New FAA-approved flight paths for Naples Airport will start Oct. 2. The new paths are designed to enhance safety, increase efficiency and reduce noise.
Naples Airport contracted with FAA-authorized third-party evaluator Hughes Aerospace, which identified two primary flight modifications to help mitigate aviation noise on approach flights:
- Approaches: Airplanes would descend at a steeper slope (3.5 degrees vs. 3.0 degrees), meaning aircraft would fly at higher altitudes on their approaches above neighborhoods near Naples Airport. The change would not affect helicopters.
- Holding patterns: Airplanes in holding patterns would fly at higher altitudes (3,000 feet vs. 2,100 feet) and over less populated areas, including the Gulf and the Everglades.
Test flights conducted in May successfully measured the safety and validity of designs, and the FAA completed its review and granted approval during the past few months.
The FAA is notifying pilots of the changes and Naples Airport Authority has launched an awareness campaign to ensure pilots, charter companies and tenants understand the changes.
“These types of modifications typically take years to design, test and implement, and many proposals never receive FAA approval,” said Chris Rozansky, executive director of the Naples Airport Authority. “Hughes Aerospace has a strong partnership with the FAA, and their collaboration was critical in achieving these changes. We are committed to aviation safety and want to be good neighbors. These new flight procedures will enhance safety and help preserve our neighbors’ quality of life, even if by only a few decibels.”
Naples Airport began developing a plan to mitigate noise in the 1970s while developing its first Master Plan. The Naples Airport Authority then established a nine-member Noise Compatibility Committee in 1997, and since 2000, it has invested more than $10 million into noise abatement initiatives.
In 2005, the U.S. District Court of Appeals upheld Naples Airport’s ban on Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft, which are widely considered the noisiest classification of jets. The airport also prohibited engine maintenance run-ups from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and established a voluntary curfew during those same nighttime hours, a restraint that has a 98.7% compliance rate from operators. Most recently, Naples Airport launched a Fly Safe Fly Quiet initiative that uses a leaderboard to publicly commend quiet, courteous operators complying with the curfew.
Pilots can start using the new procedures on Oct. 2 and will be required to use the FAA’s higher-altitude approach starting at that time.
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