respite working group reporthacan.org.uk/.../06/2694_finalreport_2-0_june-2016.pdf ·...

RESPITEWORKINGGROUPREPORT

AREVIEWONTHESTATEOFTHEARTONRESPITEPREPAREDFORHEATHROWAIRPORTLTDDRAFTEDDECEMBER2015PUBLISHEDJUNE2016

RESPITEWORKINGGROUPREPORT:AREVIEWONTHESTATEOFTHEARTONRESPITEOurRef:2694_FINALREPORT_2-0_JUNE2016.DOCX

Client: HeathrowAirportLtdCompassCentre

Reportby: AndersonAcousticsLimited3TrafalgarMews15-16TrafalgarStreetBrightonEastSussexBN14EZwww.andersonacoustics.co.ukT:01273696887

Date:

DraftedDecember2015.PublishedJune2016.

Report.ref: 2694_Final_2.0

Status:

FinalIssued

Author NicolePorterDianaSanchezClaireHolgateAndersonAcousticsLtd

December2015

Reviewed&Approved

AndyKnowlesAndersonAcousticsLtd

RichardNormanHeathrowAirportLtd

December2015

Thisdocumenthasbeenpreparedusingallreasonableskillandcare.AndersonAcousticsLtdacceptsnoresponsibilityorliabilityforanythirdparty

datapresentedinthisreport,orusedforthebasisofdrawinganyconclusions.Thisdocumentisconfidentialtothenamedclientaboveand

AndersonAcousticsLtdacceptsnoresponsibilityorliabilityresultingfromthirdpartyuseofthisdocumentorforapurposeotherthanforwhichit

wascommissioned.

Heathrow Airport Ltd December 2015 A review on the state of the art on respite 2694_FinalReport_2-0_June2016.docx of 59

REVISIONHISTORY

Version Comments Changesmadeby Approvedby

1.0 DraftissuedtoRespiteWorkingGroup AEK

2.0 AmendmentsfromRWGCommentsLouisaJohnsandNicolePorter

AEK/RN


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTheRespiteWorkingGroup(RWG)wassetupbyHeathrow’sNoiseForum(HNF)inOctober2014andwastaskedtoproduceapaperoncurrentstateoftheartonrespitefromaircraftnoise.

HeathrowAirportappointedAndersonAcousticstochairandactassecretariattotheRWG.AspartofthisprocessAndersonAcousticsalsoconductedadeskstudyandtookontheresponsibilityforreflectingthefindingsanddiscussionoftheGroupintothisReport.WewouldliketothankHeathrowAirportLtd,theHeathrowNoiseForumandtheRWGmembersfortheirsupportwiththeworkreportedhere.WearegratefultotheRWGmembersforcontributingtheirtimeandexpertopinions.TheyhaveapprovedthecontentofthispaperwhichAndersonAcousticshavepreparedontheirbehalf.

MemberofRWG Organisation

NicolePorter(Chair) AndersonAcoustics

DianaSanchez AndersonAcoustics

CaptainDeanPlumb BritishAirways

DrDarrenRhodes CivilAviationAuthority,UK

TimMay DepartmentforTransport

JohnStewart HACAN

BrendanCreavin HeathrowAirport

RickNorman HeathrowAirport

RachelThomas HeathrowAirport

RobGibson HounslowBoroughCouncil

DrIanFlindell IanFlindellAssociates

GerryO’Connell IATA

CarrieHarris NATSEnvironment


PAGELEFTINTENTIONALLYBLANK


CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 11

2 CONTEXT:THENEEDTOBETTERUNDERSTANDTHECONCEPTOFRESPITE 12

3 APPROACH 17

4 REVIEWOFEVIDENCEON“CURRENTSTATEOFTHEARTOFRESPITE”CONSIDEREDBYRESPITEWORKINGGROUP 19

5 CONCLUSIONSOFTHERESPITEWORKINGGROUP 32

6 RESEARCHPRIORITIESRECOMMENDEDBYTHERESPITEWORKINGGROUP 39

7 RESEARCHPROPOSAL 40

8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 39

APPENDIX1:HEATHROWRESPITEWORKINGGROUPTERMSOFREFERENCE 45

APPENDIX2:LISTOFAIRPORTSANDSOURCESOFINFORMATIONFORREVIEWWORK 47

APPENDIX3:TABLEOFDEFINITIONSOFRESPITEUSEDBYDIFFERENTSTAKEHOLDERS 48

APPENDIX4:SUMMARYOFOPERATIONALINFORMATIONACROSSAIRPORTS 51

APPENDIX5:GRAPHICSOFRESPITEMETRICSUSEDATDIFFERENTAIRPORTS 56


EXECUTIVESUMMARYINTRODUCTIONTheconceptofprovidingrespitehasbeenmovinguptheagendainrecentyears,asausefulandeffectivestrategyforprovidingabreakfromaviationnoise.However,therearenospecificguidelinestoexplainwhatrespitefromaircraftnoisemeansandhowitshouldbeimplemented.

TheRespiteWorkingGroup(RWG)wassetupinOctober2014toprovideadvicetotheHeathrowNoiseForumonthemanagementandassessmentofrespitefromaircraftnoise.ThisreportpresentsthefindingsoftheRWGinlookingatthecurrentunderstandinganddefinitionsofrespiteandhowitmightbesuccessfullyadoptedbyHeathrowAirport.

Thisreportalsoprovidesananalysisofthecurrentstateoftheartinrelationtoimplementingrespitefromaircraftnoiseaspartofanoisemanagementstrategy,andprovidesaproposalforareasoffutureresearch.

CONTEXT:THENEEDTOBETTERUNDERSTANDTHECONCEPTOFRESPITE

Therearethreemaindriversinthepushforabetterunderstandingofwhatrespitefromaircraftnoisemeansandhowtodeliverit:

Communitydemandforrespite: There is a consistent call from residents living under flightpaths for a break from aircraft noise. This has intensified due to the negative reaction towards recent trials of revised airspace design. It is important to understand what the communities themselves (both those currently overflown and those not) consider effective respite to be and how that could be achieved in reality.

TheAirspaceModernisationProgramme: The implementation of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) as part of the Airspace Modernisation Programme will result in much greater consistency and accuracy of aircraft flight paths. This will result in a concentration of noise along flight paths. This improved accuracy generates an opportunity for the pattern of flightpaths to deliver shared concentration1 but raises a question as to whether respite can be provided through safe rotation of flightpaths.

TheUKpolicycontext: The UK Aviation Policy Framework cites the principle of respite as a measure for reducing the impact of aircraft noise. However, there is currently no guidance on its definition, implementation or delivery. The member states of ICAO’s have adopted a “Balanced Approach” to noise management and while not explicitly mentioned in the Balanced Approach, respite is one of the operational measures which should considered in that context

APPROACH

TheRespiteWorkingGroup(RWG)wassetupinOctober2014toprovideadvicetotheHeathrowNoiseForumonthemanagementandassessmentofrespitefromaircraftnoise.HeathrowAirportappointedAndersonAcousticstochairandactassecretariattotheRWG.Thegroupmetregularly

1 Shared concentration is a term that has been used to describe the use of multiple PBN Standard Instrument Departure routes (SIDs) within a Noise Preferential Route (NPR swathe) – or indeed beyond. This could result in the concentration of noise along several different PBN SIDS which can be alternated so that noise is shared. In theory this concept may also be applied to arrivals.


betweenOctober2014andMay2015.AndersonAcousticsledthereviewofevidenceonthestateofartonrespite,providingtheevidencetobeconsideredbytheRWGateachmeeting.Thefollowingapproachwastakentothework:

• Collationofinformationonresearchandairportcasestudies

• Reviewofdefinitions

• Reviewofrespiteimplementationatselectedcasestudyairports.

• Reviewofrelevantscientificresearch.

• Agreementofkeyissuesandchallenges.

• PresentationstoHeathrowNoiseForum.

• Draftingofscopingreport,recommendationsandagreementofmainmessageswiththeRWG.

REVIEWOFEVIDENCEON“CURRENTSTATEOFTHEARTOFRESPITE”CONSIDEREDBYRESPITEWORKINGGROUP

DEFINITIONSOFRESPITE

Itwasestablishedthattherearenouniversaldefinitionsofrespite.Forthepurposesofthisproject,theGroupdevelopedthefollowingworkingdefinitionsforinternaluseforthiswork;

Box1:WorkingDefinitionsusedbytheRWGforthepurposesofthiswork

Reliefcanbedefinedasabreakfromorareductioninaircraftnoise.

Respitecanbedefinedasascheduledrelieffromaircraftnoiseforaperiodoftime.

REVIEWOFOTHERAIRPORTS

ThispartofthereviewlookedathowseventeencasestudyairportsfromacrossEurope,theUnitedStatesandAustraliahaveimplementedrespiteorreliefintotheiroperationsandhowtheyhaveapproachedPBNimplementation.Itwasfoundthatwhilstrespitehasbeenusedasamethodformitigation,thereisnoconsensusonwhatconstitutesrespite:

• Differentairportsmeasureandquantifytheprovisionofrespiteindifferentwayswithnouniqueandconsistentapproacheitherspatially,temporallyoroperationally.

• Acommonwaytoproviderespiteistospatiallyalternateflightpathswithsomeairportscombiningrouteandrunwayrotation.Thisprovidesmoremodesofoperationandmoreopportunitiesforrelieffromnoise.

• PBNimplementationhasgenerallyintroducedanincreasedconcentrationofnoisealongroutecentrelineswithgreaterconsistencyandaccuracyoftracksflown.AirportshavenotgenerallyusedPBNtoimproverespite.InsomecountriesPBNroutesareimplementedbythe“AviationAuthority”(e.g.theFAAintheUSA)ratherthantheairport.Themoresuccessfulimplementationshaveproactivelyengagedandconsultedwithlocalcommunities.

• Thereisagenerallackofproactivefeedbackbeingsoughttounderstandtheviewsofthelocalcommunity.Whenthereisproactivecommunication,forexamplewhenaskedwhetherthey’venoticedandunderstandthatthereisascheduleofreliefetc.,respiteseemsbepositivelyreceived.


REVIEWOFSCIENTIFICRESEARCHONRESPITE

Thereviewincludedthelatestresearchonrespiteinrelationto:

• theeffectsofaircraftnoisechangesoncommunityperception• thepotentialhealthbenefitsfromtheprovisionofnoisebreaks,and• theeconomicvaluationofrespiteandtranquillity.

CONCLUSIONSOFTHERESPITEWORKINGGROUP

Overall,thefollowingkeyconclusionsweredrawnbytheRWGbasedonthereviewevidence:

• Thereiscurrentlynoclear,consistentoruniversallyaccepteddefinitionofrespite.TheRWGagreedontheworkingdefinitionsaboveforthepurposesofthisproject.Therearemanyfactorsaffectingtheperceptionofrespiteandadditionalworkisrequiredtofurtherdefine'aperiodoftime',‘break’and'reduction'intermsofcommunityperception.

• Whatthecommunityvaluesasrespiteisnotfullyunderstood.Despiteanumberofrelatedstudiesandimplementationexamples,thereisatpresentnoclearunderstandingofwhatthecommunityvaluesaseffectiverespite2.Effectiveprovisionofrespitedependsnotonlyonoperationalfeaturesbutalsospecificallyonhowthecommunityperceivesandvaluesrespite.Community-levelunderstandingisthereforeapriorityindevelopinganeffectiverespitestrategyforHeathrowAirport.

• Thereisnouniversalformulaforthesuccessfulimplementationofaneffectiverespitestrategyandoperationaldesignforrespiteneedstoconsideroperationalconditionsatanairport.

Theeffectiveprovisionofrespitedependsontherelativepositionofthelocalcommunitytothedifferentflightpathsthatmightbeused,andhowofteneachflightpathisactuallyused.Theoperationalconditionsatanairportwilldeterminewhichoptionsmaybefeasibleintermsofdeliveringrespite.Thesecouldincludefactorssuchassafety,efficiency,aircraftandavioniccapabilitiesandcontrollers’workload,amongstothers.

• Thereiscurrentlynosingleacousticmetricthatcanadequatelydescriberespite.Ourreviewworkhasshownthatonlyafewmetricshavebeenusedtoobjectivelydescriberespite.Sinceitisnotclearwhatthecommunitydeemsaseffectiverespite,andthereforewhichparametersareusefulindescribingitskeyelements,itisnotpossibletochooseasuitablemetricthatisfitforpurposeatthistime.Instead,theGrouphassuggestedalistofguidingprinciplesandacandidatelistofmetricstodescribethenoiseenvironmentintermsofofferingrespite.

• Furtherworkisneededtodevelopaclearerunderstandingofwhichparametersareusefulindescribingrespite,inawaythatisvaluedbythecommunity.

Usingthisinformationwecanthentestthesuitabilityofourcandidatemeasures.Wealsoneedtounderstandtherelativeimportanceofacousticandnon-acousticmetricsinevaluatingrespite,sothatwecanputtheusefulnessandlimitationsofanyacousticmetricincontext.

• Astrongandeffectivecommunicationstrategyandgoodcommunityengagementisessentialforthesuccessfulimplementationofrespite.Fromthecasesanalysed,twoconclusionsweredrawn:multi-stakeholderengagementisfundamentalandmoreeffortsincommunicationareneeded.Itiskeytoengageallstakeholdersduringallphasesofrespitedesignandimplementation.Communicationshouldensurethatthoseinvolvedunderstandthelikelyimplicationsandassociatedtrade-offsofrespiteimplementation.

2 Although the term community refers to the population of overflown residents, it is worth noting that the opinions may not be entirely unanimous and that residents may have differing opinions on effective respite.


Oncewehaveaclearerunderstandingofhowthecommunityvaluesrespite,researchcanthenfocusontheselectionofthemostsuitableengagementmethodforcross-sectorinvolvement,howtoidentifythekeyinformationtoshare,howbesttodescribeandpresentthatinformationandthemosteffectivecombinationsofmediatousetodisseminatetheinformation.

• Thereiscurrentlyinsufficientinformationonthebenefitsofrespitetohealthandontheeconomicvalueoftheeffectsofrespite.

Thereisclearlynoone-size-fits-allsolution,everyendsolutionwillvary-thereisaneedforfurtherresearch.RESEARCHPRIORITIESRECOMMENDEDBYTHERESPITEWORKINGGROUPInadditiontothekeylessonslearnedlistedabove,theGroupidentifiedthreepriorityareaswheregreaterunderstandingisrequiredinordertoimplementeffectiverespitefromaircraftnoise,theseshouldbeprioritisedinthenextphasesofresearch:

• Whatdoesthecommunityvalueaseffectiverespite?

• Howcanrespitebedeliveredbyanairportthatisbothoperationallyfeasible,costeffectiveaswellasvaluedbythelocalcommunity?

• Whataretheobjectivemeasurestodescriberespiteinawaythatreflectscommunityperception?

NEXTSTEPS:RESEARCHPROPOSAL

TheGroupagreedthatprioritymustbegiventogainingabetterunderstandingofhowthecommunityvaluesrespite,beforeconsideringoperationalfeasibility,cost-effectivenessandthedevelopmentofmetrics.ThefollowingkeyobjectivehasbeenidentifiedforHeathrow:TobetterunderstandthekeycharacteristicsofaneffectiverespitestrategyforHeathrowAirportanditslocal

communities,consistentwithefficientoperations.

Tworesearchphaseshavebeenproposed:

• Phase1:TodevelopasetofprinciplesforprovidingeffectiverespitefromaviationnoiseatHeathrow.Twokeyquestionshaveemerged.Thefirstiswhatspatialvariationinroutesisrequiredtomakeaperceiveddifferenceandbenefit,intermsofheightandpositionforbotharrivalsanddepartures;thesecond,whataretheoptimumtemporalseparationsorpatternsrequiredinorderforthecommunitytovalueitaseffectiverespite?

• Phase2:TestpracticalimplicationsforairspacedesignoftheemergingprinciplesfromPhase1above.Thiswouldinvolvecommunitysubjectiveresponseresearchandoperationaltestingofoptions.


