The Federal Aviation Administration said low-flying traffic north of Phoenix Goodyear Airport falls under suitable practices, according to records obtained by the Goodyear Independent.
“Based on our analysis, the Abrazo West Hospital is approximately 1.9 nautical miles (NM) northeast of Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR) and Mr Wegeman's residence is approximately 2.2 nautical miles (NM) northeast of Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR),” it wrote. “Both of these locations fall under or near the designated traffic pattern and routes for both arriving and departing aircraft.”
The statement was sent in reply to a Quiet Skies Goodyear group member after an assertion that United Aviate Academy was practicing unregulated low-flying, creating noise issues in the area.
The FAA Scottsdale Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO) cited FAA code exception which states “except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes.”
The message asserts that 2.2 miles north of the airport falls within the distance standards for landing.
According to FAA minimum flight safety standards, “aircraft may not operate closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure” in other than congested areas. That standard is 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle in a congested area of a city, town, or settlement. The city of Goodyear is the eighth fastest-growing city in America, according to its site.
Quiet Skies Goodyear responds
Quiet Skies Goodyear claims to have documented planes routinely flying well north of McDowell Road, often dangerously below 1,000 feet above ground and as low as five to 600 feet.
Group representative Paul Wegeman disagreed in a reply to the FAA rep, stating that low flying is not necessary.
“As a trained and experienced professional aviator and flight instructor, as well as other professional pilot colleagues, including those in our organization, we argue that the incessant noisy and low flights north of I-10 over our neighborhood is not ‘necessary for takeoff or landing,’” he wrote. “It has easily been demonstrated by myself, other pilots, and even occasionally by the current flight schools that remaining south of I-10 is well within the performance capabilities of the current air traffic control, airspace, and training fleet, including the Cirrus SR-20 used by Aviate.”
Wegeman also cited health hazards from the frequent “low-flying” aircraft.
“The documented health hazards caused by long-term exposure to carbon monoxide and lead byproducts, and the adverse mental health caused by noise pollution, regular and continual flights north over I-10 is hazardous and detrimental to the population below and constitutes a violation of (a reckless law clause)," he wrote.
The suit called for the end of touch-and-go’s seen in various operations from flight schools to train pilots repetitively in take-offs and landings. The manuvuer sees the pilot cut engines at times then over-rev engines in ascending, which can be unsafe according to sources.
The suit also references training flights conducted with piston-engine aircraft—which contain lead byproducts—which are primarily utilized by four flight schools located at the Airport.
“This combination of low altitude, low speed, and maximum power creates maximum lead and noise exposure for an extended time over Plaintiffs’ residents,” the complaint states.
According to the suit, it is common for a single training flight, like those practiced by students at United Aviate Academy in Goodyear, to include several touch-and-goes. Due to the configuration of the Airport in Colorado, most of the touch-and-go operations result in piston-engine aircraft flying at full power, low, slow, and loud directly in residential areas, states the suit.
In November, the Environmental Protection Agency determined lead emissions from aircraft engines cause or contribute to air pollution and definitively endanger public health under the Clean Air Act. EPA will propose and promulgate regulatory standards for lead emissions for specific aircraft engines.
“The science is clear: exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects in children,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan in a press release. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions in our air."
According to EPA's Oct. 18 statement, lead exposure can harm cognitive function, including reduced IQ, decreased academic performance, and increased risk for additional health concerns.
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