Update: May 10, 2020 (Revised July 29, 2020)
7/29/20 Updates to the recommendations numbering and verbiage which had changed in the final documents that the Task Force sent to the FAA in May and June 2020.
VICTORY!! THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDS FLIGHT PROCEDURE CHANGES
Why & How the Meeting was Conducted
The final South San Fernando Valley Noise Task Force (TF) meeting was held Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were conducted virtually. Both meetings were about 4 hours and are available on the Task Force website.
The purpose of the meetings was to hear public comment and for TF members to vote on recommendations for the FAA to correct the flight procedures at Burbank (BUR) and Van Nuys (VNY) Airports that were illegally implemented without public notice or environmental assessment by the FAA in the southern portion of the San Fernando Valley in 2017 and 2018, including over the foothills and protected 4(f) public parks and open spaces of the Santa Monica Mountains. These changes have adversely impacted over 100,000 residents, most who are 5-12 miles from either airport (the “new communities”), which had few, if any, flights prior to the change. Read more about the issue on our About the Problem page and in our November presentation. More about the vote is below in the “Thursday, May 7” section.
There were 8 voting TF members: 2 from the City of Burbank, 1 each from Glendale and Pasadena, and 4 Los Angeles City Council members (or their reps) including Paul Koretz (CD5 - Encino, Bel Air), David Ryu (CD4 - Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake), Paul Krekorian (CD2 - Studio City, Valley Village) and Nury Martinez (CD6 - Van Nuys, N. Hollywood). The HMMH facilitator, hired as a TF consultant, and representatives for Van Nuys Airport, Burbank Airport, and the FAA were present but not on screen. In addition, non-voting federal representatives from the offices of Representatives Adam Schiff, Brad Sherman, Tony Cardenas and Ted Lieu, as well as Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, listened in.
Wednesday, May 6 Meeting - Comments
Most of the first meeting was devoted to 3-minute audio or video comments from each of the 9 community advocacy groups that presented to the TF in previous meetings. The advocacy groups in favor of a solution to correct the current flight procedures are: Sherman Oaks & Encino for Quiet Skies, Studio City for Quiet Skies, UproarLA, Save Coldwater Canyon, and a few others. In addition, Encino Neighborhood Council made a statement in favor. Only two of the 9 groups, located in Valley Village and the northern area of the San Fernando Valley, argued that the new procedures should remain.
The TF was only able to read about half of 444 individual community email and voice mail comments submitted. Of the 218 read aloud, 169 were in support of our position (4 to 1). These and the remainder of the comments are available on the Task Force video recording and website.
Thursday, May 7 Meeting - Recommendations
In the second meeting, the main topics covered are as follows:
Congressional Input
Statements from non-voting federal members of the TF were read aloud, supporting the advocacy groups. Highlights include:
Overall acknowledgement of the adverse impact on the new communities and need for change.
Representative Brad Sherman announced that Congress will be taking up the FAA’s failure to address noise issues and implementation of its flawed NextGen procedures, and with the General Accounting Office.
A joint Congressional letter from Senators Feinstein and Harris, and the four members of the House (Sherman, Schiff, Lieu, Cardenas) to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. It addresses the impacts of increased noise from VNY and BUR planes that “tended to fly further to the south before making turns to the east or west, which has extended the noise problem.” They stated their support of solutions that reduce the noise and more equitably distribute the number of planes.
Noting that stricter adherence to traffic management procedures may lead to meaningful reduction:
They requested specific steps be taken related to the training and number of air traffic controllers at Tracon, which directs planes after they leave the runway, and at the BUR tower when they’re on or near the runway.
They also specifically requested a review of the VNY 2017 Standard Operating Procedure that was used prior to the implementation of the final procedure (PPRRY waypoint) published in May 2018.
Vote by Task Force on Recommendations to be Submitted to the FAA
After the last meeting in February, the TF voting members submitted almost 100 individual recommendations to HMMH, the facilitator, who consolidated them into 19 recommendations. Approved recommendations will be submitted to the FAA, which will make the decision if and how they can be implemented. In addition, all of the individual TF member recommendations will accompany the approved consolidated recommendations for the FAA to understand their thinking or intent.
The FAA requested that the TF prioritize the Recommendations, however, members declined to do so. We have requested that the TF focus first on immediate solutions and to allow review of the final copy before it is sent by HMMH to the FAA.
In addition, the Task Force is requiring the FAA to submit timely written reports.
Continuing the Task Force and Community Pressure
In addition to the Recommendations, the members voted to not disband the Task Force so they can see the process through to completion. Krekorian, who is the Vice Chair, emphasized that it is “not the finish line” and will take continued organizing and pressure by federal reps and the community.
Koretz thanked the community - those who have been impacted and came to meetings and the advocacy organizations that presented reports. He stressed the importance of not disbanding the Task Force, stating that we “can’t let them off the hook,” referring to the FAA.
Final Recommendations & SOEQS Analysis of Wins & Losses
Click here for the FINAL copy of the Task Force Member Recommendations, sent to the FAA on May 14. The primary focus of SOEQS has been on Van Nuys Airport (VNY) while supporting a comprehensive solution and other organizations dedicated to Burbank Airport (BUR). We applaud the work they have done.
