Noise Sensitive protesters are kind of...loud

[I WAS Birddog]

Ever surf Twitter for hashtags on folks in the GTA complaining about airplane noise?

Oh...it's amazing. They have live feeds of traffic movement over their homes, screenshots of traffic holding. They tag everyone from the NavCAnada, GTAA, MP of TC to their local mayor and finally the PM.

I can almost hear their mouth foaming rage with sputtered vulgarities come through their 'tweets' every time an aircraft flies over their newly constructed suburban neighbourhood.

What's fascinating and curious about the human condition is, back in the very late 80's early 90's...the YYZ airport authority (before they called themselves the GTAA) conducted a week long trial study to gather intel;

For a whole week they allowed aircraft to land and depart after curfew. Didn't announce it publicly. Can you guess how many complaints they received? Less than 5.

They then went public and announced that curfew landings and departures had indeed occurred the previous week. The following next week, NO aircraft had departed or landed after curfew....and can you guess how many complaint calls were made regarding the phantom flights throughout the night during the second week?
Hundreds.

I'm not saying people in the noise sensitive areas don't have a right to BBQ in their backyard in peace...all I'm saying is that the tools of social media has given everyone a voice with "Recreational Outrage". Example: 'Trigger Twitter Trump'.

I feel terrible for those in the path of the noise sensitive extremists' complaints. It must be an horrific ordeal dealing with them on a daily basis despite how every measure has been calculated to avoid these areas.

However I'm hoping those in charge won't succumb fully to their complaints of noise. Instead an open avenue of communication with all parties involved.

....but then...there are those that just are the extremists...and it is what it is.

[Diadem]

Springbank airport outside Calgary has existed since the 1940s, and it's completely surrounded by farmland. A few years ago, a developer bought some nearby property to turn into a subdivision, and after the lots were sold off the new owners started complaining about noise. They hadn't even started construction on the homes yet, and the new owners were demanding the airport authority make changes. The single-engine piston aircraft flying overhead are quieter than a neighbour's lawnmower, but apparently they're a huge disruption to these idiot NIMBYs.

[cgzro]

Ham radio people learned ages ago to erect the big antenna but leave it disconnected for a few months.
The complaints come in immediately which you carefully log so once you start transmitting you can point to as preexisting problems.

I used to get lots of complaints about aerobatics and people basically lied about time duration altitude and location all of which were easy to prove because the MF logged everything and I had an xpdr code.

[Chris M]

There's a lady that the local gliding club has an unofficial restraining order against (basically a "You show up here like a lunatic one more time and we'll start legal proceedings"). She once called the police, TC, Nav Canada, and everyone else she could get a hold of to scream about the club flying low over her house. In February. She didn't let up until they brought her to the field and showed her the untouched, 2-foot deep snow covering the runway.

[I WAS Birddog]

4 lifetimes ago there was a town meeting called with the header "SHUT DOWN YSN FOR GOOD!"

During that meeting there was some valid concerns. Including a gentlemen and his wife that were deep deep into their 70's who states;
"My wife and I like to sun bathe in the nude. We are appalled that airplane's flying over will have a front row view to us enjoying our lifestyle."

To which the WHOLE auditorium erupted with extreme laughter.

Rest assured we all agreed with him. No one wants to see that either.

I turned to my colleagues and said;
"Gents...it's time to throw in the towel on this. Aim it at him. I'm done. "

[linecrew]

They say planes are too noisy when they're low and the too chemtraily when they're at altitude.............you just can't win a war against idiots especially when they outnumber you.

[cgzro]

We had a lady complain about visual pollution ... gliders landing apparently.

[Mr. North]

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-new ... -last-year

Last year, a single Calgarian complained to the Calgary Airport Authority 1,707 times about aircraft noise.

That’s, on average, almost five phone calls or online submissions to the airport authority every single day, to vent about the sound of planes.

Another resident voiced concerns 1,094 times last year— almost three times per day, on average.

