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Noise abatement

KCIA instituted a noise monitoring and flight tracking system in 1999 and began a Federal Aviation Administration Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Study. After numerous community meetings and influential advice from a Study Advisory Committee (SAC) comprised of nearby residents, airport tenants, and public agencies, KCIA finalized its report to the King County Executive and Council in 2001. Data collected during the study were incorporated into KCIA’s recommendations for programs to reduce noise within surrounding neighborhoods. The final report was submitted to the FAA in 2002.

Residents of King County are encouraged to contact the KCIA Noise Office to report noise events or for investigative analysis of noise and flight tracking data. The Noise Office investigates and responds to callers and communicates with aircraft operators to ensure compliance with KCIA’s Fly Quiet Program.

Note: Our glossary has definitions of terms and acronyms relating to noise and acoustics.

Fly Quiet program

This voluntary program is designed to encourage aircraft operators to use “fly quiet” flight patterns and procedures that reduce noise in the communities surrounding KCIA. The KCIA Noise Office is a timely resource for in-depth analysis and credible data about flight operations and noise monitoring reports. The Noise Office responds to residents’ reports of specific noise events and investigates them to determine deviations from adopted Fly Quiet flight patterns and procedures.

Information for pilots about KCIA’s Fly Quiet program is available in our For Pilots section.

Noise monitoring

The purpose of the Noise Monitoring program is to provide reliable and consistent noise metric data to measure the success of noise reduction strategies in surrounding airport communities. The Noise Monitoring Program collects and analyzes noise data from four permanent monitors and six portable monitors strategically located in neighborhoods near KCIA. Local residents are encouraged to contact the KCIA Noise Office to report any aircraft noise incident. The Noise Office investigates each noise incident reported, responds to callers, and contacts aircraft operators with results provided by noise monitoring equipment and flight tracking data.

For more information about monitoring activities near you and other aspects of the noise monitoring program, please send your questions or comments to the KCIA Noise Office.

Flight tracking

KCIA added flight tracking to its noise monitoring system in 1998. This system identifies the actual flight path aircraft operators use when flying into and out of KCIA. This comprehensive information database system also identifies all other flights originating at nearby airports. The flight tracks are generated from the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control System’s radar data, which provides the aircraft’s “footprints” in the sky. KCIA’s Noise Office correlates calls to its Noise Information Line with flights and noise measurements within surrounding neighborhoods. In combination, flight tracking and noise monitoring improve KCIA’s ability to determine which operators are in compliance or deviating from Fly Quiet program flight procedures.

Report noise incidents

The Noise Office is an important resource to residents living in communities surrounding KCIA. Each noise incident reported to the Noise Office is logged into a comprehensive database that also includes flight tracking and decibel measurements from noise events collected by KCIA’s four strategically-located permanent, and six rotating, noise monitoring stations.

Noise exposure levels are determined for all reported noise incidents and then correlated to specific aircraft operations by the Noise Office. Noise contour maps assist the Noise Office in analyzing the highest measurements of noise on a daily/nightly average.

Based on data collected and correlated with reports from residents, the Noise Office compares actual flight characteristics to compliance with Fly Quiet flight procedures. Residents are invited to contact the KCIA Noise Office by any of the means listed below to improve compliance with Fly Quiet noise reduction goals.

Noise Information Line

Phone: 206-205-KCIA (206-205-5242)
E-mail: KCIAnoise@metrokc.gov
Online form: www.metrokc.gov/airport/noise/report_form.stm

Last update: September 11, 2008