Below are some of the main Task Force vote results and our analysis.
Recommendation specific for VNY:
Recommendation #2 (VNY): WIN
Immediately stop the use of the procedure with the PPRRY Waypoint and design and implement a modified RNAV procedure for Van Nuys Airport (VNY) Runway 16R that results in earlier turns of departing flights and allow a greater percentage of the departing flight tracks to be over the uninhabited Sepulveda Basin as the case when using the 2.2 DME departure procedure.
Analysis: The Task Force got it right. We specifically requested that the PPRRY waypoint be discontinued immediately (near-term), with a return to 2.2 DME, and evaluated as a long-term solution with dispersed flight patterns. In the summer of 2017, the FAA implemented a new FATKO waypoint, which was too close to the runway and buildings, causing a few complaints and safety issues. While they worked on a solution, they immediately returned to 2.2 DME over the unpopulated Sepulveda Basin between September 2017 and May 2018, where planes had safely turned for decades with very few complaints or safety issues. However, instead of keeping it there, in May 2018 the FAA permanently implemented the new PPPRY waypoint farther south, without a notice or EA.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: The communities rejected the FAA’s August 2019 proposal “Potential VNY (PPRRY) Replacement SIDS” as a solution to PPRRY and we requested that the Task Force formally oppose it. The procedures would be much further south than 2.2 DME and require aircraft to fly over waypoints in the foothills and Santa Monica Mountains, in the opposite direction of the proposed SLAPP and OROSZ procedures (TEAGN/JAYTE waypoints) at BUR. (See #5 below).
Recommendations specific for BUR:
Recommendation #1 (BUR): WIN
Immediately restore the BUR Runway 15 departure flight tracks to 2007 conditions without implementing a new procedure.
Recommendation #5 (BUR): WIN
The Task Force opposes the FAA’s proposed changes to the SLAPP and OROSZ departure procedures and request the FAA design and implement a procedure for maximum dispersion from Runway 15 and Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR).
Analysis: SOEQS won’t weigh in too much on this (we’ll leave that to other orgs focused on BUR) but these two recommendations are also definitely a win. The first one addresses what is happening now, while the second recommends removing the proposed SLAPP/OROSZ procedures that would have, if implemented, required aircraft to follow low-flying, repetitive paths in the new communities, hitting TEAGN/JAYTE waypoints in the Santa Monica Mountains and foothills.
Recommendations that affect both BUR and VNY:
Recommendation #4 (VNY / BUR): APPROVED
Conduct a study to determine how to obtain the lowest noise levels from aircraft from Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) Runway 15 and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) Runway 16R in the South SFV communities through increased climb gradients, noise abatement departures profile (NADP) procedures, de-rated takeoff procedures, or a combination of the three alternatives.
Analysis: SOEQS does not agree. Our request was for the PPPRY waypoint to be immediately discontinued and a return to 2.2 DME (see Recommendation #2 above) which was approved. However, our communities should not have to wait on a noise study or have it used as a potential solution to try and reduce flights over the Fire Hazard Severity Zone and noise-sensitive, environmentally protected 4(f) areas of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Recommendation #6 (VNY / BUR): WIN
Replace current NextGen aircraft procedures at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) with procedures that provide better dispersion of flight tracks, such as “open” departures and diverse vector area (DVA) procedures.
Analysis: The Task Force got it right on this one too. The FAA is looking also at “intent” and individual TF member recommendations provide additional support for this recommendation. Specifically for VNY: “Eliminate the PPRRY waypoint and publish an open waypoint placed south of the airport runway near Victory Blvd and the top of the Sepulveda Basin. An open waypoint will help with dispersion so no one community bears the brunt of aircraft flight tracks.”
Recommendation (formerly #8) (VNY / BUR): LOSS
Implement preferential runway use plans at BUR and VNY to have aircraft depart directly to the north when winds allow, to depart northerly aligned runways.
Recommendation #8 (BUR) - WIN
Create “open” Standard Instrument Departure (SID) Procedures at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) for Runways 8, 26, and 33 mimicking the ELMOO 9 conventional procedure.
Analysis:
SOEQS and other organizations have advocated for more equitable dispersal as a long-term solution and departures to the north was one way to achieve that. This would have allowed northern departures as a “preference” only when the winds would allow it (which is not all the time), along with the more commonly used southern departure. Currently there are only rare northern departures. Without preferential northern departures, almost all VNY flights will fly south, and then turn east or west, to go north. At BUR, they are limited to flying south and then turning to the west to go north. Recommendation #8 will evaluate eastbound.
Recommendation # 9 (VNY / BUR): WIN
Restrict aircraft from operating during the night at both Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) and penalize and identify publicly aircraft operators that violate the mandatory curfew. (Will require federal legislative action)
Recommendation #10 (VNY): WIN
Restrict the hours of the Customs and Border Protection Office at Van Nuys Airport (VNY.)
Analysis: Although #9 will require federal legislative action, this is a strong statement endorsed by the Task Force. The next step will be for the non-voting federal leaders to get it done. For #10, SOEQS asked for the hours to be restricted to mandatory nighttime curfew.
Please check back for additional details as the final report becomes available.