To: City of Mesa Mayor, Mesa City Council, FAA, and Falcon Field Airport Administration

We, the undersigned residents of Mesa, Arizona, are calling for immediate action to address the growing problems created by the numerous flight schools operating out of Falcon Field Airport. The relentless stream of low-flying training aircraft, performing continuous touch-and-go landings, takeoffs, and traffic pattern flights over our homes, schools, and parks, has made it increasingly difficult for residents to enjoy peace, quiet, and safety in our own neighborhoods.

This issue affects families, retirees, working professionals, and children throughout Mesa. Constant aircraft noise disrupts sleep, interrupts outdoor activities, decreases property values, and negatively impacts the overall health, well-being, and quality of life of those living beneath the flight paths.

Beyond the noise, there is a serious public health concern. The piston-engine aircraft used by these flight schools burn 100LL (low-lead) aviation fuel, which releases lead into the air during every flight. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to lead, even in very small amounts, is particularly harmful to children’s brain development, causing irreversible damage to cognitive function, behavior, and academic performance.

Several Mesa schools are located directly beneath or near frequent flight training paths, including:

Red Mountain Ranch Elementary School

American Leadership Academy K-12

Las Sendas Elementary School

Ishikawa Elementary School

Stapley Junior High School

Legacy Traditional Elementary 

Entz Elementary School

Highland Elementary School

Bush Elementary School

Hale Elementary School

Hermosa Vista Elementary School

Poston Junior High

These campuses collectively serve thousands of children, exposing them daily to both continuous aircraft noise and airborne lead particles from these training aircraft. This is an avoidable, preventable public health hazard that deserves immediate attention.

We respectfully petition the City of Mesa, FAA, and Falcon Field Airport to consider the following:

• Implement Specialized Aviation Service Organization (SASO) requirements, specifically including student-training fees similar to those used by the City of Phoenix. SASOs ensure that commercial flight-training operators contribute their fair share toward the airport’s costs and impacts. This creates a more balanced system where high-volume training providers pay proportionally for the repetitive operations they generate, rather than shifting those burdens onto general aviation pilots and the surrounding neighborhoods.
• Strengthen and enforce the airport’s “Fly Friendly” noise abatement program, making adherence a condition of airport use for all tenants.

Our community deserves to feel safe, healthy, and comfortable in our homes, parks, and schools. Excessive aircraft noise and preventable lead exposure are public nuisances and health hazards that can and should be addressed. Other cities and airports have successfully tackled these problems, and it’s time for Mesa to prioritize the health, peace, and welfare of its residents.

We urge our city leaders, public health officials, FAA, and airport management to act now and protect the quality of life, safety, and future of our neighborhoods.

Sincerely,
The Concerned Residents of Mesa, Arizona