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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

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 17: Testimony of Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo Member Day Hearing Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

April 13: Federal and Local Progress!

February 15: NEW! Sky Posse Priorities for the FAA 2023 Reauthorization and Update on Council retreat

2022

July 25: MONDAY AUGUST 1 at 5:15 PM – PACC Study Session on Airplane Noise

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 27: UPDATE – FAA Decision Not to Adopt Select Committee Recommendation on SFO Southern Arrivals Aircraft Noise

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


air-traffic-control-baytracon-sfo

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.

2009

2012

2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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 issueAirbus+RetrofitImage. 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

 

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.