1 INTRODUCTION

Theconceptofprovidingrespitefromaircraftnoisetoaffectedcommunitieshasbecomeincreasinglyimportantinrecentyears.Aswellasincreasinglydemandedfromthoseindividualsaffectedatthecommunitylevel,respiteisalreadyreferredtoingovernmentpolicyandwithinthecontextoftheairspacemodernisationprogramme.However,whatisourunderstandingofrespite?Howisitvaluedbycommunitiesandhowshoulditbedelivered?Areallcommunitiessupportiveofit?Therearefew,ifany,specificguidelinesonwhatrespitemeansandhowitshouldbeimplemented.HeathrowAirporthasacknowledgedtheimportanceofunderstandingtheseissuesinthecontextofdevelopingitsnoisemanagementstrategy.InOctober2014,theRespiteWorkingGroup(RWG)wassetuptoreviewcurrentstateoftheartonrespitefromaircraftnoiseandprovideadvicetotheHeathrowNoiseForum.Thisreportbringstogetherthefindingsofthatreview,aswellasaproposalforfutureresearch.Inparticular:Section2setsthecontextandlooksatwhyweneedtogainabetterunderstandingofrespiteanditsimplications.Section3outlinestheapproachtakenbytheRespiteWorkingGroupduringthisproject.Section4presentsasummaryofreviewevidenceonthestateoftheartonrespiteconsideredbytheRWG.Section5outlinestheconclusionsoftheRespiteWorkingGroup.Section6outlinestheprioritiesforresearchrecommendedbytheRespiteWorkingGroup.Section7recommendsnextstepsandaproposalforfutureresearch.


2 CONTEXT:THENEEDTOBETTERUNDERSTANDTHECONCEPTOFRESPITE

Therearethreemaindriversinthepushforabetterunderstandingofwhatrespitefromaircraftnoisemeansandhowtodeliverit:

1. CommunityDemand2. Airspacemodernisationprogramme3. UKPolicyContext

CommunityDemandThereisaconsistentcallfromresidentslivingunderflightpathsforabreakfromaircraftnoise.Thishasintensifiedduetothenegativereactiontowardsrecentchangesinairspacedesign.Itisimportanttounderstandwhatcommunitiesthemselvesconsidereffectiverespitetobeandhowthatcouldbeachievedinreality.3

2.1.1 CommunityengagementWhilstasignificantreductioninareaandpopulationwithinnoisecontourshasbeenachieved,itiscommonlyreportedthatadversecommunityreaction4towardsairportoperationsandexpansionhasincreasedovertimebutthisgeneraltrendmaynotasrobustaspreviouslythoughtandfurtherresearchisinprogress(Gjestlandetal2014).Providingperiodsofrespiteorabreakfromaircraftnoisehasbecomeacrucialissueinmakingairportoperationsmoretolerable,inparticularforthepopulationdirectlyundertheflightpaths.Withtheadventofsocialmedia,localresidentswithincommunitiesaremakingtheirfeelingsknowninreal-timeandcommunityengagementdirectlywithairportsontheseissuescontinuestogrow.Anexampleofaco-ordinatedcommunitymovementonthesubjectofrespiteistheHeathrowAssociationfortheControlofAircraftNoise(HACAN).HACANcampaignsagainstHeathrowexpansionandhasmorerecentlyfocuseditsworkontheconcentrationandconstantnumbersofoverflightstoandfromtheairport,andthepersistentdisruptionitcausestopeople’squalityoflife.TheincreasesinconcentrationoversomeareashasledtocallsformoreofficialperiodsofrespiteforthoseaffectedandhasraisedthecriticalimportanceoftherunwayalternationsystemanditsimpactoncommunitiesinWestLondon(Stewart.,2013).

2.1.2 ReactiontoPBNTheinterestinprovidingrespitehasgatheredpaceduetothesignificantnegativereactiontowardsrecentchangesinairspacedesign.ThelatestPBNimplementationtrialsatHeathrowandelsewhereresultedinanunprecedentedincreaseinthenumberofpeoplecomplaining,mostofthemduetotheconcentrationofnoiseoversomeareaswhichwerepreviouslyoverflownmuchlessfrequently.Residentsraisedconcernsaroundfairnessandthedistributionofaircraftoverflights.(HACAN,2015)

3 It is worth also noting that some communities may have a real or perceived disbenefit from a respite solution due to changing noise patterns. 4 Although the term community refers to the population of overflown residents, it is worth noting that the opinions may not be entirely unanimous and that residents may have differing opinions on effective respite.


HACANsurveyshaveshownthatpeoplefavoursharingthenoisearoundsothatnocommunitysuffersconstantnoise,aslongasitisdoneinafairandtransparentway.Abroadercommunityreactionhasnotbeenwidelyexplored.Typicalcommentsreportedonlocalcommunitywebsitesinclude:”Wenttobedearlytotryandbeattheearlymorningwakeupfromtooloud,toolowflyingplanesat

unearthlyhours,onlytostillhaveplanesflyingovermyhouseat11.30.pm.It'sridiculous.Theyshould

varythepathsomoreresidentsareaffectedlessoften.”

“SeeminglyconstantnoisefromaircraftoverClaphamJunction.Itstartedat4.30thismorning(and

everymorning).Icanusuallystillhearplanesuntil11.30atnight.Itmassivelyeffectsthequalityofour

sleep.Whycan'ttheflightpathbealteredoccasionallytogiveresidentssomerespite?“

“Whycan'ttheyalternatetheflightpathsliketheydoinothercountrieslikeSydney?”

Peoplereportaperceivedbenefitfromapredictedbreakfromoverflights.Somestudieshaveshownthatrunwayalternationcouldreduceannoyance,althoughthereisnorobustquantificationoftheextentofsuchareduction(Brooker,2010)(Gelderblom,Gjestland,Gramdoein,&Taraldsen,2014)(I.Flindell,2014).

Airspacemodernisationprogramme

TheimplementationofPerformanceBasedNavigation(PBN)aspartoftheAirspaceModernisationProgrammeresultsinmuchgreaterconsistencyandaccuracyofaircraftflightpaths.Thisleadstoaconcentrationofnoisealongflightpaths.Thisimprovedaccuracygeneratesanopportunityforthepatternofflightpathstodeliversharedconcentration5butraisesaquestionastowhetherrespitecanbeprovidedthroughrotationofflightpaths.

2.2.1 BackgroundTheEuropeanCommissionlaunchedtheSingleEuropeanSky(SES)initiativetoreformthearchitectureofEuropeanairtrafficmanagement.Throughaproposedpackageoflegislationitaimstomeetfuturecapacity,improvesafetyandincreasetheoverallefficiencyofEuropeanairspace(EuropeanCommission,2014).UndertheframeworkoftheSES,theUKGovernmentestablishedtheFutureAirspaceStrategy(FAS),aprogrammeaimedatmodernisingtheairspaceandairtransportroutenetwork.ThemodernisationofUKairspaceaimstostrengthentheresilienceofairportsinreactingeffectivelytodisruptionandaccommodatingtrafficgrowthinamoresustainableway.ItishopedthattheimplementationofFASwillhelptoachievetime,fuelandCO2savingsbyadoptingmoredirectroutingsandincreasingefficiency,aswellasachievingnoisereductionsasaresultoffeweraircraftbeingheldatlowaltitudes(CAA,2011).

5 Shared concentration is a term that has been used to describe the use of multiple PBN routes within a specific Standard Instrument Departure (SID). This could result in the concentration of noise along several different PBN routes within that SID, which can be alternated so that noise is shared.


Themodernisationprogrammeissupportedbythetransitiontosatellite-basedperformancenavigation(PBN)routes,whicharemoreflexibleandprecisethanconventionalroutesusinggroundbasednavigationaids.AlthoughPBNallowstheUK’scomplexairspacetobere-designedinthisway,thiscanleadtogreaterconcentrationsoftrafficalongnewandexistingroutecentrelines.Whilefewerpeoplemaybeexposedtoaircraftnoise,someofthosewhoarecurrentlyexposedmightexperienceanincreaseindisturbanceduetoagreaterconcentrationofflights.ResponsestorecentPBNimplementationshavehighlightedthispointinthemediaandonsocialnetworkingsites,referringto‘noiseghettos’andwithquotessuchas"It’snotaboutthemanybutwhatyoudotothefew".

2.2.2 PBNandrespite

IfPBNistobeusedtoenablerespite,amajorquestionforpolicymakersiswhethertoconcentrateflightsoverspecificareasand/orusemultipleroutestoproviderespite.Apolicythatwillresultingreaternoiseconcentrationmayneedtobepresentedhand-in-handwitharespitepolicythatprovidesbreaksfromnoiseandoverflightstotheaffectedcommunity.However,thiscouldbeatoddswithcurrentUKpolicyoflimitingandwherepossiblereducingthenumberofpeoplesignificantlyaffectedbyaircraftnoise.Withinthecontextofairspacere-design,itisimportanttonotethatanychangestoairspacedesignneedstotakeintoaccountmanycomplexissues,andanydevelopmentofaneffectiverespitestrategyneedstogiveprioritytothesefactorsfromtheoutsetforanypracticalrespiteoptionstobeimplemented.Theissuestoconsiderinclude:

• Safety

• Airspacedesignlimits

• Efficiencyandresiliencerequirements

• Aircraftcapabilitiesandavionics

• Considerationoftrackmiles,fuelburnandassociatedcost

• Aircrafttrafficcontrolandcontrollersworkload

• Pilot’sworkload

• TradeoffwithotherenvironmentalfactorsTherecentpaperoftheAirportCommission’sSeniorDeliveryGrouponPBNimplementationhasreflectedmanyofthepointsraisedinthissection(SDG,TechnicalReportNo1,2015).ItconfirmsthattheaccuracyofPBNroutescreatesthepotentialtointroducealternativeflightpathsthatcanbeswitchedonandofftoprovideareasthataredisturbedbyaircraftnoisewithsomerespitefromoverflights.Thepaperconfirmsthatairportsandairtrafficcontrolareexploringtheuseofrespiteroutesthatdonotleadtoasignificantnumberofnewpeoplebeingaffectedbynoise,butthereareoperationalconstraintsonthenumberofsuchpossibleroutes.

TheUKPolicyContext

TheUKAviationPolicyFrameworkcitestheprincipleofrespiteasameasureforreducingtheimpactofaircraftnoise.However,thereiscurrentlynoguidanceonitsdefinition,implementationordelivery.


2.3.1 CurrentgovernmentguidanceTheUKGovernment’soverarchingpolicyis“tolimitandwherepossiblereducethenumberofpeopleintheUKsignificantlyaffectedbyaircraftnoise”(DfT,2013).Thishasmeant,inpracticalterms,thataircraftareincreasinglyconcentratedalongthefewestpossiblenumberofspecifiedroutes,avoidingdenselypopulatedareasasfaraspossible.Asaresult,andowinginparttoimprovementsinaircrafttechnologyandusingtailoredoperationalprocedures,annualLdenandsummeraverageLAeq,16hr

6noisecontourareashavereducedovertime.(CAA,2014)Providingoptionsfordeliveringanyformofrespitefromaircraftnoisehasbecomeakeyissueinthenoisepolicyagenda.ThememberstatesofICAO’shaveadopteda“BalancedApproach”tonoisemanagementthroughtheexplorationoffourprincipalelements,namelyreductionatsource(quieteraircraft),land-useplanningandmanagement,noiseabatementoperationalproceduresandoperatingrestrictions,withthegoalofaddressingthenoiseprobleminthemostcost-effectivemanner.WhilenotexplicitlymentionedintheBalancedApproach,respiteisoneoftheoperationalmeasureswhichshouldconsideredinthatcontext.TheEUhasalsoadoptedtheBalancedApproachandhasrequiredtheuse7ofPBNtosecuretheemissionefficientandsafeuseofairspace.

2.3.2 NoisepolicyintheUKTheAviationPolicyFramework(APF)includesrespiteasameasuretoreduceandmitigatenoiseincommunitiesalreadyexposed.Itrecommendsexploring“optionsforrespitewhichsharenoisebetweencommunitiesonanequitablebasis,providedthisdoesnotleadtosignificantnumbersofpeoplenewlyaffectedbynoise”.Itdoesnotdefineneworsignificantly.Italsohighlightstheimportanceofensuringpredictabilitytolocalcommunitiesinairspaceplanning(DfT,2013,p.62).TheCivilAviationAuthority(CAA)includesrespiteasoneoffourkeyareasforimprovingaircraftoperationsinordertobettermanageaviationnoise,inparticularinthecontextofexpandingcapacity(CAA,2014).TheAirNavigationGuidance,producedbytheDepartmentforTransportandCAA,suggestsexploringoptionsforrespitewithlocalcommunitiesbydesigningdifferentroutesthatcanbeusedalternately.However,itincludesacaveatthatthisshouldbeachievedwithoutsignificantlyincreasingthenumberofpeoplenewlyexposedtonoise(DfT,2014,pp.28,29).TheAirportsCommissionintheUKalsoconsidersrespiteasakeystrategytomitigatenoiseimpactsonthepopulation.ItsAppraisalFrameworkevaluatesthenoiseimplicationsofapplyingdifferentrespitestrategiestoeachofthethreeshortlistedoptionsforincreasinglong-termcapacityintheUK(AirportsCommission,2014and2015).

6

LAeq = Equivalent Continuous Noise Level. This is generally described as the average noise level over a specified period of time. 7 The European Commission adopted on 27 June 2014 the Regulation (EU) 716/2014, making binding the implementation of certain standardised navigation functions, entitled Extended Arrival Management and Performance Based Navigation in high density airspace, across Europe. This is expected to improve the precision of the approach trajectory to major airports and facilitate traffic sequencing at an earlier stage, thus reducing fuel consumption and environmental impact in descent/arrival phases of flight;


Noneoftheabovereferencesofferspecificguidanceonwhatrespitemeans,norhowitshouldbeimplementedordelivered.ThisisinlinewithGovernmentandInternationalpolicyguidancewhichpromoteslocalsolutionsforlocalproblems,


3 APPROACH

PurposeandObjectives

TheRespiteWorkingGroup(RWG)wassetupinOctober2014toprovideadvicetotheHeathrowNoiseForumonthemanagementandassessmentofrespitefromaircraftnoise.ThetermsofreferenceandmembershipoftheRWGaresetoutinAppendix1.Thegroupcomprisescross-sectorrepresentativeswithaninterestintheprovisionofrespite,includinggovernment,theaviationregulator,airtrafficcontrol,airlines,thelocalauthority,thelocalcommunity,Heathrowairport,independentresearchersandindustryexperts.Thepurposeofthegroupwassetout:“ToprovideadvicetoHeathrowAirportonthemanagementandassessmentofrespitefromaircraftnoise”.Themainobjectivesaddressedinthisinitialreviewwereto:

• Understandandagreeformaldefinition(s)ofrespite;

• Investigatecurrentpracticeinthemanagementofrespite;

• Identifyindicatorsforthemanagementofrespiteincludingmeasuresofsuccess;

• Identifyanygapsinknowledgeforthemanagementofrespite;

• EstablishacommonlevelofunderstandingbetweendifferentstakeholdersofthescopeandopportunitiestoimplementrespiteaspartofnoisemanagementprogrammesatHeathrow.

• ProposeactionstoHeathrowNoiseForum.

ReviewMethodology

HeathrowAirportappointedAndersonAcousticstochairandactassecretariattotheRWG.ThegroupmetregularlybetweenOctober2014andMay2015,withagreedthemesateachmeeting:Figure1:RespiteWorkingGroupMeetingPlan(2014-2015)


Thefollowingapproachwasadopted:

• Collationofinformationonresearchandairportcasestudies:membersoftheGroupsupplieddetailsofcurrentrespiteimplementationexamples,usefulairportcontacts,relevantscientificpapers,otherrelevantpublicationsandwebsitelinks.

• Reviewofdefinitions:Alistofdifferentdefinitionswascompiledandexamined,baseduponinsightsfromGroupmembers,aswellasfindingsfromonlinesearchesacrossgovernment,regulatory,industryandcommunitygroups’websites.

