The FAA with supreme authority over all regulatory aspects of aviation has been FAILING to protect American people from excessive noise and fuel pollution and unsafe and dangerous activities of general aviation at North Las Vegas Airport and other abusive airports all across the country (worst examples are: Centennial Airport (APA), Rocky Mountain (BJC), KAPA, JFK Airport (KJFK), Long Island (NY), Long Beach (CA), Santa Monica (SMO), Bend Oregon (Muni), Los Angeles (LAX and VNY), Burbank (BUR), Paleo Alto (PAO), and Seattle (SeaTac - SEA)).
In the past few weeks, our communities have been under non-stop aerial assault and retaliation by rogue aviation players and beneficiaries (mainly Vegas Aviation and Sky Combat Ace) for daring to speak against rogue aviation activities right above our homes. Abusive recreational pilots are regularly turning off their ADS-B from transmitting while they are aerially assaulting and regularly targeting homes of known concerned citizens.
“FAA is effectively a captured regulator. FAA is not serving the nation; instead, FAA is serving to enable excessive operations (and impacts) by aviation players, who gain financially with FAA inaction and delays, often aided by current FAA employees who have conflicts of interest due to other non-FAA aviation work” according to Jeff Lewis, a former FAA air traffic controller who was forced to early retirement after rising concerns about safety breaches (including an actual midair collision between a helicopter and a small plane, at the Reid-Hillview airport in San Jose).
FAA’s Nextgen is creating painful noise and air pollution in many areas, but these two rise above the most:
- At major airline hub airports (where NextGen technologies are automating procedures by both aircraft navigational systems and ATC systems, to tweak flow rates higher, all in the goal of accommodating airlines wanting higher airport capacities. In order to save fuel for airline industry, the FAA has been aggressively ‘collaborating’ with industry and has forced all aircrafts into a few narrow corridors, shrinking flight paths from miles wide to a mere couple of thousand feet wide with frequent flights at much much lower altitudes. These paths and flying procedures are not in keeping with NextGen goals and have resulted in increasing fuel usage (according to the FAA), dramatic noise impacts, and a huge outcry from millions of the Americans living underneath these flight paths). In a nutshell, NextGen has been FAA’s Carte Blanche to dismantle and discard decades-old noise mitigation agreements, across all airports in US: https://www.change.org/p/move-sky-combat-ace-out-of-kvgt/u/31778831
- At general aviation airports (Private-equity funded, national-scale, flight schools are importing students from across the globe, touring businesses taking advantage of lack of any regulations and profiting from the impacts they impose upon communities below. The Front Range of Colorado is the current worst-case example, where GA operations have soared, as have pollutant impacts, in some cases doubling in a few years … The dangerous and unsafe activities of recreational pilots have grown drastically out of North Las Vegas Airport. Many of these businesses dumped on top of Summerlin and NW communities are registered in Colorado and other problematic airports/states, yet no environmental or sound studies or public engagement process preceded any of this growth). https://www.change.org/p/move-sky-combat-ace-out-of-kvgt
- NextGen and General Aviation Airports: https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121010073955/http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/media/NextGen_for_Airports_9_2011.pdf
- General Aviation Community Prepares for FAA's Nextgen expansion: https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/nextgenbrochure.pdf
- The constant harassment of American people through abusive recreational pilots should be viewed as the invoice for ANOTHER FAILURE by the FAA to protect American people from the wrath of general aviation (non-essential flights) and excessive noise and fuel pollution: https://www.change.org/p/move-sky-combat-ace-out-of-kvgt
PEOPLE ARE BEING DAMAGED, COMMUNITIES ARE BEING DESTROYED. Airports create impacts that diminish quality of life – and health – for residents. This is the case for all busier airports, whether they serve small planes or larger passenger jets.
Quiet Communities (5 to 10 miles away from airport) should not be subject to acrobatic airplanes (95 dB - 110 dB) ripping over in formation at full power, often less than 1000ft off the ground and in excess of 250 knots, 30-40 times a day just so tourists can pay 1000 bucks an hour to play war games over the mountains.
The constant noise and air pollution over our communities have been relentless and oppressive. Even if recreational pilots are not in violation of FAA’s min safe altitude (which in some cases they are), they are violating noise abatement procedures that prohibit incessant 'touch & goes' and intensive flight training operations right on top of congested areas.
Neighborhoods west of the airports are under assault, by either loud commercial planes screaming over congested areas (in particular early morning hours or late at nights), low flying helicopters (flying below 300 ft), hobbyist recreational pilots hopping from this airport to other problematic ones, or Abusive Sky Combat Ace, Vegas Aviation, West Air Flight Training, Flyright Aviation, or BBL Ventures (Montana), TACTICAL INTEGRATED TRAINING SOLUTIONS (Colorado), CARBON FIBER (Missouri) and a dozen others, BANNED/kicked out of other cities because of safety issues, fatal crashes or noise. At north Las Vegas Airport these loud low flying lawnmowers get to exploit their privileges by performing incessant ‘touch and goes’ right on top of congested areas.
