California Congressman Questions Effectiveness Of Voluntary Measures

A report released Friday by the FAA does not support additional regulations to address helicopter noise concerns of some Los Angeles residents, as well as the local Congressional delegation.

The report, prepared at the request of the two Senators from California plus five House of Representative members from the affected communities, states that "(t)here is no single remedy that can be implemented on a large-scale basis throughout the Los Angeles Basin. The airspace over Southern California is among the most congested and complex in the world. For safety reasons, helicopter traffic must be separated by altitude from higher-performing and faster-moving fixed-wing aircraft. The density of land use in the area, as well as the complexity and diversity of airspace users present challenges to identifying optimal helicopter routes that are safe, efficient, and serve noise abatement purposes.

"The FAA does not regard these broad-based constraints as precluding actions to respond to community helicopter noise concerns, particularly since many of the comments received on helicopter noise issues are tied to landmarks or specific locations (e.g., the Hollywood Bowl,Griffith Park, the Getty Center, area airports and freeways) that may be addressed with situation-specific measures. It is the FAA’s intent to follow through on the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Initiative with a series of actions in cooperation with local stakeholders to improve the helicopter noise situation within Los Angeles County. In addition to being effective for noise abatement,such measures must be safe, operationally manageable in the complex Los Angeles airspace,and responsive to community economic interests and public safety needs."

The FAA said it would commit to:

• Evaluate existing helicopter routes to identify feasible modifications that could lessen impacts on residential areas and noise-sensitive landmarks. Any new routes intended to provide noise relief will be evaluated to avoid simply shifting noise from one residential neighborhood to another. Safety Risk Management studies would be required to ensure that helicopters can transition airspace safely and efficiently.
• Analyze whether helicopters could safely fly at higher altitudes in certain areas along helicopter routes and at specific identified areas of concern. Any proposed altitude changes would be required to go through an FAA Safety Risk Management Panel prior to adoption.
• Develop and promote best practices for helicopter hovering and electronic news gathering. Hover times are site-specific and event-specific. The FAA will continue to issue Advisory Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for large events and encourage helicopter operators and news organizations to employ practices that reduce noise.
• Conduct outreach to helicopter pilots to increase awareness of noise-sensitive areas and events. A collaborative effort among the FAA, pilot groups, and communities has identified noise “hot spots” within the Los Angeles Basin. The FAA seeks to increase pilots’ situational awareness of noise problems on the ground and of community issues with noise.
• Explore a more comprehensive noise complaint system. A centralized system that provides a single repository for helicopter noise complaints in Los Angeles County maybe more advantageous than current individual systems, with differing geographic and jurisdictional coverage. The FAA will support the assessment of the prospects for developing such a system with homeowners’ associations and operator groups.
• Continue the collaborative engagement between community representatives and helicopter operators, with interaction with the FAA. A significant positive result of the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Initiative is that community representatives and helicopter operators plan to meet regularly, with input from the FAA, to identify specific noise sensitive locations and helicopter operating practices that contribute to noise concerns.The group is committed to identifying measures that will provide noise relief without degrading safety or eroding business opportunities.

The FAA said that, in its experience, "the most satisfactory and widely accepted noise abatement measures are those that are collectively discussed by engaged stakeholders and the FAA at the local level and are supported by local consensus."

Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) (pictured), who has pressed for legislation to restrict helicopter flights over residential areas of Los Angeles, said in a statement posted on his website that "The just released FAA report makes it clear that helicopter noise is a real and serious problem in Los Angeles County that must be addressed. The report recommends several steps to minimize helicopter noise, but not surprisingly, stops short of recommending regulatory action opposed by industry.  Voluntary measures in the past have provided little relief for residents, and I am skeptical that without a determined effort to oversee them by the FAA that they will do so now.  But I look forward to our field hearing with the FAA in June as an opportunity to flesh out the FAA's analysis and recommendations with all of the affected stakeholders. I will be particularly interested in whether the FAA will commit to undertaking regulatory action if the implementation of voluntary measures once again proves inadequate to the task of providing the noise relief residents have every right to expect and demand.”

FMI: Full Report, http://schiff.house.gov