FAA Postpones Quieter Flight Path Proposal for Newport Beach

The expansion of Alaska Airlines into the Colorado Springs Airport in November may be just the first fruit of a series of moves by airport officials to add carriers and flights by cutting fees charged to airlines, rewarding passengers for using the airport and boosting marketing efforts.

Source The Orange County Register

July 1, 2013

2 min read

June 28--Newport Beach is in a holding pattern following its request to the Federal Aviation Administration for a new, quieter flight path out of John Wayne Airport.

Although the FAA didn't say no to the city, it pushed off looking at a quieter zig-zagging path until mid-to-late next year, according to an agency letter to the city this month.

Much of the delay comes because the requested path, which the city believes could limit noise in surrounding neighborhoods, has never been used by departing planes, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

"The agency needs to determine whether it's feasible for aircraft to fly it," he said.

While they have no immediate plans to test the zig-zag option, Gregor said, they are evaluating a new curving path at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that's slightly similar.

Meantime, the city won't stop its efforts to remake the flight path out of the popular regional airport.

City Manager Dave Kiff and others plan to work with consultant GE Aviation on the next steps, city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said in an email.

In April, city officials sent a letter to the FAA asking the agency to develop a zig-zag path along the Back Bay for flights departing from the airport. The proposed path, officials said, would follow the center of the Back Bay from the departure end of the runway to open water and help reduce noise significantly in several nearby neighborhoods.

John Wayne Airport, called one of the nation's "scariest airports," requires a steep takeoff to reduce noise. Airplanes take off at up to a 25-degree angle, twice as steep as the departure from other airports. The sharp angle gets airplanes higher faster, over homes and airport noise sensors.

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