MCQSC Archives
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2026
2025
The Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition is very pleased to announce and welcome its new Board of Directors:
President: Gerri Grove
Treasurer: Bob Canter
Secretary: Donna Berry
Vice President: Mitchell Strauss
Member: David Kosterlitz
The FAA is proposing a new rule on how drones will operate in communities across the U.S., which eventually means more low-altitude overflights affecting all of us. The proposal would allow drones to fly “Beyond Visual Line of Sight” (BVLOS), meaning operators could fly them long distances where they can’t be seen directly. This raises safety risks, relies on outdated noise metrics, and leaves out meaningful community input.
This email provides easy steps for an important action that we'd like all of our MCQSC members to take immediately.
Comments are due within the next 4 days to the FAA on a new internal rule they have published which would allow the FAA to significantly reduce its engagement with communities about noise issues.
THIS IS IMPORTANT.
THIS WILL ONLY TAKE 2-5 MINUTES.
Please follow the instructions below, courtesy of our partner organization, the Aviation Impacted Communities Alliance.
2025 NEW YEAR’S UPDATE: Status of aircraft noise impacting MoCo communities
DCA approach procedures (in southflow)
DCA departure procedures (in northflow)
Nighttime noise
Northflow/Southflow ratio
Overview
2024
For anyone directly impacted by aviation noise, it comes as no surprise that noise is a public health hazard.
Today we learned that the flight track variability we have been experiencing since July 11th is – surprise! – not a result of the new GPS approach procedure as we had thought. The new GPS approach procedure was published on July 11th, but we learned today that the FAA is not yet using it. Based on the flight track variability we observed on Webtrak, we had every reason to believe that they were, but....
The new approach procedures at DCA have been in effect for about 10 days, so we thought this would be a good time to check in with everyone about what we are seeing so far and what to expect going forward.
Hopeful news! The FAA is still scheduled to publish a new Runway 19 GPS approach procedure for DCA this Thursday, July 11, 2024
Airplane Noise May Be Bad for Your Health
Researchers find that exposure to aircraft noise is tied to a higher body mass index, which can increase risk of heart attack and stroke.
In the last week, the Senate released its version of the FAA Reauthorization.
The Senate version would add 5 more slots at DCA.
This translates to 10 more long-haul airplanes overhead every day: 1 arrival and 1 departure for each new slot.
The 2024 Aviation Noise and Emissions Symposium presentations are all available now on the ANE website. I particularly recommend the presentation by Marie-Jo Fremont under the "Innovative Strategies for Quantifying and Communicating Aviation Noise Impacts" session.
We hate to share bad news, but it appears that the date for changes to approach procedures into DCA from the north has slipped from May 16th to July 11th. We were not officially notified of the change by the FAA nor given any explanation, but the date of publication has changed on the FAA website that tracks these things, the IFP Gateway, and it was brought to our attention by our consultant, Jim Allerdice. If you were counting the weeks (like we were), add 8 more weeks to your counting - and let's all hope that it doesn't slip again.
Hello and New Year’s greetings from the Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition!
The new year is an opportunity to reflect on what we learned and accomplished in 2023 as we continue to seek solutions to excessive and repetitive aircraft noise in our communities.
2023
THE FAA’s NOISE POLICY REVIEW COMMENT PERIOD IS CLOSED. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who sent in comments!
The FAA recently informed the DCA Community Working Group that the proposed changes to approach procedures from the north at DCA, designed to mitigate noise, have passed one level of internal FAA review (finding of “no significant impact”) and have moved to the next level of review (review by the Performance Based Navigation group).
Complaints about airplane noise rise at Reagan National, Dulles
A rebound in air traffic has meant more flights and more noise complaints at the two airports near Washington
THE EFFORT TO ADD MORE FLIGHTS AT DCA FAILED in the House version of the FAA Reauthorization.
THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who helped with this STEP towards victory!
[WASHINGTON D.C., JULY 19, 2023] – The Wall Street Journal is slamming the misguided efforts of a Delta-backed group and several members of Congress trying to change the slot and perimeter rules at Reagan National Airport [DCA], acknowledging that more flights at DCA would mean more delays and congestion at the overburdened airport. The Journal criticizes the Owens amendment – which is pushing to add more flights to DCA — for putting the interests of members of Congress over those of the public.
Residents who live under and near Reagan National Airport’s flight paths and visitors to the National Mall from around the world are already exposed to a conveyor belt of noise spikes from more than 400 aircraft every day. Unlike with highways, there is no sound barrier for this noise. It undermines the serenity and grandeur of our treasured national monuments and poses a serious health threat for tens of thousands of residents.
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a markup of the FAA Reauthorization. An amendment to add more flights to DCA was withdrawn, and the committee ultimately passed the bill out of committee without any changes to the slot and perimeter rules.
A terrific investigative report about the health implications of noise was published last weekend by the New York Times.
Great news! The Washington Post editorial board just published an opinion piece opposing any changes to the slot and perimeter rule. In their words: “This would make a mess of DCA — worsening delays, noise, congestion and overcrowding — while destabilizing the regional air network.”
George Allen, a Republican, was governor of Virginia from 1994 to 1998, a U.S. senator from 2001 to 2007, a member of the House from 1991 to 1993 and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991. He is a Reagan Ranch presidential scholar for the Young America’s Foundation.
