Aviation – Environmental Issues Activity 8 ASCI202, Essays (university) of Aeronautical Engineering

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Running head: AVIATION – ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Aviation – Environmental Issues Taylor Jolley Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University April 1, 2018

AVIATION – ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Aviation – Environmental Issues Summary This case analysis’s objective is to evaluate O’Hare International Airport’s noise pollution and assess its effectiveness in addressing the problem. “O’Hare, tops in the nation in total operations, flew off the charts with more than 268,000 jet noise complaints in 2014. The No. 2 airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, had 162,” (Rossi, 2015). The amount of complaints is staggering, and finding a solution has proven to be difficult. This increase in noise complaints was seen after a shift in the airport’s flight paths. After changing to east-west parallel runways the noise complaints skyrocketed. The airport is taking these concerns seriously, however their current complainant system does not reflect this sentiment. Hopefully, their proposed changes will make some headway in reducing noise complaints. This case analysis will dive into how this issue arose and how they plan to combat it. Environmental Problems Naturally, with technological advancement and densely populated areas, environmental concerns of all types become more and more problematic. Things like smog as well as noise and air pollution become more common as cities grow. The question then becomes, how do we combat this issue and make our world a more livable and peaceful place? City living is somewhat of a challenging concept. Those who live in very large cities say they live there because they want to be closer to the good jobs, good food and people. They rave about the niceties of living in a big city and could not fathom living anywhere else. However, most tend to complain about the problems that will indefinitely arise due to an area being overpopulated. The issue here could be viewed in a couple of ways. One, this is something that you just have to deal with when living in a densely populated area, especially when this close to an airport. Jets make

AVIATION – ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

use at night between the north and south runways, and also east-flow and west-flow traffic,” (Silets, 2015). Alternatively, O’Hare could establish a program like Denver’s, who also had large noise complaints at its opening. Denver Airport and the surrounding counties performed a study that showed that “more departures were using some runways than the FAA had predicted and some departures were turning earlier than anticipated,” (Rossi, 2015). This revelation led to changes at the airport that cut noise complaints in half. By making changes at the airport, there is a possibility noise complaints could be reduced. The real question is, can they be reduced enough to make a significant difference, while also managing the same workload. Disadvantages Many are doubtful that these noise complaints could be reduced. Even by following Denver’s lead. Owen Kilmer, a representative form CDA stated “comparing Chicago to Denver amounts to comparing ‘apples and oranges,’” (Rossi, 2015). The same processes that worked at Denver would not work for O’Hare as it is uniquely built, with communities built surrounding it. There are large fears in the community that the future runways being added will only make the problem worse. Overall, it seems that the airports overhaul caused the noise complaint increase. And that their complaint system, which funnels complaints into a black hole where no one ever receives a response and nothing ever gets done, gives little hope for improvement, ever (Rossi, 2015). Truly, it seems as if the airport cannot solve the problem. Whether it is due to a lack of ability, or sheer laziness, we may never know. Until this question can be answered, alternative two is much more of a feasible solution. Alternative Action 2 Pack your bags, and move to where it is quieter. Enjoy a longer commute to work, and revel in the fact that you are no longer woken up by jets at night.

AVIATION – ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Advantages Let’s be honest. If you choose to live near an airport, there will be more noise than if you chose to live in the country. Living in the city alone brings on much more noise than a rural area would have. That is just the nature of the beast. Is noise pollution annoying? Sure! But, it is much less of a concern than the actual pollution that jets produce. If anything, the smog and effect burning jet fuel has on the environment is much worse. Now, that doesn’t mean noise pollution isn’t a problem. In fact, something should be done to reduce the noise levels surrounding O’Hare. The data shows that O’Hare had much fewer complaints before they revamped the airport. That renovation is what created this problem, so something should be done to remedy the situation. However, if you live next to an airport, expect noise. People buy homes “in spite of their knowledge of the proximity to a noisy airport. Then they file noise complaints about the noisy airport,” (Barthlome, 2016). You can’t have it both ways. The benefit of being close to the airport and your job in the city is going to be met with some drawbacks. “We all want a roaring economy without the roar of a plane. We want more flight options at the moment we’re booking tickets but wish there were fewer planes at other times,” (Ross, 2016). There are compromises that have to be made in order for progress to come about. This really just comes down to how humans tend to behave. People “love airplanes when they benefit them, but let them make some noise when they don’t need their services and all hell breaks loose,” (Hyatt, 2015). So, if the noise from the airport is bothering you, you should probably move somewhere else. Disadvantages This approach comes off very harsh. It is an evasive answer to the problem of noise pollution. However, it is still an option that every single one of the complainants has. The

AVIATION – ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

References Barthlome, E. (2016, September 23). Moving in next to an airport and then complaining about the noise. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/23/moving-in-next- to-an-airport-and-then-complaining-about-the-noise/ Hyatt, J. (2015, May 04). Military Airports Too Loud? What About the Sound of Freedom? Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://fightersweep.com/2190/military-airports-loud-sound- freedom/ Nitkin, A. (2017, July 27). New O'Hare 'Fly Quiet' Rotation Underway: See When Jet Noise Will Be Worst. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170727/ohare/ohare- fly-quiet-runway-rotation-jet-noise-fair-third-test-maps-see-when Ross, M. (2016, October 16). Logan Airport is noisy? Good - The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/10/15/logan-airport-noisy- good/tlQZUn0MO5FwzETqm1Lp7J/story.html Rossi, R. (2018, February 23). O'Hare Airport Tops In Nation With Noise Complaints. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.bettergov.org/news/ohare-airport-tops-in-nation-with-noise- complaints Silets, A. (2015, July 30). Noise Complaints at O'Hare Skyrocket. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2015/07/30/noise-complaints-ohare-skyrocket