• Reviewofrespiteimplementationatselectedcasestudyairports:AreviewofcurrentpracticesfortheimplementationofrespitewasundertakenbyAndersonAcousticsacrossseventeendifferentairportsinEurope,theUnitedStatesandAustraliaandthefindingspresentedtotheRWG.TheselectionoftheairportswasbasedupontheknowledgeofandrecommendationsfrommembersoftheGroup.Appendix2presentsalistoftheairportsstudiedandthemainsourcesofinformationusedintheanalysis.

Thefollowingstandardinformationwasgatheredforeachofthecasestudyairports:

Airport/CaseName

1.Definition 8.Howitwasmeasured?

2.Whyrespitewasimplemented? 9.Measuresofsuccess

3.Partiesinvolved 10.Communicationstrategy

4.Legalstatus 11.Perceptionfromthecommunity

5.Levelofimplementation 12.Summarykeyfindings

6.Operationalinformation 13.Sourcesofinformation

7.Newcommunitiesexposed

• Reviewofrelevantscientificresearch:TheevidencebasedreviewworkbyAndersonsandpresentedtotheRWGalsoincludedareviewofthelateststudiesinrelationtotheeffectsofaircraftnoisechangesoncommunityperception,thepotentialhealthbenefitsfromtheprovisionofnoisebreaksandtheeconomicvaluationofrespiteandtranquility.Anoverviewofrespitefromnon-aviationsourceswasalsoincluded.Themainpurposeofthisreviewwastobuildabetterunderstandingoftheconceptsofnoiserespiteandhowithasbeenaddressedinsectorsotherthanaviation.Itdidnotaimtoformacomprehensiverevieworprovidedefinitiveconclusions.

• Agreementofkeyissuesandchallenges:TheGroupagreedontheneedtoanalysethelessonslearnt,keychallengesandgapsinknowledgeinrelationtorespitefromaircraftnoise.

Identificationofpriorities:TheGroupidentifiedthekeyresearchneedsforthefutureandagreedasuggestedwayaheadforHeathrowAirporttoconsiderindevelopingastrategicplanforrespiteimplementation.TheGroupcompiledascopeofresearchworktobeconsideredbytheHeathrowNoiseForum(HNF).

• PresentationstoHeathrowNoiseForum:ProgressoftheworkfromtheRWGwaspresentedtotheHeathrowNoiseForum(HNF)onabi-monthlybasis.

• Draftingofscopingreport,recommendationsandagreementofmainmessageswiththeRWG:AllthefindingsandrecommendationshavebeencollatedandorganisedintothisreportbyAndersonAcoustics,onbehalfoftheRWG.ThemainmessageswereagreedbytheRWGandsubsequentlypresentedtotheHNF.Beforepublication,thisreportwascirculatedtoRWGmembersforcommentsandrevisedasrequired.


4 REVIEWOFEVIDENCEON“CURRENTSTATEOFTHEARTOFRESPITE”CONSIDEREDBYRESPITEWORKINGGROUP

ThissectionpresentsasummaryofthecollatedfindingsfromallofthereviewworkpreparedbyAndersonAcousticsandpresentedtotheRWG.Foreachtopicreviewed,asummaryofkeyfindingsisgivenandillustratedwithpertinentexampleswhereappropriate.Insummarythefollowingwasinvestigated:

Definitionsofrespiteusedanddeterminedaworkingdefinition Howotherairportsconsiderrespiteincludinghowitisimplemented,howitisdescribed,communityperceptionandengagement;

Reviewofscientificresearchincludingotherindustries(construction),healthbenefitsandvaluation.

Definitionsofrespite

TheRWGconsideredthecomprehensivereviewofdefinitionsofrespiteusedbymanydifferentstakeholders,includinglocalcommunities,government,regulators,academics,airportsandtheaviationindustry8.Appendix3givesmoredetailaboutthedefinitionsidentifiedduringthisreview.

4.1.1 ExistingdefinitionsFromtheUKGovernmentandUKregulatoryperspective,respiteisgenerallyunderstoodasakeymeasuretomitigatetheimpactofaircraftnoiseovercommunitiessignificantlyexposedtoaircraftnoise.However,thereisnospecificdefinitiontohelpmeasure,quantifyorimplementrespite.NoiseQuest9providesspecificguidanceonwhatrespitemeansandhowtodefineit.Theyexplicitlysuggestthatrespiteisrelatedtotherelieffromaircraftnoiseeventsoveraperiodoftime.However,theynotethatrespiteshouldbelocallydefinedtofittheneedsofanycommunityorstudyarea(FederalAviationAdministration(FAA),2015).Fromthecommunityandresidents’perspective,respiteishighlightedasacrucialfactortoconsiderwhenplanningflightpaths.AccordingtoJohnStewart,ChairofHACAN,respiteisrelatedtotheprovisionofpredictableperiodsofrelieffromthenoiseoftheplaneslandingandtakingoffatHeathrow.Inhisownwords,theseareperiodswherethereshouldbenoplanesoverhead.SomeofthepeoplecomplainingaboutaircraftnoiseatHeathrowAirporthighlighttheimportanceofsharingandfairness10inthedistributionofthenoiseandtheneedforrespiteperiods(Stewart,2015).

8 In some cases, a definition of respite was inferred based on the context of information provided. 9 Noise Quest is an online initiative sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Transport in Canada. 10 Note: There may be a lack of definition of what constitutes fairness and sharing; it may be sharing noise across communities that already have some overflight or may be across the whole community including those that do not have overflights


4.1.2 DefinitionsusedbyairportsAsummaryofthedefinitionsofrespiteidentifiedfromtheairportcasestudiesisprovidedinBox2:

4.1.3 Theoreticaldefinition

Followingthereviewprocess,theRWGestablishedthattherearenouniversaldefinitionsofrespite.ForthepurposesofthisprojecttheGroupdevelopedthefollowingworkingdefinitions:

Box3:WorkingDefinitions

• Reliefcanbedefinedasabreakfromorareductioninaircraftnoise.

• Respitecanbedefinedasascheduledrelieffromaircraftnoiseforaperiodoftime.

Reviewofotherairports

ThereviewconsideredhowseventeencasestudyairportsfromacrossEurope,theUnitedStatesandAustraliahaveimplementedrespiteintotheiroperationsandhowtheyhaveapproachedPBNimplementation.SeeAppendix2forfurtherdetailaboutthesourcesused.

4.2.1 ImplementationThissectionincludesanalysisofhowrespitewasimplementedatthecasestudyairportsinoperationalterms.

Box4:Summaryoffindingsofoperationalinformationfromcasestudyairports

• Acommonwaytoprovidereliefistospatiallyalternateflightpaths.• Someairportscombinerouteandrunwayrotation,givingmoremodesinwhichthe

airportcancontinuetooperatewhilstprovidingaperiodofrespitetolocalcommunities.• Timeofdayrestrictionscanlimittheflexibilityandcapacityofairports.• PBNimplementationhasgenerallyintroducedincreasedconcentrationofnoisearound

routecentrelineswithgreaterconsistencyandaccuracyoftracksflown.• AirportshavenotgenerallyusedPBNtoimproverespite.

Box2:Summaryoffindingsondefinitionsofrespitefromcasestudyairports

• Thereisnoconsensusamongtheairportsstudiedonwhatconstitutesrespite.• Respiteissometimesusedasamethodformitigation.• Themajorityoftheairportsanalysedmakenoreferencetorespiteasaconcept(e.g.

BrusselsandDenver),butforsomeanimplieddefinitionwasidentified(e.g.Brisbane).• Someairportssuggestadefinitionthroughdesignandoperationoftheirairspace,such

asalternationofroutesandrunways(e.g.SchipholorFrankfurt).• Sydneyairportdefinesrespiteasacontinuedperiodoftime(clockhours)whenthereare

nomovementsonaparticularflightpath.• TheproposalsubmittedbyHeathrowAirporttotheAirportsCommissionforanew

runwaypresentsadefinitionofrespite.


FrankfurtandBrisbanecombinebothrouteandrunwayrotation,givingmanymoremodesinwhichtheseairportscanoperateandprovideascheduledrelieftotheircommunities.OtherEUairportshavealsoconsideredtheintroductionofregulationsforrunwayuseorrestrictionstooperations,suchasatVienna,SchipholandHeathrow,particularlyatsensitivetimes,forexampleatnight.Itisacknowledgedthatprovidingabreakfromnoisecanlimittheflexibilityandcapacityofairports.Alternatingroutesisthemostcommonwaytoprovideabreakfromaircraftnoiseamongstthecasesanalysed.Thishasbeenusedtodistributenoiseawayfromdenselypopulatedareasduringperiodsoftheday,andsoreducingtheeffectonsomepopulatedareasbysharingimpactwithneighbouringpopulatedareas.ThecasesanalysedforGatwickandHeathrowrelatedtorecenttrialstotestdifferentwaysforprovidingrespite.Gatwicktestedtheprovisionofrespiteatnightbyalternatingflightpaths,whileHeathrow’sDOKEN11trialtestedtheuseofPBNtodeliverscheduledrespitetocommunitiessitedbeneathdifferentdepartureroutes.AlloftheUSairportsstudiedusePBNaspartoftheNextGenmodernisationprogramme,ledbytheFederalAviationAdministration(FAA)ratherthantheairportsthemselves.ThemaindriverofthisprogrammereliesonimprovingthesafetyandefficiencyoftheUSairspace.Thereviewsuggeststhatalthoughrespitewasnotinitiallyintended,itispossibletoinferthatreliefwasdeliveredinsomecases,duetohowtheflightpathsweredesigned.Brisbane,PerthandSydneyairportsproviderespiteorreliefaspartoftheircurrentoperations,basedonanoisesharingapproach.Thethreecasesaresomewhatdifferent.ForBrisbane,respitehasbeenpartoftheirdailyoperationsandithasbeenusedinprincipleforthedesignoftheirnewrunway.InthePerthcase,respitewasimplementedfollowingrecommendationfromtheNoiseOmbudsmantoreduceflightsoveranareaandsharethenoise.ForSydney,changeshavebeenimplementedduetoasignificantadversereactiontotheopeningofSydney’sthirdrunwayin1994,whichledtotheairportadoptinganewnoisesharingapproachdesignedtoremoveconcentrationofnoiseoverthesuburbstothenorthoftheairport.Thisnoise-sharingplanisbasedupontenoperationalmodesthatarealternatedthroughouttheday.Appendix4providesdetailedoperationalinformationonrespiteimplementationforeachcasestudyairport.

4.2.2 Describingrespite:metricsandmeasures

Box5:Summaryoffindingsofrespitemetricsandmeasuresfromcasestudyairports

• Differentairportsmeasureandquantifytheprovisionofrespiteindifferentwayswithnouniqueandconsistentapproacheitherspatially,temporallyoroperationally.

• Thisisoneofthekeygapsintermsofrespitemanagement.Onlyfiveoftheseventeencasestudyairportshavespecificmetricsonrespite.

• Thosemetricsidentifiedarerelatedtoperiodsoftime(e.g.days,clockhours)inwhichabreakinnoiseisprovidedthroughusinganalternativeflightpathandanabsenceofoverflights.

• Thereisnoclearoruniversaldefinitionofwhatconstitutesanoverflightnortheseparationdistancesrequired.

11 http://www.heathrow.com/file_source/HeathrowNoise/Static/DOKEN_report_FINAL.pdf


Thereviewofairportsidentifiedanumberofwaystodescribeinformationonbreaksfromnoise.Itisworthnotingthatnoonehas‘verified’thesemetricsasprovidingrespiteorrelief,theyaresimplymeasuresthatmonitorhowamanagementtoolhasbeenimplementedi.e.%runwayalternationetc.Thesemetricsaredescribedbelow:

Metrics Example12 Comments

DedicatedRunwayOperations(DROps)

AtFrankfurttheprovisionofrespiteismonitoredwiththedailyuseofDROpsviaradarplotsandreportsfromnoisemonitoringstations.

TheDROpsestablishedguidelinesonhow,whenandwheretoprovidenoisebreaks.Theairportprovidesperiodsofreliefthroughtheirdedicatedrunwaysoperationsprocess,currentlyfordeparturesintheearlymorningwherebyrunwaysandroutesvarybetweenoddandevendays.

Numbersofdayswithintheperiodoftimewhentheflightpathislikelytoexperiencenoflights

BrisbaneAirportreportsonthepercentageofdayswithnoscheduledflightsforeachflightpath,whichisreferredtoasrespite.Theinformationispresentedbytimeofday,dayofweekandseason,inconjunctionwithN7013contours.

Somecriticismhasarisenthatcalculatingrespiteonindividualflightpathsdoesnotgiveanaccuratepictureofwherethenoiseisactuallyaudible.Thatis,respiteunderoneflightpathisdisturbedbymovementsonanotherflightpath,particularlythecaseinareasclosetoanumberofdifferentpaths.

%clockhourswhentherearenooverflights

Sydneyhasdevelopedthismetrictoquantifyrespite.Sensitiveclockhourshavebeendefined,followingextensivetriallingandcommunityengagement.Theseare6-7amand8-11pmonweekdaysand6am-11pmatweekends.

Themetrichasalimitationinthatitonlyaccountsforrespiteinwholehoursandthustendstounderstaterespitee.g.ifanareareceivesnoflightsbetween13:05and14:55,norespitewillberecordedeventhoughtheareainquestionreceivednearly2hoursofrespite.Thereisalsoanaudibleissueaswellasdescribedabove.

Numberabove(NA)differencesbypostcode

TheDOKENtrialatHeathrowprovidedusefulinsightsonhowtomeasurethenoiseenvironmentinordertounderstandrespiteusingN65andpresentingdataatpostcodelevel.

Forthistrial,N65(8hr)>25andN65(16hr)>5014appeartoprovidemoresignificantandclearerdifferencesinexposurethanLeqdifferencesastheycombineanelementofnoiselevelandanelementrelatedtothedegreeofoverflightandthereforecouldbeusedpotentiallytoidentifyareasthatmaybeaffordedsomerespite.

%oftimeanareaisoverflown

TherunwayalternationsystematHeathrowAirportismonitoredbythepercentageofarrivalsanddeparturesusingtheirpreferentialrunway(inalternation)fordayandnightrotationperiods.Inaddition,thenumberofdaysanareais“overflown”canbederived.

TheproposalforathirdrunwayatHeathrowpredictedrespiteusingasimpleprocedurebasedonwhetherornotanareawasoverflown(oneflightwouldbeconsideredoverflown),takingintoaccountthedifferentmodesofrunwayoperationsandrouteuse.

Calculatingrespiteonindividualflightpathsdoesnotgiveanaccuratepictureofwherethenoiseisactuallyaudible.Thatis,respiteunderoneflightpathisdisturbedbymovementsonanotherflightpath,particularlythecaseinareasclosetoanumberofdifferentpaths

12 Appendix 5 provides graphical representations of some of these metrics 13 Number Above is the number of noise events that reach or exceed a certain dB(A) Lmax threshold within a given time period. In the above example, an Lmax value of 70 dB(A) is adopted. 14 When reviewing changes resulting from the rotation pattern a time period, T, of 8 hours was selected to reflect the period in which each runway/route combination occurred as well as the 16 hour day. In particular the N65(hour)>25 contours were used and N65(16 hour)>50.


Metrics Example12 Comments

Changesinflighttrackdensityorheightofoverflights

Gatwickusedradartrackdatatoreviewtheeffectsoftheirtrialperiodintermsofdensity/heightofoverflightsandhoweffectivelytheseoverflightswereeliminatedfromtheareasidentifiedandredistributed,relativetoanypopulatedareas(notjustthoseidentifiedforrespite).

Intheirtrialsproposaldocument,itwassuggestedthatqualitativefeedbackshouldbesoughtfromthoseinthe“respiteareas”andalsofromanyareaswhichmighthavehadanincreaseintheflighttrackdensityorachangeinheightsofoverflights,andalsotoreviewanyregisteredcomplaintsreceivedduringthetrialperiod.

MedianQuietInterval(MQI)

TheFAAthroughitswebsiteNoiseQuest,providesexamplesonhowrespitecanbemeasured.Forinstance,theysuggestusingthe“MedianQuietInterval(MQI)”tomeasurerespitefrom“intrusive”noiseevents.TheMQIindicatestheaveragetimebetweenaircrafteventsthatexceedaselectedthreshold.

