Simple change could bring relief to those living with noise from Logan Airport

BOSTON — Noise from Logan Airport has been an been an issue for years as the communities under its flight paths have lived with loud planes coming and going at all hours.

Alan Wright, a community activist in Roslindale, has been involved in airport noise issues for years.  At times, he says the planes going over his neighborhood were “close to an unmuffled motorcycle going down the street.”

The problem in Roslindale got worse when the FAA started using a new GPS system.

It sent more planes out of Logan on the same exact path going over the same exact communities.

“Since the advent of the GPS technology in 2013, there's been a lot of distress about the noise, and an increased number of questions,” added Wright.

MIT professor John Hansman has been studying the Logan noise issue for Massport and the FAA.  He said noise from an airplane flying overhead comes from the engine and from the aerodynamic flow around the plane.

Hansman says jet engines have gotten quieter in recent years which focuses his attention on the noise generated as a plane moves thru the air.  “What we found is that if you slow down from 250 knots to 220 knots, for most airplanes, that is kind of the sweet spot where you get minimum of noise.”

Massport has endorsed Hansman’s plan to slow down departing planes, and is waiting for word from the FAA about implementing this change.

Hansman says travelers won’t notice the chance.

“It adds about 15-20 seconds to a typical departure, and depending on the size of the airplane, 5-20 gallons of fuel, Wright said.

Wright believes it will make a difference for those on the ground.

Cox Media Group