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city government news & events about apple valley employment resources |
Departments > Transportation and Transit > MSP Airport > FAQ's | ||||
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Questions the City Asked of MAC Concerning Airport Noise and Runway 17/35 The following are questions that the City has asked of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) on behalf of residents. Below are listed the responses the City has received from the MAC. Questions of MAC and the MAC Response Q: Can the FAA reduce the use of 17/35? No, it is the position of the FAA that a purposeful and/or articial limit on the runway's use, beyond that already agreed to, either by aircraft type, or by number of operations, would not be allowed. Such a position is grounded in the fact that Runway 17/35 was an approximately $800-million-dollar investment at MSP in the name of increasing airport efficiency and capacity. Q: Can the arrival path follow Cedar as opposed to the present flight(s) path it is presently using over the residential areas? No, aircraft being lined up for arrivals on any of the runways at MSP (including Runway 35) track inbound on a navigational aid comprised of equipment on the ground (Instrument Landing System --ILS) interacting with instrumentation onboard the aircraft to ensure that aircraft follow a straight line that will align aircraft with the touchdown point of the runway. At MSP, during typical periods of arriving aircraft, the FAA is lining up as many as 10 to 15 aircraft at any given time. Many times aircraft are lined up on their final approach course as far out as 30 to 35 miles. Arriving aircraft use the same navigational equipment mentioned above to keep the aircraft at an angle and slope while descending that will bring them in perfectly to the touch down point of the runway. This standard procedure is used at airports all around the country and can not be changed to follow Cedar Avenue. Q: What is the altitude of arrival aircraft in Apple Valley at the following locations: 160th Street, Cedar Avenue and 35E? The average altitude for Runway 35 arrivals over the southern boundary of Apple Valley (Cedar Avenue and 160th Street) is approximately 3,000 feet AGL. The average altitude for Runway 35 arrivals over the norther boundary of Apple Valley (Cedar Avenue and 35E) is approximately 1,900 feet AGL. Q: Can the altitude of the arrivals be increased to come in at a sharper angle? Research currently being conducted suggests that it is possible to modify traditional arrival patterns to reduce noise....PARTNER Project 4 is the Continous Descent Approach (CDA) initiative. CDA is an aircraft approach procedure that reduces noise, engine emissions, and fuel consumption during the landing phase of flight. As part of the research conducted to date it has been proven that modification of decent paths and procedures can reduce noise. Traditional approach practices entail aircraft beginning their approach decent several miles from the airport spending significant amounts of time at lower altitudes while "stepping" their way down to the airport. This process requires engine thrust applications at each point along the decent where the aircraft levels out and waits for the decent to the next lower altitude in the procession down to the runway....CDA, keeps the aircraft at cruise altitude until they are relatively close to an airport. At this point, the aircraft make an even, continuous decent to the runway....Consistent with a request made by the MSP Noise Oversight Committee (NOC), in August 2005 MAC sent a letter to Mr. Carl Burleson -- FAA and Dr. Ian Waitz -- PARTNER requesting consideration of MSP as a possible future test site. PARTNER is currently in the process of completing a study of the 30+ largest airports in the U.S. to determine the best places to introduce CDA at night. Q: What will the impact on property values be with Runway 17/35? The impact of airport noise on housing values has been the subject of a number of studies around the nation. These studies have been useful in providing some insight into the complex issue, but results have varied and have been difficult to quantify out to the 65 and 60 DNL contour. In addition, results of published studies are greatly influenced by an airport’s location and surrounding housing and neighborhood base.
Historically, property values for homes around the airport that were
impacted by aircraft noise before the opening of Runway 17/35, i.e. South
Minneapolis, have not decreased in recent years. As evidence of this fact,
recent statements made by Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak, suggest that property
values in the most impacted city around MSP continue to rise. Specifically,
when announcing his bid for reelection on January 30, 2005, Mayor Rybak
stated, “Housing values are rising all over Minneapolis, some of
them dramatically, and if you own a home in this city you have made one
smart investment.” The Mayor’s comments are consistent with
an April 25, 1999 Star Tribune article regarding appreciating home values
in the City of Minneapolis. When discussing the area most impacted in
the City of Minneapolis by airport noise from MSP the article stated,
“Virtually all of south Minneapolis is experiencing rising values,
usually more than 10 percent.” Q: In general Apple Valley has received noise concern comments regarding nighttime operations and ensuring there is a way to verify that the nighttime traffic is generally staying in an industrial corridor when possible? To date (March 1, 2006) nighttime aircraft operations on Runway 17/35 have been limited with only 28 total aircraft operations (21 departures on Runway 17, 7 arrivals on Runway 35) occurring during the nighttime hours of 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. from November 1, 2005 to January 31, 2006. Furthermore, 20 of the 21 total departures during the nighttime hours occurred on November 6, 2005, when the parallel runways were not available for departures due to FAA flight testing. The Runway Use System (RUS) establishes runway selection preferences based on impacted population (i.e. the runway that impacts the fewest people receives the highest preference). Noise benefits utilitzing the RUS can be obtained during mid- and low- demand periods, which usually occur during the night. Under the RUS the first priority for operations during the nighttime hours is over the Eagan/Mendota Heights Corridor (area that contains the Minnesota River and commercial and industrial land immediately east of MSP). Although the RUS defines noise sensitive runway use preferences employed by ATC in prioritizing runway selection, it does not preclude the use of Runway 17/35 during the nighttime hours. However, MAC has developed the Runway 17 River Published Departure Procedure and the Runway 17 River Departure Heading to be used primarily during the core nighttime hours of 12:15 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. to route aircraft departing from Runway 17 over the Minnesota River Valley. Compliance with the Runway 17 River Published Departure Procedure and the Runway 17 River Departure Heading during the nighttime hours can be found on page 3 of the monthly Runway 17 Departure Analysis Report available online >>> Q: What is the altitude of arrival aircraft in Apple Valley that are using the parallel runways on downwind? The average altitude for Runway 12R/30L arrivals on the downwind leg of their approach over the northwestern boundary of Apple Valley is approximately 7,200 feet AGL. The average altitude for 12R/30L arrivals on the downwind leg of their approach over the eastern boundary of Apple Valley is approximately 5,700 feet AGL. Q: Will eminent domain affect residents of Apple Valley and will they be eligible for the MAC Land Acquisition Program? No -- the City of Apple Valley is located several miles outside of the 65 DNL contour area and is not eligible for land acquisition. Q: How far out from the airport are aircraft required/ allowed to lower their landing gear? Can that distance be shortened so that aircraft are not lowering their gear until they are closer to the airport (thereby reducing noise impact)? The actual location of where each individual pilot will extend their landing gear will depend on several factors including safety, airspeed, pilot technique and standard operating procedures. Air Traffic Control will dictate aircraft speed and approach type which will determine aircraft gear extension timing. The earliest pilots typically lower their landing gear is the middle marker, which is located approximately 7.5 miles from the arrival end of Runway 35. Under all conditions, the pilot will have to be "gear down, and slowed up" by 1000 feet above ground level (about 3 miles from the end of Runway 35) and to accomplish this, the latest the gear would be selected down would be 5-6 miles out from touchdown point of the runway in order to decelerate for the final 1,000 feet of the approach. Frequently, pilots will wait to extend their landing gear until it is absolutely necessary to save on fuel and reduce noise.
Content updated on: 17-Jul-2006
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