ItiscalculatedusingtheTimeAbove(TA)andNumberAbove(NA)metrics.Forexample,ifTA65=30andNA65=100,thenMQI=14.1minutes,meaningthattherewouldbeoneeventabove65dBoccurringevery14.1minutes(FederalAviationAdministration(FAA),2015)15.

TimeAbove(TA) Seeabove.

Section5buildsuponthesefindingsandsuggestsarangeofprinciplesforobjectivelymeasuringrespite.

4.2.3 CommunityPerceptionofRespite

Akeyissuewhenanalysingthecasestudyairports,wastounderstandwhethercommunitiesareawareofrespiteandhowtheyperceiveandvaluethebenefits.

Box6:Summaryoffindingsofcommunityperceptionfromcasestudyairports

• Therearealackofproactivestrategiestoseekfeedbackoraskthecommunityfortheirviewsabouttherespiteimplementationnearthem.

• Thereisalackofknowledgeaboutthevalueofrespitetoaffectedcommunities,compared,forexample,withothermitigationmeasures.

• Themoresuccessfulimplementationshaveproactivelyengagedandconsultedwithlocalcommunities.

• OnlytheHeathrowDOKENTrialdidasystematicevaluationofcommunityperception.Resultsfromthisevaluationindicatedthatanoisebreak,providedbyalternationofPBNroutes,issignificantlyvaluedbythecommunity16.

Basedonthecasesanalysed,theGroupcanconcludethatthereisnoproactivestrategyforunderstandinghowcommunitiesperceiveandvaluetheinitiativesthataimtoprovideabreakfromaircraftnoise.

15

Based on the calculation; (24 hours total time - 0.5 hours above 65 dB) / (100 events above Lmax of 65 dB) = 0.235 hours or 14.1 minutes. It is important to understand that this example assumes that 100 aircraft events (that exceed the 65 dB threshold for 30 minutes of a full 24-hour day) are equally spaced out in time over 24 hours. 16 Since the drafting of this report, a noise respite project commenced around Frankfurt Airport and includes a survey of residents perception, results are due to be published around mid 2016.


Fromthecasesanalysed,onlytheHeathrowDOKENTrialcarriedoutasystematicevaluationofthecommunityperceptionandvaluationofrespite.Thisinvolvedthecommissioningofanindependentresearchprojecttoseekthecommunity’sattitudestodifferenttypesofnoiserelief(I.Flindell,2014)17.ResultsfromFlindell’sresearchsuggeststhatnoiserelief,issignificantlyvaluedbythecommunity.Accordingtothisstudy,residentshaveexpressedapreferenceforflightpathdispersion,asopposedtotheuseofonesingularflightpath.Althoughthereisnoevidencethatscheduledrespiteprovidesanyadditionalperceivedbenefit,itissuggestedthatitcancontributetopositiveattitudestowardstheairport.

4.2.4 Communicationandengagementstrategies

Thereviewexaminedthemostcommonstrategiesthatairportshaveadoptedforcommunicatingandengagingwithcommunitieswithrespecttorespiteand/ortheimplementationofairspacechanges.

Box7.Summaryoffindings:communication&engagementstrategiesatcasestudyairports

• Goodcommunicationandtransparentengagementisoneofthemostimportantissuesforsuccessfulimplementationofrespite.

• Insomecases,respitehasbeenimplementedwiththeinvolvementofthelocalcommunityinthedesignprocess.

• Atsomeairportstheremaybeinadequaterepresentationoflocalresidentswithintheengagementprocesses.

Communitydemand-drivenengagementLookingattheairportcasestudies,insomecasesimplementationofrespitewasledbydemandfromthelocalcommunity,whichmeantthatthecommunitywereincludedintherespitedesignprocess.InFrankfurt,thereisavoluntaryExpertNoiseAbatementGroupthatmonitorscurrentperformance,reviewsnewproposalsandmakesrecommendationsforimplementation.Representativesfromtheindustry,theGovernmentandthelocalcommunityparticipateinthegroup.InSchipholtheengagementprocessincludedtheestablishmentofanindependentbodytoprovideguidance,participateinthedecisionmakingprocessandbuildtrustwiththelocalcommunity.Thisgroup,theAldersTable18,hasbeeninvolvedinthedesignofrespiteprocedures,providingdirectengagementandcommunicationwithcommunities.RegulationstoprovideperiodsofrelieftocommunitiesnearViennaAirportweretheresultofamediationprocessatthetimeofdesigningthethirdrunway.Differentrepresentativesparticipatedinthemediation,includingacitizen’sinitiativeagainstthethirdrunway,mayorsofthemostaffectedmunicipalities,environmentaladvocatesofViennaprovinces,researchersandtheairportitself.

17 See footnote above 18

The Alders Table is a consultation body that provides advice to government on how to achieve a balance between the growth of Schiphol, noise annoyance mitigation measures and the quality of the environment, for the period up to 2020.


ArespitetrialatGatwickwasimplementedinresponsetorequestsfromcommunitiesandindividualslivingintheareasaroundtheairportforapredictableformofrespitefromaircraftnoise.TheGatwickAirportConsultativeCommittee19andtheNoiseandTrackMonitorGroup20sharedviewsonthedesignofthetrial.Heathrow’sDOKENtrialwasdevelopedwiththeHeathrowNoiseForum’sinputonthecommunicationstrategyandtoinvestigateifcommunitymemberswereawareofthetrial.Althoughtheairportprovidedinformationtothecommunity,particularlythroughsocialmediaandwebpages,itwasfoundthatalthough55%ofrespondentsclaimedtohavebeenawareofchangestoflighttracks,qualitativeresearchrevealedthatnoresidentswereawareoftheexactdetails,andalmostnobodywasawareofPBNasaconcept(I.Flindell,2014).BenefitsofproactivecommunityoutreachAmongtheUSairportsstudied,theDenvercasestandsoutduetoitsextensiveoutreachefforts,whichincludedscopingmeetings,individualmeetingswithlocalauthorities,planningandnoiseofficers,andpublicconferencesintheneighbourhood.AccordingtotheanalysisofdifferentPBNimplementationcasesbyconsultancyfirmHMMH,Denver’suniquesuccessislargelyattributedtothreefactors:(HMMH,2014)

• Peopleandcommitment:ThecollaborativeeffortsoftheWorkingGroupanditsmultiplestakeholders.Theyputtheirownagendasasidetosolveaproblem.

• Strong,comprehensive/interdisciplinaryknowledgebasewithinthegroupabouttechnicalissuesofairportsoperationsandairspacesissues,planningdevelopmentsandregulationandonimpacts(andneeds)ofthecommunityandenvironment.

• Financialincentiveforsuccess,fromnoisefines(duetoconstrainingnoiselimitsat101points,anexceedanceofwhichcarriesacostly/significantpenaltyof$500Kperannualoccurrence).

Section5.5takesintoaccountthelessonslearnedheretorecommendsomegeneralprinciplesforsuccessfulcommunicationandengagementstrategies.

Reviewofscientificresearchonrespite

Thereviewincludedthelatestresearchonrespiteinrelationto:

• theeffectsofaircraftnoisechangesoncommunityperception

• thepotentialhealthbenefitsfromtheprovisionofnoisebreaks,and

• theeconomicvaluationofrespiteandtranquility.Italsogivesanoverviewofhowrespitefromnoiseismanagedandpresentedinnon-aviationindustries,inparticularinrelationtoconstructionnoise.

19

The Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (GATCOM) advises Gatwick Airport's Managing Director about issues that concern the local communities, travellers and other users of the airport. 20

The noise and track monitoring advisory group (NATMAG) brings together representatives from DfT, NATS, airlines, Gatwick Airport and local authorities. The group discusses a wide range of noise and track-keeping issues and monitors track-keeping performance, night engine testing and ground noise complaints.


4.3.1 Aviationnoiseandrespiteresearch

Box8.Summaryoffindingsonaviationnoiseandrespiteresearch

• Differencesbetweensoundlevelscanresultfromaircraftatdifferentheightsanddistancefromreceiver.

• Atagivenlateraldistancefromanaircraft,aircraftatloweraltitudesmaybequieterthanthoseathigheraltitudes.

• Overallannoyancecanbeaconsequenceofthemaximumlevelandthenumberofnoiseevents.

• Theextentofadverseresponseisnotdeterminedbyaveragenoiselevelsalone.

• Therearemultiplenon-acousticfactors,suchasperceivedfairnessandthecapacitythatpeoplehavetocopeandcontrolthenoise,thatdetermineannoyanceandadversereactiontoaircraftandairportnoise.

• Thenumberofnoiseeventsisverysignificant;anincreaseinnumbercanhaveasignificanteffectonannoyanceeveniftheoverallaveragenoiselevelissimilar.

• Theeffectofimprovingsoundqualityisasyetnotclear.

Arecentstudyexaminedtheeffectofaltitudeonthelateraldispersionofaircraftnoise(Rhodes,2015).Itwasnotedthatforagivenaircraft,thenoiselevelonthegroundisdeterminedbythedistancefromtheaircrafttothereceiver,groundabsorptionandshielding,scatteringandrefractioneffects.Whentheanglebetweenthegroundandtheaircraftislessthan60degrees,shieldingfromtheaircraftengines,atmosphericrefractionandscatteringeffectcanreducenoisebyupto6dBmorethanthatcausedbyanincreaseinpropagationalone.Furtherreductionsoccurwhentheangleislessthan15degrees.Thisresultmeansthataboveacertainlateraldistance,aircraftatloweraltitudesmaybequieterthanthoseathigheraltitudes.Forexample,beyond2,000mtothesideoftheflightpath,anaircraftat6,000ftisnoisierthanoneat1,000ft.Thissuggeststhataltitudeandlateraldispersionshouldbetakenintoaccountwhendesigningnewflightroutes.

Figure2:Elevationangle(Source:Rhodes,2015)


Anotherrecentlabstudyregardingtheeffectsofaircraftnoisechangesonhumanperception,annoyance,disturbanceandperformanceinvestigatedtwochangescenarios(J.Lambert,2015):

• byreducingthenumberofaircraft(byhalf)comparedtoatypicalfleetmix.

• byimprovingthesoundqualityofindividualaircraft.BothscenariosweredesignedtoensurethatthepassengernumbersandLAeqwereconstantandweretestedinhome-likeenvironments,createdinthreelaboratoriesinFranceandHungary.ThestudyconcludedthatareductioninaircrafthasasignificantchangeinannoyancedespiteasimilarLAeqandhigherLAmax.Nocleareffectwasidentifiedfollowingchangesinsoundquality.Furthermore,thestudyshowedthatneitherreducingthenumberofmovements,norimprovingthesoundqualityofaircrafthasaneffectonperformance(usingamemorytest).Thissuggeststhatanevent-basedindexmaybeamoreappropriatedescriptorforaircraftannoyancethananenergy-basedindex.However,theauthoraddsacaveattosaythatthefleetmixusedmightincludeaircraftdeemedtobemoreannoyingthanothersthatwerenotincluded.

4.3.2 Respitemanagementintheconstructionindustry

Box9.Summaryoffindingsonconstructionnoiseresearch

• Respitefromconstructionnoiseisofferedthroughtheceasingofallactivities.Thisisnotpossibleforaviationunlessacurfewisimplemented.

• ThenoisecontrolonconstructionsitesinAustraliaandtheUKincludestheprovisionofrespiteperiodsthroughcontrolledworkinghours.

• Thesecontrolsarebasedontypeofarea,sensitiveperiodsandwhennoiselevelsexceedacertainthreshold.

• Thetotaldurationofaconstructionprojectcanbeextendedinexchangeforprovidingperiodsofrespite.Thisisusuallynegotiateddirectlywiththecommunity.

Thenoisecontrolandmanagementonconstructionsitesincludesregulationandcodeofpracticesthatprovidesguidanceonworkinghoursandrespiteperiods,basedonsensitivetimesandthetypeofarea.Ingeneral,respitefromconstructionnoiseisusuallyofferedthroughtheceasingofallactivities,oratleastthosethatareaudibleatthesiteboundary.Thisisnotpossibleforaviationunlessacurfewisimplemented.AnexampleistheInterimConstructionNoiseGuidelinesinAustralia.Thesesetoutparametersforwhenandhowtoprovideperiodsofrespitefromconstructionnoiseforresidentialareas.Whennoiselevelsexceed75dBduringstandardhours(MondaytoFriday,between0700-1800)thesiteisrequiredtoproviderespiteperiods,throughrestrictingthehoursduringwhichthesenoisyactivitiescanoccur.Inaddition,theguidelineshighlightthatanyrestrictionimposedshouldtakeintoaccountthepreferenceofthecommunitywithregardtosensitiveperiods(timeofdayordayofweek)andtheacceptanceofthelikelyincreaseintotaldurationofthewholeconstructionprojectinexchangefortheagreedperiodofrespite(DepartmentofEnvironmentandClimateChangeNSW,2009).IntheUK,theBritishStandardcodeofpracticefornoisecontrolonconstructionandopensites(BS5228)providesexamplesonhowregulationsareinfluencedbythetypeofareawheretheconstructionistakingplace,aswellassensitivetime-periods.Forinstance,whilethenoisecontrolof


theCityofLondonrequiresanoisebreakoftwohours,twiceaday(1000-1200;1400-1600)duringweekdays,controlsatresidentialareasaimtoprotectpeoplefromnoiseatnightandweekends.Thistakesintoaccountthatthenoisewouldcausespeechinterferenceinanofficeduringthedaybutwouldcausenoprobleminthesameofficeatnight(BSI,2014).TheWestminsterNoiseStrategysuggeststhatnoisecontrolregulationsshouldtakeintoaccountthatsomeperiodsofthedaywillbemoresensitivethanothers.Itsuggeststhatnoisecontrolforeveningandovernightshouldbestricterthanfordaytime,andthattheconsiderationofofferingnoisebreaksisimportant(CityofWestminster,2010).

4.3.3 Thehealthimpactsofrespite

Box10.Summaryoffindingsonrespiteandhealthresearch

• Littleresearchexistsonthepositivehealtheffectsofrespitefromnoise.

• However,therearestudiesintothebenefitsoftranquilareasonqualityoflife,whichcanhelptoinformfutureresearchandmanagementofrespite.

• Studiessuggestthataccesstoquietareasthatofferabreakfromman-madenoisecanhavepositiveeffectsonhealthandwellbeing.

• Scheduledrelieffromanoisesourceappearstobevaluedbythecommunity.

• Benefitsarenotonlyrelatedtolowernoiselevels,butalsototheprovisionofanalternativeenvironment,awayfromthenoise.

• Non-acousticfactorssuchasvisualaspectscanhaveamajoreffectoncommunityperception.

Mostoftheresearchonnoiseandhealthisfocusedonthepotentialnegativeeffectsfromcontinuedexposuretoenvironmentalnoiseonhealthandqualityoflife.Therehasbeenlittleresearchdirectlycarriedoutonthepositiveeffectsofrespitefromnoise(fromanysource).Thereare,however,anumberofstudiesfromwhichthefindingsmayhelpinformfutureresearchonrespite.Themainareasofresearchincludeinvestigationsintothebenefitsoftranquilareasonqualityoflife.Researchinthisfieldhasgenerallyconcentratedontheimportanceofrespiteprovidedbyquietareasinurbanenvironments.Inthiscontext,theconceptofrespitetakesintoaccountothercharacteristicsofthespaceincludingaesthetics.Thissectionattemptstoreviewthesestudiesalongsideothercasestudiesofrespiteandhighlightthekeyrelevantfindings.WealsoincludetheresearchintoresponsetochangesinaviationnoiseandspecificsocialsurveyworkaroundHeathrowairportduringrecenttrials.QuietareasFindingsfromtheRANCHproject(RoadtrafficnoiseandAircraftNoiseexposureandchildren'sCognitionandHealth),highlighttheroleofquietareasforpsychologicalrestorationandhealthbenefitsinchildrenexposedtoaircraftnoise.Thestudysuggeststhatofferingaccesstoquietareasorquietperiodstochildrenexposedtohighnoiselevelsmightserveasaprotectivefactorforreducingannoyanceatschoolandsleepdisturbancesymptomsasaresultofcontinuedexposuretoaircraftnoise(S.Stansfeld,2010)(C.Clark,2007).