Together, those two people made up nearly half of the 6,458 noise concerns the Calgary Airport Authority tallied in all of 2016.

In an annual update to city council, Bob Sartor, CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, said even with frequent complaints from eight people, including the two people who complained more than 1,000 times each, the total concerns about aircraft noise decreased 39 per cent last year.


That comes after noise complaints plagued Calgary Airport officials when a new runway opened in 2014.

Soon after the $600-million runway opened, residents in Whitehorn, Marlborough, Radisson Heights and Rundle, including Ward 5 Coun. Ray Jones, complained that sound of planes was keeping them awake at night.

On Monday, council heard the airport authority has found success with a variety of noise management tools, including a community consultative committee, a noise concerns hotline and state-of-the-art technology including a flight tracking system and noise monitoring terminals.

“Our noise calls have gone down considerably … from everyone other than eight people,” Sartor told council Monday.

Calgarians can complain about aircraft noise 24 hours a day, seven days a week through an online form or a dedicated telephone hotline.

The aircraft noise concerns counted by the Calgary Airport Authority are consistent with findings from a 2016 American study, which found a small number of people account for a disproportionately large share of total airplane noise complaints.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi told reporters Monday he’s pleased the local airport noise issue is being dulled.

“If it drives you crazy, it drives you crazy,” Nenshi said, of the big number of complaints from two people.

“I am however confident that the (Airport Community Consultative Committee) are actually doing some really good work to mitigate the impact of the airport noise on existing communities,” he said.

[Kejidog]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/c ... -1.4034092

I have read this and many more like it. the vocal minority rules the day in this so called democracy.

[mixturerich]

Anyone that's ever used an airplane for travel has no right to complain about the noise they make. They complain yet when they want to travel to visit family, or go on vacation, it's perfectly okay, right? Hypocrisy.

[BGH]

My belief is that the noise complaints should generate a flag on your property deed & the number of complaints available to the prospective new owner.
If you complain about noise from any form of transportation you should be banned from using that form for travel for life.

Daryl

[CD]

Here is an article in Ottawa:

Tempers take off over small plane noise in Grenfell Glen - Flying club willing to work with community: GM - May 15, 2017

[I WAS Birddog]

My belief is that the noise complaints should generate a flag on your property deed & the number of complaints available to the prospective new owner.


If you complain about noise from any form of transportation you should be banned from using that form for travel for life.

Daryl

First paragraph is absolutely brilliant. Beyond brilliant actually.
Second paragraph would be a "nice to have" but a hard sell amongst the PC-free range-grass fed- crowd.

[Shibby]

I have faith in human stupidity. Buy a property that's affordable next to an airfield, then complain about noise. Buy a property next to the QEW/401, don't say anything about noise because... you know... driving is a right... right? Not to mention, those buyers need that parking lot to get to work.

Aside from the need to complain about something. I'd say the complaints come from a psychological perspective. With the noise being intermittent, say an arrival every minute to minute and a half, it feels that much louder and so we must get enraged by it.

Place the airport in the middle of nowhere... like let's say Malton... that'll keep the noise away from the city! Jokes on you, the city will always come to the airport won't it? And it'll generate the complaint that the airport is too far from the city. Catch 22 fools.

Bring back the "Fuel to Noise" engines. That'll shut 'em up... if not drown them out.

[linecrew]

Bring back the "Fuel to Noise" engines. That'll shut 'em up... if not drown them out.

Interesting that you mention this as the other day it donned on me that aircraft are several decibels quieter than they were just a handful of years ago (707s, 727s, 737-200s) and yet the noise complaints seem to be steadily on the rise. What could be the root cause of this? Is it that we complain more about stuff as we get older? The baby boomer generation are in their 60s meaning that there are a lot more seniors in the population, so maybe that's it? No disrespect intended towards elderly folks, I'm just just really curious to know what is behind the relatively recent rise in these sorts of complaints.