Editorial: Noisy skies not so friendly

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005 | 7:18 a.m.

Residents in some parts of the Las Vegas Valley are losing sleep at night over the increasing number of airplanes taking off and landing at McCarran International Airport.

Those who live near the airport or along one of its flight paths have said the seemingly constant rumble of aircraft flying overhead wakes them in the morning's wee hours, makes it difficult to hear their television programs and even rattles the windows of their homes.

They want the noise to stop -- as do officials from McCarran, Clark County and the Federal Aviation Administration. However, a noise the government also dreads is coming from residents who have found themselves living smack-dab in the middle of one of growth's ongoing dilemmas: Life just isn't what it used to be in their neighborhoods.

At an open house last week addressing McCarran noise and possible solutions, residents discovered they are being roused at 3 a.m. by smaller, noisy airplanes because that is the only time McCarran's runways are clear enough for pilots updating their skills to practice takeoffs.

Residents also learned that the 65 decibels considered "significant" by the FAA is roughly the level of noise for a busy city street, and that of a jet taking off is in the neighborhood of 140 decibels. Officials showed maps depicting which neighborhoods are likely to be affected by more noise as airport traffic increases.

Clark County Aviation Department officials said they and the FAA hope to protect hospitals, homes, schools, nursing homes and churches from noise reaching 75 decibels or higher. They are exploring options, such as buying out property owners in those areas and placing sound-proofing measures along flight paths. The Clark County Commission is to vote on a noise-reduction plan in June.

Such a plan can't come too soon. Living under the constant roar of jets can be maddening. But residents hoping for a permanent solution may have to be patient.

McCarran, like the rest of the valley, hasn't finished growing. And the only mitigation plan that is truly permanent is for growth to stop. Barring that unlikely scenario, we all are learning to live with a little less room and a lot more noise.