Researchhasalsosuggestedthataccesstoquietareasthatofferabreakfrommanmadesoundcanhaveapositiveeffectonhealthandwellbeing.Somestudieshaveshownthataccesstoquietnessisakeyfactorformodifyingresidents’noiseresponses.Thehealthbenefitsofquietspacescanbelinkedmainlytostressreleasesandphysiologicalandpsychologicalwell-being21.

“Quietsides”Inparticular,thebenefitsofquietfaçadesorquietsidesofbuildingswhichfacilitatethepossibilityofrespitefromroadtrafficnoisehavebeenanalysed(Gidlöf-Gunnarsson,2010).Thishasindicatedthatthosewithaccesstoaquietsideoftheirdwellingexperiencedabenefitofbetween30%to50%fordifferentdisturbancetypeswhilstimprovingsleepandphysiologicalandpsychologicalwellbeing.Itissuggestedthatinareaswheretheexposurelevelishigh(LAeq,24hr>65dB),aquietsidecouldhelptoreducetheadverseeffectsofnoise,whereasinnewdevelopmentsorinareaswheretheroadtrafficnoisedoesnotexceed60dBtheconceptcouldbeusedtocreatebettersoundingenvironments.Itcanbeinferredthataccesstoaquietareaprovidesabreakfromnoiseandincreasestheperceivedcontrolofthenoiseexposure,whichhasbeenshowntohaveamodifyingeffectinannoyanceresponses.Theroleofnon-acousticfactorsItisimportanttohighlightthattheresponsetonoise(intermsofannoyancejudgments)isinfluencedbymanynon-acousticfactors,whichmightbeveryrelevantforrespite.Forexample,peoplehavereportedahighlevelofannoyancewhentheycanvisualisethenoisesource.Thisfeedsintothedebatethatperceivedrespitemightnotbetotallylinkedtothenoiselevel,butalsotothefactthatanoverflyingaircraftisthereatall(evenifitissometimesalongdistanceaway).VisualfactorsThe“visual”factorshavebeenwellstudied.Forexample,theannoyancejudgmentsduetoroadtrafficnoisewereinfluencedbythevisualjudgmentsoftheattractivenessofquietcourtyard(whenanalysingtheeffectofquietsidesonwellbeingandrestorationonpeopleexposedtoroadtrafficnoise).Thevisualjudgmentswerealsoaffectedbywhatpeopleheard22.RespiteinhealthcaresettingsThebenefitofquietperiodshasalsobeeninvestigatedwithinhealthcareenvironments.Itwasfoundthatbyintroducingtwo-hourperiodsofquiettimeinintensivecareunitsduringtheday,patientsweremorelikelytobefoundasleep4(Dennisetal.,2010).Sleepisessentialforenergyrestorationandphysicalrecuperationwhichiscrucialforthehealingprocess.Duringeachperiod,telephonevolumeswerereduced,staffwereaskedtoconversequietly,radiosandtelevisionswereturnedoffandwherepossible,tests,proceduresandconsultswereconductedoutsidethequiethours.Theprobabilityofpatientsbeingasleepduringthesequiettimeswerefourtimeshigherthanduringthehalfhourbeforetheperiodstarting.Asimilarinvestigationwasconductedbutratherthanfocusingoncriticalcareunits,periodsofscheduledquietwereintroducedinacutecaresettingswheresimilaroutcomeswereestablished(Gardneretal.,2009).Resultssuggestthatscheduledquiettimewouldbeapositivelyperceivedinterventionwiththerapeuticbenefit.Interestingly,Dennisetal.alsonotedthatthenursesvaluedthe

21 Studies referenced: (A. Gidlöf-Gunnarsson E. Ö., 2010), (A. Gidlöf-Gunnarssona, 2007), (E. O ̈hrstro ̈m, 2006), (T. Kihlman, 2001), (Schulte-Fortkamp, 2002) 22 Studies referenced: (A. Gidlöf-Gunnarsson E. Ö., 2010) (A. Fyhri, 1999) (A. Gidlöf-Gunnarsson E. Ö., 2007)


quiettime,commentingtheseperiodsprovidedrespitefromahecticpace,offeringanopportunityto‘refocusandre-prioritise’.QuietperiodsTheQuietCityProjectisareportpreparedbytheCityofLondonDepartmentofEnvironmentalServicestoinvestigatehownoiseaffectsresidentsandworkersintheCityofLondonandtodeterminewhetherthereisaneedtoprotectquietandtranquilareas.Amongotherquestions,residentsandworkerswereaskedwhatstepscouldbetakentoreducethenoise.Unprompted,about25%ofworkerssuggestedtheenforcementofquiethours,theintroductionofquietzonesorotherrestrictionofconstructionworks(TheCityofLondon,2010).Thissuggeststhattheideaofrespitemightbewelcomedbytheworkersinthecity.Thebenefitsofquietperiods–asignificantreductioninnoiseforanallottedamountoftime-appeartogoaboveandbeyondthebenefitsderivedfromageneralreductionofhighnoiselevels,providinganopportunityforimprovingphysiologicalandpsychologicalwell-being.Althoughnoiselevelsarecentraltotheconceptofaquietarea,thereareanumberofotherfactorsincludingitsvisualaestheticswhichmayhelptodeterminewhetheranareaisdeemedquietortranquil.

4.3.4 Theeconomicvalueofrespite

Box11.Summaryoffindingsonrespiteanditseconomicvalue

• Therearefewstudiesthatprovidesomeindicationoftheeconomicvaluationofrespiteandtheseareairportspecific.

• Thesestudieshavedevelopedamethodologyforvaluingrespite.

• Evidencesuggeststhatrespitecanmakesomecontributiontopositiveattitudestowardstheairport.

• Furtherworkisneededandshouldbeairportspecific.

Therehasbeenlimitedmonetaryvaluationoftheeffectsofdeliveringrespitethroughtheuseofhypotheticalquestioningonly.Noattemptshavebeenmadetomonetisethevalueofa“happy”community,positivecommunityrelations,orindeedthecosttotheoperatorsofimplementingarespitestrategy.TheeconomicvalueoftranquillityWhileadverseeffectsofnoisehavebeenextensivelystudied,thebeneficialeffectsoftranquilareasandprovisionofrespitearelessunderstood.AreportcommissionedfortheDepartmentforEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs(Defra)intheUKattemptedtoplaceavalueonthebenefitofquietareas(URS/ScottWilson,2011).Thestudysetoutthreegoals:todefinewhatconstitutesaquietarea,tounderstandthebenefitsofquietareasandultimately,toestimatetheeconomicvaluederivedfromavisittoaquietarea.Itconcludedthatalthoughthereisnosingledefinition,anumberofcriteriamaybeusedtojudgetowhetheraspaceisconsideredquiet.Theseinclude:naturalsoundsbeingaudibleandnotmaskedby


man-madesounds,theareabeinglessnoisythanitssurroundings,havingamaximumLdayvalueof55dBandbeingpubliclyaccessible.Basedonareviewof80studies,thereportindicatesthatthebenefitsofquietcanbeclassifiedintofourcategories:

• Healtheffects:psychologicalandphysiologicalwellbeing,restorationandrecovery

• Amenity:reducedannoyance,relaxation,andrecreation

• Productivity:creativity,problemsolving,cognitivedevelopment

• Environmental:betterhabitatforbiodiversityandairqualityThatworksuggeststhatthebenefitsofquietgobeyondthosefromareductioninhighnoiselevels.Thesebenefitsmaybederivedfromtheamenityofthespaceandtheimprovedqualityoflife,thepossibilityofrelaxationandescapefromthe‘hustleandbustle’ofnoisiersurroundingareasandreducedannoyance.Thesepositivebenefitshaveimportanteconomicimplications,providingsavingsonhealthcosts,increasedworkproductivity,animpactonpropertypricesandcostsavingsfromthepreventionofecosystemsdecline.Althoughhighlycaveated,thestudyplacesavaluebetween£1.18and£7.40pervisittoagreenspacewhichwasextrapolatedtoatotalvaluebetween£19.02millionand£1.4billionperyearforallvisitstoquietareasinEngland.However,thestudydoesstressthatthereisnouniqueorabsolutepriceofquiet,andthatanyattempttoputapriceonitunderminestheveryrichnessofthecharacteristicsofaplace.Whilethestudyconcludesthatmoreeffortisrequiredtoensurethatacousticfactorsareaccountedforwhenconsideringpublicspaces,itmaybeworthhighlightingtheconverse;whenconsideringrespitefromaviationnoise,non-acousticfactorssuchastheamenityorvisualaestheticoftheareasaffectedbyaircraftnoiseshouldbetakenintoaccounttoimprovecommunityresponse.TheeconomicvalueofrespiteAspartoftheDOKENtrial,HeathrowAirportcommissionedindependentresearchprojectstounderstandthecommunity’sattitudestodifferenttypesofnoiserelief(I.Flindell,2014).Theresearchteamconductedaqualitativestudyofresidentsoncompletionofthesix-monthtrialinareastotheeastandwestoftheairportthathadbeenexpectedtobemostaffectedbythetemporarychangeinoperations.Thestudysuggeststhatnoiserelief,howeveritisdelivered,issignificantlyvaluedbythecommunityandwhetheritisscheduledornotmakeslittledifference.Thestudyalsostressestherelevanceofeffectivecommunicationtoresidentsregardingthistypeofinitiative.Itiskeythatresidentsunderstandthatawaytoprovidescheduledrespiteexistsandcanbeofbenefittothem.Thestudypresentedrelativemonetaryvaluesforspecificoptionsbetweendispersedflights,alternatingroutesorimplementationofonesingleroutetorespondents.Theauthorsaddedacaveatontheuseofthesemonetaryestimatesbecauseoftherelativelysmallsamplesizeused.Althoughitwouldbefeasibleforpolicymakerstomakeuseofthesevalueswithinevaluationsofdifferentoperationalpoliciesataspecificairport,itiskeytobearinmindthateverysituationisunique.Nosingleapproachwillprovideacompletesolutiontotheproblem.


5 CONCLUSIONSOFTHERESPITEWORKINGGROUP

TheGroupagreedonthefollowinglessonslearnedreviewworkpresentedintheprevioussection:

Thereiscurrentlynoclear,consistentoruniversallyaccepteddefinitionofrespite.

Definingrespiteisachallengingtaskinvolvingcomplexconceptsandmultiplefactors,asillustratedbelow.Figure3:Illustrationofconceptstoconsiderinrelationtorespitefromaircraftnoise

Theneedtodevelopacommonworkingdefinitionwasagreedfromtheoutset.Thefollowingprioritieswereidentifiedasaguidefordefiningrespite:

• Theneedtoincludeconceptsofscheduledorpredictableperiodsofrelief.

• Abilitytoextendanydefinitiontoincludesharing,events,overflights,noiseandthecommunity/itspeople.

• Abilitytodifferentiatebetweenrespiteandrelief,sincesomestakeholdersusebothtermsinterchangeably.Thissuggestsaneedfortwoseparatedefinitions.

• Definitionsshouldnotbeover-prescriptiveattheoutset.

• Itisimportanttobuildacommonunderstandingofwhat“overflight”means.

• Anydefinitionshouldbeeasytounderstandbythecommunity.


Basedontheseprioritiesandforthepurposeofthisproject,theGroupagreedthefollowingworkingdefinitions,outlinedinSection4.1:“Reliefcanbedefinedasabreakfromorareductioninaircraftnoise.”“Respitecanbedefinedasascheduledrelieffromaircraftnoiseforaperiodoftime.”Forpracticaluse,supplementarystatementscouldbeincludedtotakeintoaccountlocalcircumstancesandputtheseworkingdefinitionsintocontext,butthatisbeyondthescopeofthisproject.Additionalworkisneededtofurtherdefine“aperiodoftime”,“break”and“reduction”intermsofcommunityperception.

Whatthecommunityvaluesasrespiteisnotfullyunderstood.

Despiteanumberofrelatedstudiesandimplementationexamples,thereisatpresentnoclearunderstandingofwhatthecommunityvaluesasrespite.Thereisnoone-size-fits-allapproachandthevalueofrespitedependsonlocalcircumstancesandisairportdependent.Therehasbeennospecifictargetedresearchintothisandassuch,informationcanonlybeinferredfromthevariousrelatedstudiesoractivities.TheGrouphasidentifiedsomeissuesthatmightaffectorarerelatedtotheperceptionofrespitefromaircraftnoise.

• Subjectivevaluationofbenefitsordrawbacks

• Predictability

• Temporalvariationsinexposure

• Whetheraircraftarearrivingordeparting

• Newversusexistingcommunityoverflight

• Airportswithstaticorgrowingcapacity

• Monetaryvalueofrespite

• Roleofnon-acousticfactors

• Trustandtolerancetowardsairportsauthoritiesandoperators

• Roleoftranquilareas

• Importanceoflocalissuesindeterminingextentofresponsetoaircraftnoise

• Relevanceofnumberofmovementsvs.averagednoiselevels

• Communicationandengagement.Effectiveprovisionofrespitedependsnotonlyonoperationalfeaturesbutalsospecificallyonhowthecommunityperceivesandvaluesrespite.Thevalueofrespitedependson,butisnotlimitedto,keynon-acousticfactorsincludingtrust,timeofdayetc.,suchthattheimportanceoftheacousticcharacterisationofthenoiseitselfisoftennotparamount.ActiveengagementwithallinterestedcommunitygroupsandconsiderationofallcommunityinterestsarethereforeprioritiesindevelopinganeffectiverespitestrategyforHeathrowairport.


Successfulcommunityengagementcanhelptomodifysomeofthenon-acousticfactorsdrivinganyadverseresponsetonoise,andthatengagementisalsonecessaryforanyairport’songoingsociallicencetooperateand,whereapplicable,grow.

Thereisnouniversalformulaforthesuccessfulimplementationofaneffectiverespitestrategyandoperationaldesignforrespiteneedstoconsideroperationalconditionsatanairport.

RelativepositionofthecommunityTheeffectualprovisionofrespitedependsontherelativepositionofthelocalcommunitytothedifferentflightpathsthatmightbeused,andhowofteneachflightpathisactuallyused.Forpeoplelivingindifferentareasaroundanairport,theactualamountofnoisereliefachieveddependsontherelativedistancestothedifferentflighttracksthatmightbeusedandhowoftenandwheneachflighttrackisactuallyused.Thepotentialbenefitsofschedulednoiserespitedependonthemagnitudesofthedifferencesinthephysicalacousticcharacteristicsofthenoiseandnumbersofoverflightsbetweentworespitescenarios.TheGroupacknowledgesthatthedeliveryofrespiteforonecommunitymayresultinanincreaseinnoiseforothers.Forresidentialareaswherealternatedflighttracksarerelativelyclosetogether,thedifferencesinsoundlevelsmightbesmallorevennegligible,andthereforetheremightbenobenefitfromofferingscheduledalternationtoprovidenoiserespite.However,forresidentialareaswherethedistancesbetweenalternatedflighttracksareconsiderable,thedifferencesinsoundlevelscouldalsobeconsiderableandprovidingscheduledrespitecouldthenbeveryworthwhile.

OperationaldesignThemainoperationalchallengesidentifiedarerelatedtotheprovisionofrespitewithinthecontextofPBNimplementation.TheuseofPBNhasledtothegreaterconcentrationofflighttracksovernarrowerpathsandanincreasednegativecommunityreaction.PBNwillbeimplementedworldwideandthisworkhasconfirmedtheneedtoconsidersupplementarystrategiestoprovideabreakfromthesemoreconcentratedoverflights(andhenceincreasednoiseexposure),andtoconsiderfairnessasaconcept.Thisworkhasalsoraisedtheissueofhowtodisperserouteswhileflighttracksaremoreconcentratedonindividualpathsandhasidentifiedariskofoverlapping“respiteareas”asoneofthemainobstaclesfordeliveringeffectiverespite.UKGovernmentPolicynowneedstoconsideritsimpliedpositiononsharedconcentrationforarrivalsanddepartures,asthiscouldimpacthowrespiteisimplemented,througheitherrotatingasmallnumberofroutesorspreadingaircraftoutoveralargernumberofroutes.ItisworthnotingthatSydney’sapproachwithtenoperationalmodesisamodelHeathrowisunlikelytoemulate.TheircomplexsystemreliesonthefactSydneyhasnointeractionswithanyothermajorairport.

