(Click on the image above for Lori Aratani's Washington Post Report)
The first Federal Aviation Administration noise survey in nearly 30 years found more people are bothered by aircraft noise than before, even as planes have gotten quieter.
According to the FAA’s Neighborhood Environmental Survey [447 pages], nearly two-thirds of people reported being “highly annoyed” by aircraft noise — about five times higher than the 12.4 percent who reported the same level of annoyance during a 1992 review. Those surveyed considered noise from aircraft far more annoying than that from other sources, including cars, trucks and their neighbors.
The FAA is inviting the public to comment on its findings through April 14. More than 2,300 comments have been submitted.