Las Vegas Sun

November 16, 2009

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Letter: For now, we’re stuck with air traffic noise

Monday, April 9, 2007 | 7:33 a.m.

Easy fix to noise from air traffic? I don't think so.

A letter writer in Thursday's Las Vegas Sun suggested that aircraft be sent directly west to the mountains before turning. Can't be done. The climb rate for most aircraft is too steep to clear the mountains.

There are occasions when aircraft do proceed west to the mountains before turning, but this can be done only when pilots request a waiver for the climb rate. Even then, it can be done only when weather is such that pilots can see the mountains.

I can think of only two ways to solve aircraft noise problems. One, isolate airports to areas with zero population, or, two, attack aircraft noise at the source, the engines. Solution two has, and is still, being worked on by the aviation industry. Aircraft engines are considerably quieter than they were in the early 1960s, when commercial jets began operation.

Unfortunately, the only way to prevent further aircraft noise problems in the Las Vegas Valley is to stop growth. Even Thursday's writer was against that.

James T. Turner, Boulder City

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