Anystrategicplanshouldalso,atanearlystage,takeintoaccountthefollowingissues:

• Safety

• Airspacedesignandlimits


• Efficiencyandresiliencerequirements

• Aircraftcapabilitiesandavionics

• Considerationoftrackmiles,fuelburnandassociatedcost

• Aircrafttrafficcontrolandcontrollers’workloads

• Pilots’workloads

• Trade-offswithotherenvironmentalfactorsInaddition,thefollowingprincipleshavebeenidentifiedasthelikelyelementsofasuccessfulrespitestrategy.Anystrategyforachievingrespitewill:

• becontextualisedtothespecificairport(s)towhichitrefers,

• bevaluedbythecommunity,

• includeplanningandoperationalprinciples,

• includenon-acousticfactors,

• takeintoaccountthatalternatingroutescanbeasuitablecompromisebetweenbenefitsofefficiency,safetyandfairness,

• ensuretheroleoftheregulator/airportauthorityisopenandengaged,

• involvedifferentstakeholdersthroughoutthewholeprocess(planning,designandimplementation),withthecommunityandlocalresidentsbeingwellrepresented,

• strikeafairbalancebetweenconcentrationanddispersalofnoiseamongstthepopulationexposed,includinganynewpopulationaffectedasaresultofrespiteimplementation,and

• bedevelopedinatransparentway,buildingonothers’experiencetoavoid“reinventingthewheel”.

RoutedesignImplementationexampleshaveshownthatrespitehasbeenofferedthrougheitherrouteorrunwayrotation,orboth.Routedesignscanbeoptimisedbyconsideringoverflyingtheleastpopulatedareas,andpotentiallyadoptingdifferentproceduressuchascurvedapproaches.

Thereiscurrentlynosingleacousticmetricthatcanadequatelydescriberespite.

Thereviewworkhasshownthatonlyafewmetricshavebeenusedtoobjectivelydescriberespite.Frankfurt,BrisbaneandSydneyairportscurrentlyhavespecificindicatorsforquantifyingandassessingrespite.Simpleindicatorssuchasthepercentageofrunwayuse,thepercentageoftimeinwhichaflightpathisexpectedtobeoutofuseortheclockhoursapproachfromSydney,canbeusedasexamples.Theseappeartobesensibleastheyrelatetothespecificlocaloperationsanddefinitionsdescribedbytheindividualairportsinrelationtoprovidingrespite.Theyprovideaclearmeasurethatistransparenttothecommunity.However,althoughwehavemeasuresthatessentiallymonitorhowamanagementtoolhasbeenimplemented,andcouldbeassumedtoindicaterespite,thereisnovalidationofthelinkbetweenthesemeasuresandperceivedrespiteandhoweffectivethemanagementinterventionisinprovidingrespite.


Sinceitisnotclearwhatthecommunitydeemsaseffectiverespite,andthereforewhichparametersareusefulindescribingitskeyelements,itisnotpossibletochooseasuitablemetricthatisfitforpurposeatthistime.Itisimportanttoconsidersomefundamentalissuesfirst.

GeneralconsiderationsForwhatpurposeareobjectivemeasuresused?Inrelationtorespite,thepurposeofametricis:“toprovideaclear,transparentandmeaningfulphysicaldescriptionoftheenvironment,toshowtheactualdifferencebetweenrespiteoptionsandhowtheyaffectdifferentlocationsontheground”.Thisworkhasseenmetricspresentedintabularform,ascontoursonmaps,asgridvaluesorbypostcodepoints.Communitieswhoareinterestedinverylocaldatamayfindthatinformationatthepostcodelevelmaybeofgreatestuse.However,inconsideringoptionsaroundanentireairport,itislikelythatstrategicdecisionswillrequireacombinationofdifferentmetrics.Metricscaneitherbegeneraldescriptions(e.g.thenumberofoverflightsperhouretc.)oracousticallybased(relatedtoameasureofacousticenergy).Acousticmetricscanonlyeverdescribeanoiseenvironmentandnottheresponsetoit,sincecommunityresponsetonoiseiscomplicatedanddependsonmanyvariablesotherthanthephysicalsoundcharacteristics.Individual,economicandsocialfactorsareoftenmoreimportantthansoundlevelfordetermining“acceptability”.Giventheweakstatisticalcorrelationbetweenacousticmetricsandcommunityresponsethatexistsforageneralcase,therewillalwaysbelimitationstohowmuchanymetriccandeterminealevelofresponse.Theoverallaimofanacousticmetricforrespiteisnottomeasuretheoverallamountofnoisebutsimplytoimproveorsimplifythedescriptionoftheactualchangeinoperations(duetoimplementingarespitestrategy)asitaffectsdifferentlocationsontheground.Theuseofanymetricmustthereforebering-fencedanditslimitationsclearlyexplainedsothatitisnotusedoutofcontext.Frompreviousworkonmetrics(N.Porter,2014)metricshavebeenclassifiedasstandardandsupplementary,asshowninFigure4below.Metricsusedtoinformonrespiteareunlikelytobebasedonstandardtypessuchasaverageenergyvalues;theyaremorelikelytobeasupplementarytype,eventbasedandbymodeofoperation.GuidingprinciplesBasedontheexperienceandunderstandingthusfar,theGroupproposesanumberofguidingprinciplesfordefiningmetricstomeasurerespitefromaircraftnoise.Anymetricshould:

• befitforpurpose,

• reflectwhatisnoticedorvalued,

• bemeaningfultocommunities,

• beclearandtransparent,

• facilitatepolicymaking/strategicdecision-making,and

• reflectchange.


Figure4:Metrics

CandidatelistofmetricsTheGroupsuggeststhefollowingcandidatelistofobjectivemeasurestodescribethenoiseenvironmentintermsofofferingrespite.ThislistcouldbesupplementedbyanyofthemeasuresshowninFigure4:

• DROps.

• Numbersofdayswithintheperiodoftimeonwhentheflightpathislikelytoexperiencenoflights.

• Percentageofclockhourswhentherewerenooverflights.

• Numberabove(NA)differencesbypostcode.

• Percentageoftimeanareaisoverflown.

• Changesinflighttrackdensityorheightofoverflights.

• MedianQuietInterval(MQI).

• TimeAbove(TA).

Furtherworkisneededtodevelopaclearerunderstandingofwhichparametersareusefulindescribingrespiteinawaythatisvaluedbythecommunity.

Usingthecollatedmetricinformation,thesuitabilityofthelistofcandidatemeasurescanbetested.Wealsoneedtounderstandtherelativeimportanceofacousticandnon-acousticmetricsinevaluatingrespite,sothatwecanputtheusefulnessandlimitationsofanyacousticmetricintocontext.

Astrongandeffectivecommunicationstrategyandgoodcommunityengagementisessentialforthesuccessfulimplementationofrespite.

Fromthecasesanalysedtwoconclusionsweredrawn:multistakeholderengagementisfundamental,andmoreeffortsincommunicationareneeded.Itiskeytoengagewithallstakeholdersthroughoutallphasesoftherespitedesignandimplementation.


TheGroupdiscussedthatcommunicationshouldgobeyondtheprovisionofinformation.Itshouldbuildonpeople’sunderstandingofthelikelyimplicationsandassociatedtrade-offsresultingfromrespiteimplementation.TheGroupnotedthatcommunityreactiontoachangingflightpathwouldlikelybedifferentthanfortheopeningofanewrunway,andthereforedifferentapproachesincommunicationandengagementshouldbeundertaken,tailoredaccordingtotherespiteimplementationbeingconsidered.Arangeofprinciplescanbedrawnfromtheexperienceandlessonslearntfromthecasestudyairportsanalysed,specificallyinrelationtocommunicationandengagementwithlocalcommunities:

• Itiskeytoinvolvedifferentstakeholdersintherespitedesignprocessinatransparentandopenway,includingcommunity,industry,regulatorsandlocalauthorities.Whenonesinglepartydetermineschanges,trustfromtheotherpartiesmaybelost.Communityinvolvementhasbeenshowntobesuccessfulasitensureschangesarenotsolelymotivatedbyefficiency.

• Communicationstrategiesshouldaccountfordifferentcontextsandtherelativepositionofaffectedcommunities.

• Adirectapproachandtheuseofsimpleandunderstandablelanguageiscriticalinestablishingcommongroundbetweenpartiesandforenablingmeaningfuldialogue.

• Effectivecommunicationandengagementisneededbefore,duringandafterachangehappens.

• Itisimportanttopresentandexplainthecontextofanychanges.Oncethereisaclearerunderstandingofhowthecommunityvaluesrespite,researchcanthenfocusontheselectionofthemostsuitableengagementmethodforcross-sectorinvolvement,howtoidentifythekeyinformationtoshare,howbesttodescribeandpresentthatinformationandthemosteffectivecombinationsofmediatousetodisseminatetheinformation.

Thereiscurrentlyinsufficientinformationonthebenefitsofrespitetohealthandontheeconomicvalueoftheeffectsofrespite.

Theworkhasshownthatbenefitsofrespitetohealthandontheeconomicvalueoftheeffectsofrespiteisnotclear.Thereisclearlynoone-size-fits-allsolution–thereisaneedforfurtherresearch.


6 RESEARCHPRIORITIESRECOMMENDEDBYTHERESPITEWORKINGGROUP

DrawingonthelessonslearnedinSection5,theGroupidentifiedthreepriorityareaswheregreaterunderstandingisrequiredinordertoimplementeffectiverespitefromaircraftnoiseatHeathrow.ThesearesummarisedinFigure5below.Figure5:Summaryresearchpriorities:Keyareastounderstandtoimplementeffectiverespite

Priority1:WhatdoesHeathrow’slocalcommunityvalueaseffectiverespite?Centraltodevelopinganyimplementationstrategyondeliveringeffectiverespiteistofocusonwhatthecommunityvaluesaseffectiverespite.Priority2:HowcanrespitebedeliveredbyHeathrowthatisoperationallyfeasible,costeffectiveaswellasvaluedbythelocalcommunity?Asetofemergingprinciplesisrequired,basedonhowthecommunityvalueeffectiverespite.Theseneedtotakeintoaccountthespatialseparationofrespiteroutesandthetemporalvariationsthatneedtobeofferedtobeeffective,whilstconsideringtheoperationalconstraintsandcosts.

Priority3:Arethereanyobjectivemeasuresthatcandescribethenoiseenvironmentthathelpsreflectcommunityperception?ResearchwillconsidertheguidingprinciplesandthecandidatelistofmetricsagreedbytheGroupanddescribedaboveinsection5.4.


7 RESEARCHPROPOSAL

Basedontheresearchprioritiesidentifiedabove,theRWGhasdevelopedalistofactionsinordertoaddresstheprioritiesandmoveforwardwithresearch:1. Understandwhatthecommunityvaluesaseffectiverespiteasapriority,beforeanyotherworkis

undertaken.2. Clarifythedefinitionsfor:'aperiodoftime','break','reduction'intermsofcommunityperception.3. Determinehowfarroutesneedtobechangedtomakeaperceiveddifferenceandbeofpotential

benefitintermsofheightandposition,forarrivalsanddepartures.4. Understandmoreclearlywhichparametersareusefultodescriberespiteinawaythatisvaluedby

thecommunity.5. Testthelistofcandidatemeasuresafterfurtherresearchiscompleted.6. Identifytherelativeimportanceofacousticmetricsandnon-acousticmetrics.7. Withaclearerunderstandingofhowthecommunityvaluesrespite,conductfurtherresearch,

focussingon:

• Selectingthemostsuitableengagementprocesswithallstakeholders(community,industry,regulator,etc.)

• Identifyingthekeyinformationtoshare

• Describingandpresentingthatinformationinthemostsuitablewayforallparties

• Identifyingthemosteffectivecombinationsofmediatouse

• Selectingtheoptimumtemporalseparationsorpatternsrequired

TheGroupagreedthatprioritymustbegiventogainingabetterunderstandingofhowthecommunityvaluesrespite,beforeconsideringoperationalfeasibility,cost-effectivenessandthedevelopmentofmetrics.Thefollowingkeyobjectiveforresearchwasidentified:

Twophasesofresearchwereidentifiedinrelationtothiskeyobjective:Phase1:Todevelopasetofprinciplesforprovidingeffectiverespitefromaviationnoise.Phase2:Totestoutpracticalimplicationsforairspacedesignofemergingprinciplesfrom(1).Thesephasesaresummarisedbelow.

KEY RESEARCH OBJECTIVE TobetterunderstandthekeycharacteristicsofaneffectiverespitestrategyforHeathrowAirportanditslocalcommunities,consistentwithefficientoperations.


Phase1:TodevelopasetofprinciplesforprovidingeffectiverespitefromaviationnoiseatHeathrow

Thisobjectivecanbebrokendownintotwokeyquestionsthatneedtobeexplored:

Question1:Whatspatialvariationisrequiredtoroutestomakeaperceiveddifferenceandbeofpotentialbenefitintermsofheightandpositionforbotharrivalsanddepartures?Thefirstkeyquestioncouldbeinvestigatedthroughlaboratoryexperimentstoexplorethediscernibledifferences(asperceivedontheground)betweenthenoisecharacteristicsofflightoperationsreflectingarangeofheightandlateraldistancesfromthereceiver,andtoexploretheperceivedbenefitorimportanceofthesedifferenceswhenprovidingeffectiverespiteoptions.Itisenvisagedthatthelaboratorytestswouldrequireasoundsimulationpresentationsystemusingrangeofstimulitotakeintoaccountdifferencesinacousticfeaturesatdifferentheights,distancesandanglesfromlistenertoaircraftposition.Question2:Whataretheoptimumtemporalseparationsorpatternsrequiredinorderforthecommunitytovalueitaseffectiverespite?

Thiscouldbeinvestigatedthroughqualitativefieldworktoexplorethepreferencesfortemporaldistributionofoverflightsforofferingrespitefromaviationnoise,tobetterunderstandattitudinalsensitivitiestothesedifferenttemporaldistributions,andtoprovidepreliminarymonetaryvaluationofdifferentpossibleoptions.SincenoactualrespiteoptionsaretobeimplementedatHeathrowinthenearfuture,thisworkwouldhavetobebasedonhypotheticalchanges,buildingonmethodsdevelopedinpreviousresearchtobetterunderstandattitudinalsensitivitiesthroughqualitativeworkusingfocusgroups,indepthinterviewingtechniques,andStatedPreference(SP)techniques.

Phase2:TestpracticalimplicationsforairspacedesignoftheemergingprinciplesfromPhase1.

Onceanemergingsetofprincipleshasbeendeveloped,theycanbetestedtoestablishtheirpracticalimplicationsforexistingoperationsorfutureairspacedesign.Theexperimentaldesignofthisstagewillevolveandcouldincludecommunitysubjectiveresponseresearch,morefieldworkusingeitherresponsestohypotheticalchangesandoperationaltestingofoptionsthroughtrials.TheflowoftheproposedresearchissummarisedinFigure6below.

Figure6:Overallresearchflowsummary

Overall Objective To better understand the key characteristics of an effective respite strategy for

Heathrow Airport and its local communities, consistent with efficient operations………. But what is community valued respite?

Question 1 By how far do you need to

spatially change routes to make a perceived difference

Question 2 What are the optimal temporal

patterns required?

