JSX, announced the successful completion of its voluntary noise abatement study at Orange County's John Wayne Airport (SNA). The pioneering study resulted in JSX becoming the quietest air carrier over Newport Beach. The study, which began in September, saw JSX flights operate Embraer's noise abatement procedure combined with the quietest Instrument Departure from SNA instead of the current FAA NextGen (Next Generation) departures, which mandate lower altitudes near surrounding cities including Newport Beach.
"While our Embraer jet aircraft are already far quieter than legacy air carrier jets operating out of John Wayne Airport, we knew we could go above and beyond to lead the way on noise abatement procedures," stated JSX CEO Alex Wilcox. "While the expression is 'good fences make for good neighbors,' we believe quiet flying demonstrates our commitment to the residents of Orange County and we look forward to providing our extraordinary hop-on jet service from SNA for many years to come."
The study involved regular, daily flights from SNA in September, in which JSX flight crews used a departure procedure referred to by the FAA as MUSEL8. JSX Pilots, in cooperation with air traffic control were able to attain higher altitude when reaching the coastline, which not only reduced ground noise signature but altered the flight route over the current departure procedure for John Wayne Airport.
The current FAA NextGen procedure, HERRO3, was first introduced in the last few years and resulted in flowing air traffic directly over Newport Beach at a lower altitude and in a very confined track, thus amplifying the noise impact for residents under the flight path. By contrast, MUSEL8 is far quieter for residents by climbing faster in order to reduce the noise footprint over the affected area.
Newport Beach Councilman and resident Kevin Muldoon commented, "Having the quietest departure possible from John Wayne Airport is one of the most important issues for Newport Beach and I applaud all efforts to reduce noise impacts."
Today, most airlines serving Orange County fly Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 series aircraft. According to a FAA Advisory circular on aircraft noise1, the single-aisle aircraft, which have been in production since the 1960s and 1980s respectively, have an Effective Perceived Noise Level (EPNdB) of 7 decibels which is nearly two-times higher than JSX's faster climbing Embraer 135 aircraft. Combined with the improved "Fly Quiet" procedures, residents living under the SNA flight path should experience vastly less jet noise from JSX flights.
The results of the noise study are still being examined by JSX with an eye towards creating a voluntary noise program at Orange County for all public air carriers. Added Wilcox, "While it's in our DNA to be an industry leader, it's in the best interests of the aviation community to ensure we are doing all we can to reduce noise in this highly populated region. We all win when we work together, and we encourage other air carriers to consider following our lead at SNA."