A new organization calling itself the Capital Access Alliance is urging Congress to eliminate the long-standing perimeter rule at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Doing so would allow unlimited long-haul flights to arrive and depart at DCA.
BIG NEWS: The DCA Community Noise Working Group recently voted to endorse the FAA design for a new GPS-based approach procedure that is expected to provide some aircraft noise mitigation for our communities.
2022
Members of the Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus, including Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-8), sent a letter Dec. 1 to the Federal Aviation Administration asking the FAA to take actions to ensure that communities impacted by aviation are treated as legitimate stakeholders in the agency’s decision-making processes.
At the Oct. 2022 meeting of the DCA Community Noise Working Group, the FAA presented modifications to the proposal new approach procedure signaling a possible way forward.
Study says concentrated flight paths at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) airport have negative health effects that will, on average, cost Marylanders in excess of $40 million per year over the next 30 years.
Cleaner, Quieter Airplane Act signed into law and a FFA-funded sleep study looking at nighttime aircraft noise and sleep disturbance is underway. The findings are anticipated Sept. 2024.
Studio City for Quiet Skies, a community group fighting the harm caused by the NextGen changes at Burbank Airport, sent an email July 6 calling on Secretary Buttgieg to fix the severe damage caused by NextGen.
A national online conference, Aircraft Noise, Pollution and Health: Connecting the Dots, drew more than 400 participants from the United States and other countries.
Our beautiful skies could soon be filled with more than commercial aircraft and helicopters. NASA is bringing together government and private sector interests to study the future of aviation.
2021
We know that the consultant covered a lot of material that night! If you want to review some of it before submitting comments, links to the presentation and the powerpoint are provided below.
Greetings to all! Although the frequency of flights over our homes is approaching pre-pandemic levels again, we have news that may help to improve your spirits.
MCQSC thanks County Executive Marc Elrich and Councilmember Andrew Friedson for extending the consulting contract with the aviation consulting firm ABCx2. Continuation of this contract is critical to support the important work of monitoring TAA concept test results, engaging in an iterative process with the FAA to maximize approach track variability, and beginning a process to mitigate impacts from Easterly departures.
Please consider volunteering to help MCQSC apply for an EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant.
The Federal Aviation Administration is to hold a wedinar on a recently released study showing people are much more highly annoyed by aircraft noise than the FAA’s modeling and assumptions for the last 40+ years have assumed.
The latest on a recent noise-mitigating change to DCA’s westerly departure tracks, future work to attempt to mitigate noise from easterly departures, and an expected test of noise-mitigating procedures for approaches to DCA from the north.
2020
New procedure for some flights leaving DCA and heading West or south should provide some noise relief for Montgomery County residents.
Twenty nine members of Congress sent a scathing letter to the FAA demanding it take a more serious look at the metrics that it uses to measure noise and to determine whether noise impacts require mitigation.
Congressman Raskin and MCQSC members comment on proposed harmful Supersonic aircraft noise standard.
Community meeting to discus airplane noise mitigation with the new consulting team that was hired by Montgomery and Arlington counties.
The consultants will focus on the identification and evaluation of alternatives to reduce noise, community engagement, and advocacy with the FAA and Air Traffic Controllers.
DCA Community Working Group (CWG) voted May 28 to officially authorize ABCx2, our MoCo/Arlington aviation consultant, to work with the FAA on behalf of aviation-impacted communities north of the airport.
Please consider completing this international survey by a biologist who hopes the data will contribute to a better understanding of "how humans are related to their sound environment.
Aviation consultant will work with Montgomery and Arlington counties to format concrete options for mitigating airplane noise north of Reagan National Airport.
In June 2018 Maryland filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals challenging the FAA’s 2015 changes to DCA approach procedures.
Yesterday, March 10, 2020, the court dismissed Maryland's petition as untimely because Maryland filed its petition after the 60-day filing deadline set forth in the statute of limitations imposed by Congress.
A new departure procedure out of Reagan National Airport that involves a waypoint adjustment close to the airport. This change should not affect Montgomery County residents.
2019
The letter calls for the review of the August 2019 Dept. of Transportation Inspector General report and a detailed timeline of your plan to implement procedures that will mitigate harm to the communities we represent.
The argument centered mostly on the timeliness of the challenge - specifically, whether Maryland could establish "reasonable grounds" for filing its legal challenge beyond the 60-day statute of limitations.
The bill would would make it a priority for National Aeronautics & Space Administration’s (NASA), to boost research into electric aircraft technology.
They delivered a forceful message of dissatisfaction with how the FAA is conducting business and failing to address noise and emissions issues.
2018
2017
A look at the accomplishments during MCQSC’s first year and how it plans to move forward to continue the fight to mitigate the harmful effects of the concentrated flight paths over Montgomery County neighborhoods.
Your immediate action is requested to comment on the FAA’s proposed nationwide framework to approve drone package delivery operations through a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). Our friends at Aviation-Impacted Community Alliances (AICA) have alerted us to the fact that this proposal sets us up for a repeat of the NextGen process. NextGen is responsible for the significant noise increases in our community and which MCQSC has spent years trying to reduce. If finalized, this framework would allow drone delivery hubs, flight routes and corridors, and operational expansions to proceed across communities without a requirement for separate, location-specific environmental review or public notice. Commenting is easy and may only take a few minutes. Comments are due by January 23rd.