Stage 1

Development of a set of

principles for providing effective

respite to the community

from aviation noise

Laboratory Work Qualitative Fieldwork

To explore the discernible differences between noise characteristics of different

flight operations

To explore preferences for temporal distribution of overflights using focus

groups, in depth interviews and SP techniques

Stage 2

Testing of principles

Using the emerging set of principles from Stage 1, follow on work on practical implementation and assessment of

community engagement options


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• A.Gidlöf-Gunnarsson,E.Ö.(2007).Noiseandwell-beinginurbanresidentialenvironments:Thepotentialroleofperceivedavailabilitytonearbygreenareas.Landsc.UrbanPlann,83,115-126.

• A.Gidlöf-Gunnarssona,E.Ö.(2007).Noiseannoyanceandrestorationindifferentcourtyardsettings:Laboratoryexperimentsonaudio-visualinteractions.ProceedingsfromInternoise2007.28-31August,

Istanbul,Turkey.

• AirportWatch.(2015,May26).ChicagoO'Hareairportnewrunway&flightpathscreatinghugeoppositionbythosenowoverflown.Retrieved25June2015fromAirportWatchnews:http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2014/05/chicago-ohare-airport-new-runway-flightpaths-creating-huge-opposition-by-those-now-over-flown/

• AirportWatch.(2015,March3).InUStheFAA'snewairtrafficcontrolsystemNextGeniscausing

majornoisepollution.Retrieved4April2015fromAirportWatchnews:http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2015/03/25390/

• AirportsCommission.(2014).AppraisalFramework.London.

• AirservicesAustralia.(2014).BrisbaneAirport.Changestodepartureflightpaths.• AirservicesAustralia.(2015,June12).Perthnoiseimprovements2015.Retrieved25June2015fromAirservices.

• AirservicesAustralia.(2012).ReviewofBrisbaneAirport.NoiseAbatementProcedures.

• AirservicesAustralia.(2015).SydneyAirportOperationalStatisticsReportPreview.• BrisbaneAirport.(2014).Currentandfutureflightpathandnoiseinformationbooklet.BrisbaneAirportCorporation.

• Brooker,P.(2010).Aircraftnoiseannoyanceestimation:UKtime-patterneffects.ApplAcoustic,71(7),661-667.

• BSI.(2014).Codeofpracticefornoiseandvibrationcontrolonconstructionandopensites.Part1:Noise.BS5228-1:2009+A1:2014.TheBritishStandardsInstitutions.BSIStandardsLimited.

• C.Clark,S.S.(2007).Theeffectoftransportationnoiseonhealthandcognitivedevelopment:Areviewofrecentevidence.Int.JournalofCompararitivePsychology,20(2).

• C.M.Dennis,R.L.(2010).Benefitsofquiettimeforneuro-intensivecarepatients.JournalofNeuroscienceNursing,42(4),217-224.

• CAA.(2011).FutureAirspaceStrategy.Retrieved29May2015fromCivilAviationAuthority:http://www.caa.co.uk/FAS

• CAA.(2014).ManagingAviationNoise.CAA,London.

• CAA.(2014,0911).NoiseexposurecontoursaroundLondonairports.Retrieved25May2015fromGov.uk:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/noise-exposure-contours-around-london-airports

• ChicagoDepartmentofAviation.(2015).AirportNoiseManagementSystem.ChicagoO'Hare

InternationalAirport.

• CityofWestminister.(2010).WestminsterNoiseStrategy2010-2015.


• CNN.(2June2015).PhoenixsuesFAAover'extremediscomfort'fromairplanenoise.Retrieved25June2015fromCNNNews:http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/02/travel/phoenix-sues-faa-airplane-noise/

• DepartmentofEnvironmentandClimateChangeNSW.(2009).InterimConstructionNoiseGuidelines.TheDepartmentofEnvironmentandClimateChangeNSWandStateofNSW.Australia.

• DepartmentofInfraestructureandRegionalDevelopment.(2014,079).Chpater3-Respite-Monitoringandreportingbreaksfromaircraftnoise.Retrieved10January2015fromDepartmentofInfrastructureandRegionalDevelopment.AustralianGovernment:http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/environmental/transparent_noise/expanding/3.aspx

• DfT.(1979).ActionAgainstAircraftNoise.• DfT.(2013).AviationPolicyFramework-APF.SecretaryofStateforTransportUK.TheStationeryOfficeLimited.

• DfT.(2014).GuidancetotheCivilAviationAuthorityonEnvironmentalObjectivesRelatingtothe

ExerciseofitsAirNavigationFunctions.London.

• E.Öhrström,A.S.-G.(2006).Effectsofroadtrafficnoiseandthebenefitofaccesstoquietness.J.SoundVib.,295,40-59.

• EuropeanCommission.(2014,1020).SingleEuropeanSky-Transport.Retrieved29May2015fromEuropeanCommission:http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/single_european_sky/index_en.htm

• FederalAviationAdministration(FAA).(2015).Noiseresearch-Respite.Retrieved10January2015fromNoiseQuest:http://www.noisequest.psu.edu/research-metricsunderinvestigation.html

• Flindell,I.(2014).NoiseRespite.Whatdoesitmean?NotefortheRWG.9October2014.

• Flindell,I.(2015).NoiseRespite:Whatdoesitmean?DocumentfortheRWG.

• ForestGlenCommunityClub.(2013,January28).LettertotheFAA.Re:FGCC'soppositiontoincreasedairtrafficoverForestGlen.

• G.Garner,C.C.(2009).Creatingatherapeuticenvironment:anon-randomisedcontrolledtrialofaquiettimeinterventionforpatientsinacutecare.Int.JNursStud.,46(6),778-86.

• GatwickAirport.(2013).NightNoise(Arrivals)Respitetrials.GATCOMBriefing18/04/13.

• Gelderblom,F.,Gjestland,T.,Gramdoein,I.,&Taraldsen,G.(2014).Theimpactofcivilversusmilitaryaircraftnoiseonnoiseannoyance.ProceedingsfromInternoise2014,16-19November.Melbourne.

• Godfrey,V.(1997).Proofofevidence.ThevitalimportanceofrunwayalternationatHeathrow.HACAN.

• HACAN.(2015,08).HACANLatestNews.Retrieved7September2015fromHACAN:http://hacan.org.uk/latest-news-2/

• HeathrowAirport.(2014).ResponsibleHeathrowPerformanceSummary2014.

• HeathrowAirport.(2014).DOKENtrial.ReportAnalysis.(InternalDocument).

• HMMH.(2014,October17).CasestudiesofPBNImplementationintheUS.Memorandumfrom

HMMHtoAndersonAcoustics.

• I.Flindell,P.L.(2014).TechnicalNote.NoiseRespiteWorkingGroup.Understandingthevalueofnoise

respite.SYSTRALtd.,Woking,Surrey.

• J.Lambert,P.C.(2015).Humanresponsetosimulatedairportnoisescenariosinhome-likeenvironments.AppliedAcoustics,90,116-125.

• N.Porter,A.K.(2014).Thenextgenerationofsupplementaryaviationnoisemetricsandtheiruseinmanagingaviationnoise.Proceedingsfrom43rdInternationalCongressonNoiseControlEngineering,

November16-19,2014.Melbourne.Melbourne.


• P.LeMasurier,P.H.(2014).DOKENTrials.ImpactofPreciseNavigationFlight-PathsonOverflown

Residents.FinalReport.SYSTRA.

• PeterLaw.(2015,March9).Pertharicraftnoisetobeshiftetfurthersouthaftercomplaints.PerthNow.

• PhoenixInternationalAirport.(2015).FAAFlightPathChanges.RetrievedMay29,2015fromPHXSkyHarbour.InternationalAirport.:https://skyharbor.com/flightpaths/

• Rhodes,D.(2015).Effectofaltituteonlateraldispersionofnoise.NotepresentedtoRWG.

• S.Stansfeld,S.H.(2010).Nighttimeaircraftnoiseexposureandchildren'scognitiveperformance.Noise&Health,12(49),255-262.

• Schulte-Fortkamp,B.(2002).TheMeaningofAnnoyanceinRelationtotheQualityofAcousticEnvironments.NoiseHealth,4,13-18.

• Southgate,D.(2000).Rethinkingourapproachtoaircraftnoiseinformation-GoingbeyondtheANEF.AcousticsAustralia,28(1).

• Stewart,J.(2015).Respite:howtomakeitunderstandable.HACAN.

• Stewart.,J.(2013,129).RealRespitecanbeaReality.HACANClearskiesBlog.• SydneyAirport.(2014).MasterPlan2033.14.0NoiseManagement.

• T.Kihlman.(2001).Quietsideandhighfaçadeinsulation–meanstosolvethecitynoiseproblem.ProceedingsfromInternoise2001,Masastricht,TheNetherlands..

• TheCityofLondon.(2010).TheQuietCityProjectSocialSurveyReport.AssessinggeneralattitudestonoiseandtranquillityinCityofLondon.AppendixB:Generalattitudessurveureports.CityofLondonDepartmentofEnvironmentalServices.

• URS/ScottWilson.(2011).TheEconomicValueofQuietAreasFinalReport.ReportcommissionbyDEFRA.London:URS/ScottWilson.

• USAToday.(2015,June2).Travel.RetrievedJune25,2015fromhttp://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/06/01/phoenix-sues-faa-over-flight-path-changes/28329559/


APPENDIX1:HEATHROWRESPITEWORKINGGROUPTERMSOFREFERENCE

PurposeToprovideadvicetoHeathrowNoiseForumonthemanagementofaircraftnoiserespite.ObjectivesTheHeathrowRespiteWorkingGroupwill:

• Understandandagreeformaldefinition/sofrespite;

• Investigatecurrentpracticeinthemanagementofrespite;

• Identifyindicatorsforthemanagementofrespiteincludingmeasuresofsuccess;

• Identifyanygaps/knowledgeforthemanagementofrespite;

• Considerhowtodifferentiaterespitefromnoisesharing;

• Understandpredictabilityissues;

• ReviewthefindingsofthecommunityattitudinalsurveysandcomplaintsdatabaseaccompanyingthecurrentdeparturetrialsatHeathrowinordertobetterunderstandvariationsincommunityexpectationstorespite.

• EstablishacommonlevelofunderstandingbetweendifferentstakeholdersofthescopeandopportunitiestoimplementrespiteaspartofnoisemanagementprogrammesatHeathrow.

• ProposeactionstoHeathrowNoiseForum.PrinciplesMembersareexpectedtoabidebytheprinciplesoftheHeathrowNoiseForum.Membership


NicolePorter(Chair) AndersonAcoustics

DianaSanchez(Secretariat) AndersonAcoustics

CptDeanPlumb BritishAirways

DrDarrenRhodes CivilAviationAuthority,UK

TimMay DepartmentforTransport

JohnStewart HACAN

BrendanCreavin HeathrowAirport

RickNorman HeathrowAirport

RachelThomas HeathrowAirport

RobGibson HounslowBoroughCouncil



DrIanFlindell IanFlindellAssociates

GerryO’Connell IATA

CarrieHarris NATSEnvironment

ThememberswillbeinvitedbyHeathrowAirportLtd,indiscussionwiththeHeathrowNoiseForumasawhole.Themaximumnumberofmemberswillnotexceed15.TheWorkingGroupwilloperateforaperiodofuptosixmonthsfromthedateofthefirstmeeting,whereuponitsongoingworkprogrammewillbereviewedbytheHeathrowNoiseForum.AndersonAcousticsaretoprovideChairandSecretariat.MeetingsMeetingswillbeheldsixtimesandmembersareexpectedtoattendallofthemeetings.Whereamemberdoesnotattendtwoconsecutivemeetings,Heathrowreservestherighttoinviteanalternativemembertorepresenttheinterestsoftherelevantstakeholdergroup.TheWorkingGroupwillbequoratewith10members,oneofwhomshallbetheChairorhis/hernominee.MeetingswillgenerallybeheldatHeathrowAirportLimited’soffices,thoughmayonoccasionbeheldinotherlocationswhererelevanttotheGroup’swork.Anypaperswillbecirculatedatleastthreeworkingdaysbeforethemeeting.OutputsTheWorkingGroupwillagreeaworkplanandregularlyreviewprogressagainstthis.AftereachmeetingoftheWorkingGroup,anupdatewillbeprovidedbytheChairtoHeathrowNoiseForum.Aformalreportofprogressagainsttheworkplanwillbeprovidedonaquarterlybasis.Allmaterialspublishedwillbefreelyavailablewiththeexceptionofanyspecificmaterialclearlyidentifiedasconfidentialduringameetingorinanycorrespondence.InteractionwithOtherGroupsTheHeathrowRespiteWorkingGroupwillinteractwithothergroupswhererequestedtodosobytheHeathrowNoiseForum.AmendmentstotheTermsofReferenceTheTermsofReferencemaybeamendedafterconsultationandagreementbymembersoftheWorkingGroup.


APPENDIX2:LISTOFAIRPORTSANDSOURCESOFINFORMATIONFORREVIEWWORK

Airport Mainsourceofinformation

Europe

Brussels Directcontactwithairportandwithcommunitygroups

Frankfurt Directcontactwithairport

GatwickNighttimetrials

NightNoiseArrivalsRespiteTrialsReport(GatwickAirport,2013)

Heathrowa.DOKENTrialb.RunwayAlternationc.Proposalfor3rdRunwaytoAirportsCommission.

− HeathrowDOKENTrialsFinalReport(HeathrowAirport,2014)− SYSTRADOKENTrialsReport.(P.LeMasurier,2014)− HeathrowWebpageanddirectcontactwiththeAirport− EvidencesubmittedtoAirportsCommission

Schiphol Directcontactwithairport

StockholmArlanda DirectcontactwithSwedavia

StockholmBromma DirectcontactwithSwedavia

GothenburgCity DirectcontactwithSwedavia

Vienna Directcontactwithairport

US

BostonLoganInt. CasestudiesofPBNimplementationintheUS(HMMH,2014).

ChicagoO’Hare Onlinesearch:FAA,ChicagoO’Hareandmedia:(ForestGlenCommunityClub,2013)(ChicagoDepartmentofAviation,2015)(AirportWatch,2015)

DenverInt. CasestudiesofPBNimplementationintheUS(HMMH,2014).

PhoenixSkyHarbourInt. OnlinesearchatPhoenixAirportandmedia.(CNN,2105)(PhoenixInternationalAirport,2015)(AirportWatch,2015)

Seattle-TacomaInt. CasestudiesofPBNimplementationintheUS(HMMH,2014).

Australia

Brisbane BrisbaneAirportNoiseBooklet.(BrisbaneAirport,2014)AirServicesAustralia(AirservicesAustralia,2014)

Perth AirservicesAustralia.(AirservicesAustralia,2015)(PeterLaw,2015)

Sydney Directcontactwithairport


APPENDIX3:TABLEOFDEFINITIONSOFRESPITEUSEDBYDIFFERENTSTAKEHOLDERS

Stakeholder Organisation Definitionusedorinferred

Regulatorandgovernmentperspective

UKDepartmentforTransport(DfT)

TheDfTrecogniserespiteasakeymitigationmeasuretosharenoise,whichhasbeenvaluedbythecommunities.

TheBookletAgainstAircraftNoisepublishedin1979makesreferencetorunwayalternationasasystemthatprovidesafairsharingofperiodsofrelativequietamongthecommunitiesaffectedbyaircraftnoise.Thesamebooklethighlightsthatthesystemhasbeenregardedasthemosteffectiveofcurrentnoiseabatementmeasuresoftheairport(DfT,1979).

IntherecentlypublishedGuidancetotheCAAonenvironmentalobjectivesrelatingtoairnavigation,theDfTsupportstheuseofrespiteasaninnovativetechniquetomitigateaircraftnoiseamongcommunitiesalreadysignificantlyaffectedbyaircraftnoise.DfTgavespecialattentiontothosepopulationswherethefrequencyofmovementshasincreasedovertime.Theprovisionofrespiteisofmajorimportanceinthecontextofairspacechanges(DfT,2014)

UKAviationPolicyFramework(APF)

TheAPFconsidersrespiteasameansofmitigatingtheimpactofaircraftnoise.Itreinforcestheimportanceofexploringoptionsforrespitewhichallowsnoisetobesharedbetweencommunitiesonanequitablebasis,providedthisdoesnotleadtosignificantnumbersofpeoplenewlyaffectedbynoise.Thusitdoesnotdefinewhatneworsignificantlymeans.Also,ithighlightsthatregardlessofthepreferredoptionfordeliveringrespite;thoseresponsibleforplanninghowairspaceisusedshouldensurethatpredictabilityisaffordedtolocalcommunities,totheextentthatthisiswithintheircontrol(DfT,2013).

