Who is responsible for directing airplanes where to fly?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has jurisdiction over navigable airspace and air traffic management in the USA. State and local government entities, including U.S. airports such as St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), have no authority to usurp federal government sovereignty of airspace or air traffic control – at STL or elsewhere.
How does weather impact noise?
Just about everything an aircraft does, including the noise it makes, is affected by the weather. Aircraft climb more slowly in warm weather, making operations louder on the ground. On cloudy days, the noise from aircraft rebounds down to the earth’s surface from the bottom of the clouds, making it louder. On windy days, aircraft noise carries further at ground level.
Why was I woken up last night by aircraft noise?
Like most commercial airports in the US, St. Louis Lambert International (STL) operates 24 hours per day 365 days per year. There is no nighttime curfew . However, the City of St. Louis, in coordination with the FAA, airport users and community representatives, has developed preferred nighttime aircraft procedures that help mitigate aircraft noise over residential areas. Depending on winds and weather conditions, these procedures are designed to align aircraft with the runways in the safest and most efficient manner possible.
Will filing a noise complaint change how the airport operates?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the sole authority in determining where aircraft will fly and how the airport will operate. These decisions are based solely on air traffic control procedures for the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in and out of STL. Noise complaints are not considered when making these decisions. However, considerable time and effort are spent on a daily basis in handling and analyzing complaints.
What causes planes to takeoff or land over my home?
For safety reasons aircraft always land and take off into the wind. A headwind decreases the amount of runway needed for an airplane to take off and land by increasing the amount of airflow over the wing, which increases lift, allowing the plane to land or take off at a slower airspeed. As a general rule, when the wind speed at the airport is measured to be three knots or higher, the prevailing direction of the wind dictates which runways are used for landing and takeoff.