Scoop: D.C. catches break from airplane noise
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Northwest D.C. is seeing relief from airplane noise — thanks to a new flight path implemented by the FAA.
Why it matters: It's a long time coming for neighborhoods along the Potomac River that have complained about jet noise due to Reagan National Airport.
State of play: The FAA's new flight path has airplanes landing at DCA track more closely over the Potomac River
- Previously, they frequently flew over Palisades, Foxhall Village, and part of Georgetown — sometimes minutes within one another.
The noise was so grating for one household in Foxhall that it submitted 7,000 complaints in one year.
- Communities south of DCA have also complained, including Prince George's County.
"The FAA continuously works to help reduce the number of people exposed to aviation noise in communities around airports," the FAA told Axios in a statement.
What they're saying: Ken Buckley, a Palisades resident who has tracked the issue, confirmed the new path has "reduced noise from aircraft arriving North of the airport," he told Axios in an email.
- Buckley was once convinced the problem would never abate: "For certain: Death - Taxes - Airplane Noise," he wrote on his website, PlanesOverThePalisades.com.
Yes, but: The shift does not reduce noise from airplanes departing National Airport.
The fine print: In aviation jargon, the old path is referred to as LDA-Z — a system to guide older aircraft approaching the airport, especially during low visibility.
- The LDA-Z is now out of service and will only be used as a backup.