We are faced with Lack of response to noise, air pollution and safety complaints, and no accountability at the source (the FAA or rogue aviation players):
Congress responded a few years ago, ordering FAA to create regional Noise Ombudsman, to improve interactions and better engage citizens… and since, those Ombuds offices (in particular the FAA's Western Pacific region noise complaint) have proven to be just a diversion and an obstacle; no help at all. Residents cannot even reach out to a real person when they call the FAA's Western Pacific region noise complaint (it's all automated).
In the meantime, our communities are enduring the worst assault and retaliation ever, and when citizens try to control the quality of their home environment, they get run-arounds, everywhere. They are broadly ignored by the FAA bureaucrat or FSDO officials working in close connections to flight schools and touring businesses they oversee.
Citizens are disrespected and tagged as ‘Karens’ or ‘NIMBYs’ (which they are NOT), while pilots and operators are treated like heroes and economic saviors (which they are NOT).
On top of this problem, we have reports that Clark county department of aviation (noise complaint line) has been disclosing residents' personal information (names + addresses) with other parties without their consent. The Clark County has suggested that there is nothing anyone could do and unhappy residents should move out of their homes if they don't like noise and devastation of Sky Combat Ace and other abusive recreational pilots.
Hobbyist pilots and those affiliated with these flight schools and recreational pilots are using social media to identify and then bully the few citizens who try to aid their neighbors by speaking up. The bullying even includes an aviation variant of road-rage: the use of small planes to descend and circle low over homes of known concerned citizens (while tuning off their ADS-B from transmitting), to intimidate them … and FAA is doing nothing to curtail this bullying. It is as if there were no real regulation by FAA; no accountability for the players who gain profits or just pursue their hobby, while spewing pollutants (often including lead toxins) and horrible noise in the air above our homes.
Either the airport is doing everything in violation of FAA regulations and noise abatement procedures (like allowing incessant touch and goes on top of congested areas by rogue aviation players, specifically abusive businesses like Sky Combat Ace and others banned in other cities), or the FAA doesn't have any real regulation nor any accountability to the residents by allowing rogue aviation players to serve their bottom line at the expense of the residents. These joyriders are just pursuing their hobby and making money, while spewing horrible noise and neurotoxins in the air, right above our homes at low altitude (500ft to 1000 ft), all hours of the day, even at nights.
Despite the huge outcry from the American public, the FAA has continued to muffle any opposition by citing benefits of saving time, cost and fuel for airlines and expanding General Aviation, under excuse of needing more pilots and citing “pilot shortages”:
That would be laughable if Las Vegas didn’t have so much open space where these low flying “light weight” planes could easily take off and land, even on standard paved road (and they don’t weight anything near a Saab Gripen – more like 5%, but they think they are). They don’t need to be in a major airport in middle of the City, joyriding on top of densely populated residential neighborhood, torturing residents with low altitude maneuvers/noise pollution and poisoning them with lead-based fuels. We have neighbors who’ve lived here for the past 30 years and never experienced such noise and fuel pollution or belligerent foul-mouthed pilots who bully residents who call them to complain.
The FAA’s computer modeling that NextGen would create “no new noise” and impose no significant changes was demonstrably false, as evidenced by the thousands upon thousands of new noise and air pollution complaints being lodged across the country. The computer modeling uses many flawed data assumptions that are heavily skewed to the benefit of the FAA – including an allowance for an “average” of 65 decibels (vs the 55 decibel norm more commonly used by other countries when modeling airplane noise). Allowing for an “average” of 65 decibels means that hundreds of planes flying these concentrated NextGen routes can be far louder than 65 decibels as long as the “average” is 65 decibels. When the FAA says that NextGen sufferers are “only” being subjected to a constant stream of noise at 65 decibels – they’re leaving out the part about that being the average. Half the planes could be, and frequently are, far louder than that [https://nextgenrelief.org/a-litigation-timeline/
Many cities across US have found out that taking legal action against the FAA maybe the only chance to provide their residents with a more homey and safe environment, without General Aviation harassment and abuse or what some residents call “domestic terrorism”:
After spending many hours at the FAA workshops and many community leaders working with the FAA directly to get some relief for their residents, many municipalities were in for a rude awakening. That the FAA has showed absolutely no interest to offer any relief to NextGen (although it’s a failed system) and is expanding general aviation dangerous activities without any consideration for the residents.