CivilAviationAuthority,UK(CAA)

Respiteisconsideredasaoneoftheobjectivesthatguidesoneofthefourtypesoftheoperationalmeasurestolimitnoise(basedonICAOBalancedApproach)(CAA,2014).

FederalAviationAdministrationandTransportCanada

Respiteingeneraldependsonthenatureandfrequencyoftheaircraftoperations.Respiteisreferredtoasrelieffromaircrafteventsforaperiodoftime.However,theywarnthatitshouldbelocallydefinedtofittheneedsofanycommunityorstudyarea.Examplesofpossibledefinitionsare“thetotalrelieffromanyaircrafteventforanhour,amorning,oranearlyevening”or“therelieffromaircrafteventsthatwouldotherwiseinterferewithoutdooractivities”(FederalAviationAdministration,2015).

Communityperspective

HACAN AccordingtoJohnStewart,chairofHACAN,respiteorreliefisrelatedwiththeprovisionpredictableperiodsofrelieforbreaksfromthenoiseoftheplanesatHeathrow.Theseareperiodsduringthedayorweekwhentherewillbenoplanesoverhead.(Stewart,2015)

AccordingtoVirginiaGodfrey,anotherHACANrepresentative,respiteisrelatedwithpredictableperiodsofreliefallowingtheburdenofaircraftnoisetobesharedamongpopulationexposed.Shegoesastepfurtherandproposesawayofquantifyingrespite;inherownview,alternationisameanstoproviderespiteandshouldbedescribedasHalfDayNoiseRelief.(Godfrey,1997)



MessagesfrompeoplecomplainingatHeathrowduetoaircraftnoise

SomeofthecomplaintssubmittedtoHeathrowAirportmentionedrespiteandtheimportanceofafairdistributionofnoiseaskeyissue.Forexample,

• “Expectaircraftnoise,butconstantnoisewithoutrespiteisnotacceptableorreasonable”

• “Newtrialsareunfair.Othersshouldsharetheburden”

• “Thenoiselevelisunchanged,butthefrequencyhasincreasedwithnoletup”

Airportsperspective

Brussels Noestablisheddefinition

Frankfurt ThenoisemanagementatFrankfurtincludestheprovisionofrespiteperiodsthroughtheuseofrunwaysandroutesoptions,whichvarybetweenoddandevendays.Inthissense,respiteisdescribedasscheduledandpredictablenoisebreaksforheavilypopulatedareasonspecificdays.

Gatwick Implieddefinition:approachsuggeststhatrespiteisconsideredasscheduledandwithpredictablenoisebreaks.

Heathrow Forcurrentoperations,includingrunwayalternationandDOKENtrialstherewasnoobjectivedefinition.

FortheAirportsCommissionrespitewasdefinedbyoverflight,usingacorridor1KmwidecentredontheSIDcentreline,upto20milesfromtheAirport.Respitewasdefinedbypercentageoftimeoverflowntakingintoaccountthedifferentmodesofrunwayoperations.

Schiphol Nodefinitionusedorimplied.

Arlanda,Bromma&Gothenburg)

Donotdirectlyrefertorespite,howeverhaveoperationalmeasuresaimedtoprovideakindofreliefforsomecommunities

Vienna Implieddefinition:predictableandspecificperiodsofreliefforpopulatedareasfromnight-timeaircraftnoiseandmovements.

BostonInternational*

Noestablisheddefinition

ChicagoO’Hare* Noestablisheddefinition

DenverInternational*


Phoenix* Noestablisheddefinition

Seattle–Tacoma*


Brisbane Nofirmdefinitionprovided,theircloseststatedprincipleis“Principle3:Noiseexposureshouldbefairlysharedwherepossible”.Agovernmentreportaboutfutureoperationsattheairportstatesrespiteasakeynoiseconcern,particularlyatnightandweekends.



Perth Noactualdefinitiongiven,itisimpliedthatitisareductioninflightsoveranareabyprovidingalternateroutesforaircraft.Noiselevelseemstobethemeasure,notasingularlytimebasedmeasurelikeSydney.

Sydney Respitecanbedefinedasacontinuedcontinuousperiodoftime(clockhours)whentherearenomovementsonaparticularflightpath.Forexampleiftherewerenomovementsonaparticularflightpathduring50clockhoursina100clockhourperiodthenitwouldbereportedas‘RespiteHours50%’.

Academicsperspective

Independentresearcher(IanFlindell)

“…Residentsreceiverelieffromaircraftnoisewhenaircraftarenotflyingoverhead.Whennoisereliefoccursaccordingtoapre-arrangedschedule,thisisdefinedasnoiserespite...…”.(Flindell,NoiseRespite:Whatdoesitmean?,2015)


APPENDIX4:SUMMARYOFOPERATIONALINFORMATIONACROSSAIRPORTS

Airport OperationalinformationAlternationof

Newcommunities

Route Runway

Brussels Since,thereisnoagreementonalong-termaviationplanningpolicy,whichdeterminesconsistentflightpathsandroutes,itisnotcurrentlypossibletoplanandprovidepredictablerespitetocommunities.TheissueofflightpathsatBrusselshasmovedupanddowntheBelgianpoliticalagendaoverthepastcoupleofdecades.Flightpathsareconstantlychanging.Mostrecentlyinearly2014,therewasare-routingofflightpathsoverthecitytoeasepressureontheFlanderscommunities.

Insert1:Brusselsflightpathchanges

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Frankfurt Theairportprovidesperiodsofrelieftoheavilypopulatedareasthroughthe“DedicatedRunwaysOperations”process.Thisiscurrentlyusedfordeparturesroutesintheearlymornings.Runwaysandroutesvarybetweenoddandevendays.Thishasallowedforascheduleddesignfornoiserespite.Forthefuture,itisexpectedthatcurvedapproachestocreatenoisereliefatpeaktimesfordenselypopulatedareaswillbeintroduced.

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Gatwick(Nighttimerespitetrial)

Atrialtotesttheprovisionofrespitefromnight-timearrivalnoisewasconductedduringsummer2013.Flightpathswererotatedtoremoveoverflightsfromarrivals(below6,000feet)frompre-agreednoiseimpactedareas(mostdenselypopulated),onapre-determineddate/timebasis.

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Newcommunities

Route Runway

HeathrowDOKENTrial

AtrialtotesttheuseofPBNtoprovidepredictablerespitetocommunitiessitedbeneathWesterlydeparturesflightswasundertakenduring2014.Flightpatternswerechangedresultinginmovingfromasharingofnoisewithgeneraldispersionabove4,000feetpre-trialtoapatternofsharedconcentrationofnoisealongthenewroutes.Tworotationpatternswereconsistentlyappliedthroughthetrial.Asaresult,respitewasprovidedprincipallythroughrunwayalternation.

Insert2:Tracksofalldepartingaircraftfrom27Land27RbeforethetrialwiththoseflyingtheconventionalMidhurstrouteshownin

green.

Insert3:Tracksofdepartingaircraftfrom27Land27RduringthetrialwiththoseflyingonDOK1A1B1Cand1Dshownindifferentcolours.

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Newcommunities

Route Runway

HeathrowRunwayalternation

Heathrowhasestablishedarunwayalternationmechanismtosharethenoiseburdenandtogivecommunitiesperiodsofrelieffromaircraftnoisewhentheairportisonwesterlyoperations.Thisrunsinatwo-weekcyclegivingresidentslivingunderflightpathspredictablerelieffromthenoiseforhalftheday.AnannualscheduledispublishedonHeathrow’swebpage.

• Day-timerunwayalternation:followsadailycycleandfortnightlycycle.Inthemorningsonerunwayisusedfortakeoffsandtheotherforlandings.At15:00theyswapover.Thispatterniscontinuedfortherestoftheweek,andswitchcompletelyinthefollowingone.

• Night-timerunwayrotation:sincethereareveryfewmovementsatnight,therearefouroptionstooperatealternationonafourweeklycycle.

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SchipholAmsterdam

Anewdepartureflightpathwasimplementedinordertodistributenoiseawayfrommoredenselypopulatedareas.Respiteisprovidedbyalternatinguseofrunwayaccordingtopre-determinednoiselimitssetat35locationsaroundtheairport.

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SwedenAirportsArlanda,Bromma&Gothenburg

Althoughthereisnospecificrespiteprogrammeorinitiative,thethreeSwedishairportshaveinplaceoperationalmeasuresthatpotentiallycanprovideakindofrelieftosomeoftheircommunities,followingconditionsstatedintheEnvironmentalPermit.Forinstance,Arlandahasimplementedcurvedapproachestoreducenoiseoverthepopulationsouthoftheairport.BrommainStockholmisclosedatnightandtherearesuggestionsforusingflightalternationatGothenburgAirport.

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Vienna TheAirporthasspecificregulationsforalternatingandusingrunwaysfornight-timeperiods.TheseregulationsareaimedatprovidingreliefovertheareasouthofVienna.Itincludesasinglerunwayuse,preferentialrunwayuseandamovementcap(between2330-0530).

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BostonLoganInt.*

EightAreasNavigation(RNAV)procedureswereimplementedtoavoidloweroverflightsfromdeparturesabovepopulatedareas,bydeviatingaircraftoverthesea.Also,threeadditionalStandardArrivalsRoute(STARs)wereimplemented,concentratingarrivalsroutesoveronecorridor.ItcanbeinferredthatPBNprovidedachangeinpatternofexposure,leadingtoachangeinnoiseexposureforsomespecificcommunities.However,itisnotclearifanytypeofrespiteorreliefwasprovided.Duetorunwayconfiguration,therewasariskofoverlappingexposureareaswhichmaylimittheareasreceivingpotentialrelief.

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Newcommunities

Route Runway

ChicagoO’Hare*

Flightpathswerechangedtoimprovesafetyandreduceriskofcollisions.PBNwasusedtoimplementnewflightpaths,whichconcentratednoiseoveronecorridoratnight.Thisgeneratedmoreandconstantnoiseforsuburbsimmediatelywestandsouthwestoftheairport,leadingtoasignificantincreaseinthenumberofcomplaints.Communitieswereopposedtothesenewflightpaths,duetothelackofrelieffromaircraftnoise.

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DenverInt.*

NewRNAVSTAR(17)andRNAVStandardInstrumentDepartureRoute(SIDs)(16)wereintroducedtoimprovetheefficiencyofDenver’sairspace.Theroutesweredesignedtominimisenoiseimpactsandnoise-relatedpenalties.AniterationoftheproposedRNAVSIDs,suggestedthatakindofreliefmightbeprovidedtocommunitiesoverflownbydepartingaircraft.Theimplementationprocessinvolvedawidergroupofstakeholdersfollowingafour-year(2010-2014)design,analysis,andenvironmentalassessmentperiod.ThishasbeenrecognisedasanexemplaryimplementationofNextGenprocedures.Insert4:ComparisonofflighttrackdensitiesondeparturesafteradoptionofPBN

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Newcommunities

Route Runway

PhoenixSkyHarbourInt.*

OnSep2014PBNwasimplementedinordertoincreaseefficiencyandsafetyonroutes.FlightpathstoandfromtheAirportwerechanged,concentratingmovementsoveracorridorabovehistoricresidentialneighbourhoods.Aircraftbegantheirnorthboundturnsatacloserpointtotheairportthanundertheoldflightpath.Duetothehugeamountofcomplaints,FAAisexpectedtoreleaseanupdateonthechanges.

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Seattle-TacomaInt.*

NewRNAVproceduresweredefinedforarrivals,maximisingflightsoveralessdensepopulatedareanorthoftheairportwhileavoidingchangestotheeastwherepopulationdensitiesandthelikelihoodofcontroversyweremuchhigher.TwonewSTARswereapproved,including21newRNPandRNP-to-ILSproceduresthatprovidedprecisioncurvedapproachpaths.OptimizedProfileDescents(OPDs)werealsoimplemented,allowingaircrafttostartidle-descentsat38,000ft.However,theriskofoverlappingroutes(whilealternatingflightpaths)reducestheprobabilityofdeliveringrespitetocommunitiesoverflown,inparticularforthoseunderthefinalapproach.

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Brisbane Respiteisprovidedundercurrentoperationsbyrunwayandflightpathalternationsystem.Thereare6operationalmodes,includingreciprocalrunway,whichprovidesthehighestrateofrespitebutisdependentonweatherconditions.Asmarttrackingsystemisbeingproposedtoincreasetheoptionsforrespite,allowingtheuseofflightpathsandnoise-sharingproceduresthatwouldnormallyonlybepossibleinhigh-visibility,daytimeconditions.

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Perth Atrialwasimplementedtoreduceflightsoveradenselyresidentialarea(Roleystone)byalternatingroutes.Itwasanticipatedthatthismeasurewouldproviderelieffor4,000peoplebyreducingthegroundnoiseleveltowellbelow50dBA,butwouldincreasenoisefor250people.

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Sydney Anoisesharingapproachwasdesignedtoremoveconcentrationofnoiseoverthesuburbstothenorthoftheairport.Thisplanwasbasedupon10operationalmodesthatarealternatedthroughouttheday.Noisesharingtargetshavebeenputinplacei.e.theamountofaircraftmovementstothenorth,south,eastandwestoftheairport.

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Note:Airportsmarkedwithan*arepartfromNextGenprogrammetomodernisetheUSairspacethroughPBNimplementation(NextGenissimilartotheEuropeanSESprogramme)

Heathrow Airport Ltd December 2015 A review on the state of the art on respite 2694_FinalReport_2-0_June 2016.docx of 59

APPENDIX5:GRAPHICSOFRESPITEMETRICSUSEDATDIFFERENTAIRPORTS

BrisbaneAirport.Illustrationofatypicalsummerweekdayflightpathinformationin2020,includingrespite.Source:(AirservicesAustralia,2014)


SydneyAirport:JetAircraftRespite.1June2014to31May2015.

Source:(AirservicesAustralia,2015).

Notes:▪ TrackA*istracksBandCcombined.TrackK*showsdepartures(topbox)andarrivals(bottombox)▪ Arespiteintervalisa60minutesperiodwhentherearenotjetmovements.Morning:0600to0700,Day0700to2000,Eve

2000-2300,Night2300-0600,totalrespite0600to23000.Alljetsincluded.


HeathrowAirport–DOKENtrial.ExampleofRespiteinformationthroughroutespecificN65values(seeDOKENreport:Wheretheareasofthecontoursdonotoverlapthisprovidesanindicationofareaswheretheremaybepotentialforrespiteperiodstobenoticed)


HeathrowAirport–3Rproposalforairspacedesign

(seeTechnicalAnnexofHeathrow’s3RNorthWestRunwayAirandGroundNoiseAssessmentReport)

Notefromthatreportthat:•Apropertyisconsideredtobeoverflownifitiswithintheareacontainedbya1kmcorridorofanarrivalordeparturerouteinaspecificmodewithinarangeof15nmioftheairport.

•Ifapropertyisoverflown(i.e.itiswithinamoderoutecorridor),itdoesnotreceiverespiteduringthatmode;•Itisassumedthatthemodesineachdirectionareoperatedevenlyacrossadefinedperiod.Asthemodesarerotatedthenumberofmodeswhereapropertyiswithintheareaofaroutearecounted,theseareperiodswhenrespiteisnotprovided;

•Whenapropertyisnotwithinamoderoutecorridor,thepropertyreceivesrespiteduringthatmode;•Noconsiderationisgiventothenumberofaircraftorfrequencyofflightsduringamode(i.e.itcouldbe1flightor100flights).

Followingonfromidentificationofthedegreeofrespiteprovidedwhenthemodesarerotatedandthelikelyproportionofeasterlyandwesterlyoperations,itisthenpossibletoidentifytheapproximatenumberofdaysthatanareamaybeoverflowninayear.

respite working group reporthacan.org.uk/.../06/2694_finalreport_2-0_june-2016.pdf ·...

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