The Arizona Republic, Letter to the Editor, Sept. 22, 2016
Two years ago this month, the FAA arrived saying, "We are from the government and we are here to help." Their help was new flight patterns for Sky Harbor Airport that would save the environment, save the airlines fuel and perhaps even save us money when the savings were passed on to passengers.
But the only result has been extreme noise over long-established Valley neighborhoods. The airports, airlines, private pilots, flight schools, business jets, local and national politicians all say they can do nothing because they must follow the FAA rules. This week we learned the truth.
Most Sky Harbor flights ignore the FAA routes, according to reporting by KJZZ and the Phoenix Business Journal. They quoted Phoenix's assistant aviation director: "The FAA published these new routes — and according to our measurements they’re hardly even flying on them."
So, 65,000 noise complaints later, at least half of Sky Harbor's 1,200 daily flights choose to deviate from the very rules that bureaucrats, politicians and the aviation industry claimed could not be broken. Sounds like time for voters to make some noise, too.
— John Polich, Scottsdale
Two years ago this month, the FAA arrived saying, "We are from the government and we are here to help." Their help was new flight patterns for Sky Harbor Airport that would save the environment, save the airlines fuel and perhaps even save us money when the savings were passed on to passengers.
But the only result has been extreme noise over long-established Valley neighborhoods. The airports, airlines, private pilots, flight schools, business jets, local and national politicians all say they can do nothing because they must follow the FAA rules. This week we learned the truth.
Most Sky Harbor flights ignore the FAA routes, according to reporting by KJZZ and the Phoenix Business Journal. They quoted Phoenix's assistant aviation director: "The FAA published these new routes — and according to our measurements they’re hardly even flying on them."
So, 65,000 noise complaints later, at least half of Sky Harbor's 1,200 daily flights choose to deviate from the very rules that bureaucrats, politicians and the aviation industry claimed could not be broken. Sounds like time for voters to make some noise, too.
— John Polich, Scottsdale
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