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Complain! Get Involved! Sign Petition!
2024
October 4: Update & FAA news on Noise Policy Review
September 14: Council is asked to pick a preferred alternative for Palo Alto Airport
August 8: UPDATE – City Airport Survey
May 30: Palo Alto Airport Update
May 5: The FAA Reauthorization & Palo Alto Airport
March 17: NEWS! Special Edition
2023
December 18: Feedback to City Council on Priorities
November 11: Update – Bay Area Airports – governance and NIGHT time noise!
September 27: LAST CALL to let the FAA know about NIGHT time NOISE!
September 18: HELP make some history and participate!
July 14: Brief update and Monday 6 PM City/SFO meeting reminder
July 3: Help Stop Aviation Greenwashing! CALL TO ACTION!
June 19: Noise Pollution NEWS
May 15: Public Agenda: Palo Alto Airport, Wednesday May 17th
May 1: 90-day period begins to respond to FAA on noise metrics
April 13: Federal and Local Progress!
February 15: NEW! Sky Posse Priorities for the FAA 2023 Reauthorization and Update on Council retreat
2022
December 19: City Survey – Keep Community Health and Safety as a priority!
November 1: Brief Update
September 8: Meet the Candidates! Sunday September 25, 1-4 pm
July 31: 3 asks for Council – JOIN August 1, 5:15 PM PACC Airplane Noise Study Session
July 25: MONDAY AUGUST 1 at 5:15 PM – PACC Study Session on Airplane Noise
June 11: SPECIAL REPORT: The Role of Local Officials in FAA’s NEPA Practices
April 14: Update – Looking Ahead
March 23: CALL TO ACTION! Deadline 5 PM March 30th
February 23: The GBAS Overlays
January 30: JOIN! February 5th, 8:30 AM Priorities Retreat
2021
December 16: Weigh in! PRIORITIES 2022
December 7: Update on Roundtables, FAA, and Sky Posse Community Discussions
October 10: GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RELEASES REPORT
October 5: Letter to SF RT regarding FAA noise assessment of GBAS
July 11: UPDATE & FAA Ombudsman Response
July 9: Sky Posse letter to FAA Ombudsman about CATEX
May 24: UPDATE – FAA to host virtual forum
April 10: UPDATE – Joint Letter from Five Cities to FAA
March 7: Sky Posse Input to FAA’s solicitation to Inform National Aircraft Noise Policy
January 19: FAA unveils new national curve to inform US aviation noise policy
January 9: Save the Date February 23-26 UC Davis Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium
2020
December 20: UPDATE
December 14: Letter to Quiet Skies Caucus
October 10: UPDATED PACC Elections 2020 Candidate Responses
October 7: Special Edition: Candidate Responses to Sky Posse Questionnaire!
September 11 Update PACC Elections 2020 – Sky Posse Candidate Questionnaire
July 13 Letter – Sky Posse Comment about Noise Certification of Supersonic Airplanes more public comments @ Federal Register
July 10 Sky Posse July 2020 Update
June 16 Letter to SCSC roundtable Technical Subcommittee
May 23 Special Edition – See Survey and FAA Report to Congress on DNL and Alternative Metrics
April 4 Update – Looking Ahead
March 23 letter to Representative Eshoo request for airline attention
March 10 Letter to Council on Environmental Quality, Washington DC
January 8 Letter to City of San Jose regarding SJC proposed expansion
San Francisco bay area major jet arrival and departure routes
Three major routes into SFO intersect over Palo Alto. The FAA implemented NextGen, changed flight procedures, and moved vast quantities of jet traffic over Palo Alto. Traffic has been increasing at alarming and concentrated levels. Community outcry and congressional efforts resulted in FAA engagement via the Select Committee of South Bay Arrivals.
To ensure these efforts result in relief, join us. Contact: info@skypossepaloalto.org
full-size map and advocacy information.
Nextgen Concentration of traffic over MidPeninsula
The number of flights over Palo Alto and neighboring cities has more than doubled because of a Nextgen design decision (without considering resident input) to funnel the majority of SFO arrivals through a single merge point . The proportion of flights near the bottom of the 4000-5000 foot altitude window has increased breaching a community agreement made in the year 2000 to maintain traffic above 5000 feet.
For more information about Nextgen see www.quietskiesmidpeninsula.org
Flights from the north, south and west converge over the MidPeninsula. They aim for an altitude of 4000 feet over Palo Alto and East Palo Alto and from there, take the final approach into SFO. James Sun analyzed traffic growth between 3K and 5K feet based on flight tracks received from the FAA. His analysis shows the number of flights from the south and southeast has grown substantially.
The charts below are based on flight tracks received in their entirety via a FAA Freedom of Information Act request.
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Airbus 320 whine/howl/keening petition
Certain jets flying over us emit a high-pitched whining noise that is particularly offensive to the human ear. They account for 17%-20% of the noisiest SF Peninsula over flights. Luckily, there is an inexpensive solution to this huge noise issue. Sign the petition to ask the airlines to spend less than $5000 per jet to retrofit their fleets with simple air flow deflectors that STOP the horrible loud “whistling” sound affecting millions on the peninsula
Select Committee On South Bay Arrivals
- Final Report of the Select Committee
- Select Committee Chair Supervisor Joe Simitian’s transmittal letter
- Congressional letter to FAA
On December 2, Representatives Eshoo, Farr and Speier sent to a letter to the FAA Administrator along with reports from the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals and the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable. The three representatives: accepted the Select Committee’s and Roundtable’s recommendations; requested the FAA move towards implementation “as soon as possible; requested the FAA provide a progress update within 60 days.
The letter also cites the Committee’s recommendation that a successor organization be formed to be made up of local elected officials from the members’ three Congressional Districts. The Representatives state that they “will work with [their] incoming colleagues in the next Congress to determine how best to move forward with that recommendation.” Palo Alto – which experiences the highest number of overflights and is most impacted by SFO arrivals – should have a seat at the table.
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SKY POSSE PALO ALTO provides the information on this website “as is” and does not assume any liability for any errors or omissions, or for any misleading use of that information.