For many municipalities (like Burien, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, or LA, California – which successfully have sued the FAA and WON) going to court maybe the only option to protect their residents and their integrity of life from FAA’s nextGen or General Aviation harassment and abuse:
KVGT rapid expansion is not compatible with the planning of the City and densely populated residential neighborhoods around it.
We've gone from an average of 360 low flying planes a day (just a few months ago) to 500 low flying planes a day in October. 99.9% of this traffic is related to recreational pilots, touring businesses and flight schools, and they are expanding their dangerous activities right over congested areas. Quiet residential neighborhoods 5 to 10 miles away from the airport are being routinely targeted and assaulted by loud stunt planes, low flying small planes (flying lawnmowers), low flying helicopters and other loud small planes.
The airport was there first, therefore abusive recreational pilots (less than 1% of the population) get to indulge their immediate whims at the expense of the majority (99%).
Just because the airport was there first (built in 1941), and someone wants to own a business (aviation or non-aviation), it doesn’t mean that they get to steal someone else’s property rights or be in breach of covenant of quiet enjoyment. That is what we have zoning laws for, to create balance. However, a group of FAA bureaucrats and politicians have enforced these changes without due process, consent, environmental or sound study, or compensation to land owners/residents who get to endure this horrible assault and air pollution on an hourly basis.
The urban planning of the city of Las Vegas is very different in 2023 back to what it was in 1941. In 1941 the airport was outside the City limit. There was nothing around it. KVGT is now located in middle of the City. These concentrated flightpaths (in particular closed pattern work by flight schools and Sky Combat Ace stunt planes and other businesses) are not compatible with the urban planning and densely populated residential neighborhoods around the airport.
If a municipal airport like North Las Vegas airport wants to expand and it is not compatible with the built up of communities around it, then it needs to stay the same , or get shut down. The non-stop touch and goes, short flights and endless looping and circling of flight schools at low altitude & Sky Combat loud stunt planes and their war games are not compatible with the City urban planning. These short flights, low altitude maneuvers and dives and loud decibels are putting the entire community at risk.
The airport management says noise, safety issues or air pollution at VGT falls within jurisdiction of FAA, the FAA says that this is something the City, airport, or some other entity should take care of and the City claims that The FAA is a Federal entity, so this situation falls outside of the purview of city officials.
As long as the noise level at any moment rises above the ambient noise to become a repetitive irritant, as perceived by a rational person, it needs to be acknowledged as an impact. And from there, the mitigation of that acknowledged impact should reasonably include the application of some metric(s) and method(s) or rule(s) that can achieve appropriate mitigation. Honestly, given FAA’s horrible track record, it seems clear this is something EPA or another non-FAA authority needs to do.
The FAA and aviation powerful lobbyist have been actively impeding efforts of local officials to shut down abusive and problematic aviation airports like Santa Monica, Centennial Airport, Rocky Mountain and a few others.
If these concentrated repetitive flightpaths right on top of our homes were a road, they would have been subjected to years of noise & environmental study, planning and permission.
A rational mind would wonder why a highway in the sky is any different? Our highways and streets have sound barriers (usually concrete walls), but there are no sound barriers in between these low flying loud stunt planes or small planes (85 – 110 dB) and our homes. We meter our highways, but the FAA manages our airspace as a free for rogue recreational cowboys, at least for those privileged enough to exploit this highly subsidized activity.
The noise from above is a lot more intrusive and penetrates within the structure of a house. There is no room in your house you can escape (85db to 110 db) low flying lawnmowers right above your house. The noise of Sky Combat loud E300s and other loud low flying planes are impacting tens of thousands of homes in quiet communities (5 to 10 miles away from airport) and within a three-mile radius around it. it's not just the loudness, it's repetitive and impossible to get away from the noise of flying lawnmowers. The FAA's threshold for significant impact and residential compatibility do not account for repeated noise exposure and are deeply flawed.
There has been no noise or environmental studies, no public hearing, and no accountability to the residents below while rogue aviation players keep making money and abuse residents.
FAA has been a masterclass in aviation greenwashing; most of these planes are decades old and emit toxic pollutants like carbon, PM2.5, and lead over vulnerable communities over and over.
