"Officials will study plane noise after complaints about Logan" by Megan Woolhouse Globe Staff October 07, 2016
Facing increasing pressure from lawmakers, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Massachusetts Port Authority said they will consider changes to flight patterns in and out of Logan International Airport that have triggered thousands of noise complaints from residents.
The catalyst is a navigation system the FAA implemented three years ago that concentrated more planes into narrower flight paths, increasing the noise that residents who live under those approaches endure. Massport and the FAA announced Friday that they will investigate alternatives, such as having planes fly at a higher altitude, or over the ocean, or in airspace above a major highway.
“We must not forget to address the community’s concerns,” Todd D. Friedenberg, deputy regional administrator for the FAA in New England, said at a news conference Friday. “My hope is we can deliver real safety and measurable benefits.”
But US Representative Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from South Boston who has been sharply critical of the FAA, characterized the response as “baby steps.”
Noise levels out of Logan are actually lower today than in the past, Hansman said, because of improvements in jet engine technology. And while flying a jet at a higher altitude might seem like an easy answer, there are also increased risks, such as an engine overheating....
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