's short term aircraft noise monitor report, Burlingame, page 5. More passengers, yes. Bigger planes, yes. But # of flights hasn't changed. As for the suggestion that night flights at SFO be limited, by an act of Congress, there is NO curfew at our airport.

sforunwaynoise.com

[Cassandra]

Wanna sleep in Sunday morning? Nope. Just before first light, Boom. Roar. Zoom for 30 minutes.

[hollyroller@gmail.com]

Dear Cassandra,
Are you sure those sounds are not emanating from your "neighborhood?"
If they are, NICE.
If not, people are just being kind to each other.

[Sally Meakin]

It’s disturbing this morning. Again. And again and again and again. Cassandra, I hope you’re involved with sforunwaynoise.com. A monthly update is coming out today or tomorrow. To get on the email list, please contact sallymeakin@yahoo.com. Thank you.

[Cassandra]

Already on it and ready to go.
The noise-abatement departure angles at Orange County could be used at SFO as well... SFO is not cooperating... yet.

[Cassandra]

Last night was a classic blast from SFO. Low rumbles and booms preceded by taxi-brake whines at 12:30. Then a 3am blast-off. Not to mention the most irritating train engineer who bips his horn like he’s playing kid’s cartoon car beeper and then blasts it one long blast. 3 am. All down the Peninsula. 3am.

[Burlingamer]

Tell me you are not seriously complaining about runway noise when you live next door to an international airport. When you chose this area as your home did they keep it a secret you are across the street from an international airport? You should sue your real estate agent then.

Stop complaining and move somewhere else. This area is simply an extended neighborhood of San Francisco. As reports have it; Burlingame is one of the noisiest cities on the Peninsula. Not a place to raise a family if you need quiet.

[Cassandra]

3am

[Stupid Burlingamer]

I guess Burlingamer is too stupid to read the whole set of comments and understand that SOMETHING HAS CHANGED LATELY. If stupido wants to just put up with it great. Lots of us don't.

[Cassandra]

Here’s one way to look at this SFO noise thingy:

Let’s say you move next to a neighbor with a big house with lots of kids, a basketball hoop and a trampoline. You expect a lot of noise and lively activity. After a number of years, the kids grow up and start a garage band and having big parties until 1am or 3am with no notice or understandable pattern to the increased noise and traffic mess.

So- as a neighbor you go over to the neighbor and let them know that they are bothering you and many close-by friends.

They say, “Oh, sorry. I guess things have gotten noisier. How about if we stop any noise around 11pm?”

This happened in our neighborhood with a high school hosting late night weddings on weekends. Good neighbors worked out how to continue to be good neighbors under changing circumstances.

[Donnely]

These recliner-monkeys need to move to a rural town if they want quiet. Quiet left this area years ago.

[Peter Garrison]

Been there. Roosters at 3am.

[SFO]

Good article on noise in cities. http://elevatingsound.com/noise-levels-of-urban-america-why-the-city-soundscape-needs-to-be-transformed/