Pollutionwatch: concerns over ultrafine particles from aircraft. Growing evidence suggests tiny particles can affect the heart, lungs, blood pressure and risk foetal growth: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/11/pollutionwatch-ultrafine-particles-from-aircraft-engines-endanger-lives
The more air pollution you breathe, the more likely it is you'll develop cancer. For every 10 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m³) of increased exposure to PM2.5, the risk of dying from any cancer rises by 22 percent: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news-archive/2016/exposure-to-particulate-air-pollutants-associated-with-numerous-cancers
EPA Issues Endangerment Finding for Leaded Aviation Gas: https://earthjustice.org/press/2023/epa-issues-endangerment-finding-for-leaded-aviation-gas
The unheard-of noise and fuel pollution from the FAA's wasteful Nextgen program: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-unheard-of-noise-pollution-from-the-faas-wasteful-nextgen-program/2018/03/12/67214410-253c-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_story.html
Leaded Airplane Fuel Is Poisoning a New Generation of American Children: “Exposures to low levels of lead early in life have been linked to effects on IQ, learning, memory, and behavior,” damage that is permanent and untreatable given the brain’s limited ability to repair itself", according to EPA, based on 6,000 studies on lead’s health effects on human body: https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/leaded-airplane-fuel-poisoning-new-generation-american-children
The harms to health caused by aviation noise require urgent action: https://nextgenrelief.org/health-impacts/
FAA's new air traffic control system NextGen causing major noise pollution in major airports and general aviation airports: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faa-new-air-traffic-control-system-nextgen-causing-major-noise-pollution/
Aircraft noise linked with heart problems, Harvard Study:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/aircraft-noise-linked-with-heart-problems/
LA residents sue FAA over changed flight paths out of Burbank and Van Nuys airports: https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/airtravel/2022/05/20/la-residents-sue-faa-over-changed-flight-path-out-of-burbank-airport
Torrance City Council to consider ban on touch-and-go flight operations Tuesday: https://www.dailybreeze.com/2023/10/19/torrance-council-bans-touch-and-go-operations-at-its-muncipal-airport/
Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here's How: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/09/health/noise-exposure-health-impacts.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8810661/
Aircraft noise and heart problems: https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2013/study-finds-link-between-aircraft-noise-heart-problems-2/
Aviation Noise and Cardiovascular Health in the United States: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6261366/
Thousands of pilots suspected of hiding major health issues. Most are still flying: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/27/faa-pilots-health-conditions-va-benefits/
Inspectors say FAA pressures them to ignore critical plane problems: "The flying public needs to wake up" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-aviation-administration-inspectors-say-they-are-pressured-to-overlook-problems-flying-public-needs-to-know/
The FAA is so beholden to the aviation industry, it will do NOTHING significant or substantial to curb aviation damage and abuse:
If FAA wanted to serve all of us (not just aviation and its bottom line), they would make sure that all citizens have full access to the resources needed for effective engagement.
The truth is that millions of Americans all across the country have been screaming about NextGen-generated airline pattern impacts and GA airports closed pattern work for more than a decade now, and there has been plenty of noise about repetitive flight patterns for stunt plane operators and flight schools closed patterns at abusive GA airports that import flight students.
FAA needs to stop the delays and show us some aggressive policy proposals that restore the balance lost between the tiny aviation community and the large majority impacted by these elites. The 0.1% versus the 99.9%.
The imbalance of power, between the aviation community and the non-aviation community has only worsened. A minority (Sky Combat Ace with history of illegal substance abuse, FATAL CRASHES and major safety concerns) increasingly DOMINATES the majority in a classic inequity. This inequity is wrong. Reforms are long overdue, and require action by Congress and FAA. When will they step up and fix this?
FAA needs to advocate for the people to restore meaningful local controls. These airports belong first to our local communities, and we should have the right to impose fees, reject impactful aviation activities, limit operational intensities, and apply curfew hours, and other management and mitigation actions, all to preserve the quality of our communities.
FAA needs to advocate on our behalf, and against the elite minority who currently are over-privileged with what lobbyists have gained from Congress.
In the U.S., FAA data shows recreational pilots constitute roughly 0.1% of the national population; their use of our GA airports needs to be regulated, and restricted consistent with quality of life for the other 99.9%.
The credit for this article goes to @aiREFORM, Thank you for fighting to empower Aviation Impacted Communities across US. https://www.aireform.com/
Please contact the FAA, City officials and your local representatives and have your voices heard. Thank you for your support.
- FAA’s Flight Standards District Office: (702) 617-8500. Email: 7-awp-las-fsdo@faa.gov; James.Brown@FAA.GOV Subject " Hotline Complain"
- Councilwoman Allen-palenske (702) 334-0939, fpalenske@lasvegasnevada.gov
- Commissioner Miller's office (for district C): Phone: (702) 455-4901. districtc@clarkcountynv.gov
- Senator Nicole Cannizzaro for district C (Nicole.Cannizzaro@sen.state.nv.us), contact Congresswoman Lee’s representative Gerri.Schroder@mail.house.gov
- North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown (702) 633-1007, goynesbrownp@cityofnorthlasvegas.com
- North Las Vegas Airport Noise Complaint Office (Hotline: 702-261-3694, or Direct Line: 702-261-5600)
- Western-Pacific Region Aircraft Noise Complaint: 9-awp-noise@faa.gov