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Voluntary Noise Abatement Procedures

The entire area is residential and noise sensitive.

Please comply with the arrival & departure routes

In response to local community concerns, Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) has a voluntary noise abatement program. The program is applicable to all aircraft operating at SUN. 

Please note that compliance with our voluntary noise abatement procedures is dependent on weather, Air Traffic Control instructions, aircraft performance capabilities, and pilot experience and familiarity with our airport

Safety always takes priority!

  1. Please avoid landing from the north or departing to the north over the City of Hailey unless weather, aircraft performance, pilot experience and familiarity, or company operations specifications, dictate otherwise.
  2. All aircraft operators are asked not to operate between the hours of 2300 and 0700 (local time)
    1. Hailey Tower hours of operation are 0700-2300 local time
    2. SUN ARFF generally available 0700-2300 local time (and for all air carrier operations)
    3. Airport services, such as snow removal, are limited or unavailable between the hours of 2300 and 0700 local time
  3. Propeller-driven aircraft should reduce prop RPM as soon as possible after take-off.
  4. Please limit Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) usage to 30 minutes.
  5. Please comply with the established arrival and departure corridors depicted on the overleaf.

Important airport contact information:

VOLUNTARY NOISE ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

  •  Avoid landing from the north or departing to the north over the City of Hailey unless weather, aircraft performance, pilot experience and familiarity, or company operations specifications necessitate otherwise.
  •  All aircraft are asked not to operate between the hours of 2300 and 0700 (local time).
  •  Preferred hours of operation are 0700 to 2300 (local time) to coincide with hours during which the Hailey Tower and Friedman Memorial Airport crash/fire/rescue operations are staffed. There are limitations in services such as snow removal between the hours of 2300 and 0700 local.
  •  Propeller-driven aircraft should reduce prop RPM as soon as possible after take-off.
  •  Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) usage is limited to 30 minutes.
  •  Comply with the established arrival and departure corridors depicted in the diagrams
    to the left.

IMPORTANT AIRPORT CONTACT INFORMATION

Noise Abatement Center  208.788.5138

Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS)  208.788.2108

ATIS Frequency  128.225

NOISE ABATEMENT GOALS

The goals for the SUN Noise Abatement Program are as follows:

  • Airport operations that are compatible with the surrounding communities.
  • Educate, involve and engage the community and flying public about our ongoing dedication to addressing noise issues at the airport.
  • Be committed to being a good neighbor.
  • Respond to each concern and take action as appropriate.
  • Strive for continued and increased success of the Noise Abatement Program.

FAQ's about noise

Aircraft altitude is established by Federal law. Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 91.119 of the General Operating and Flight Rules states that “Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitude: Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.”

It is important to be aware that most aircraft operating in the vicinity of the FMA are in the process of landing or taking off, thus this regulation does not apply. Helicopters are specifically exempted from this Federal regulation.

No. In 1990 Congress passed a comprehensive airport noise statute called the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 (ANCA). ANCA is still in effect today and  makes it extremely difficult for airports to initiate curfews and access restrictions without qualifying scientific documentation. FMA did undergo FAA-approved scientific studies to determine if noise levels justified curfews or access restrictions. These studies did not result in a finding of noise levels that would support curfews or access restrictions. FMA has a Voluntary Noise Abatement Program which emphasizes noise abatement, flight tracks and pilot education.

FMA’s voluntary flights tracks are used by pilots under ideal conditions only — typically when the weather is good and aircraft can fly under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Also, factors such as weather and the presence of other aircraft will often predicate local Air Traffic Control instructions directing a flight path that is different from the recommended voluntary noise abatement flight tracks.

As mentioned above, voluntary noise abatement flight tracks are used only during periods of good weather.  During periods of reduced visibility (rain, fog, snow, smoke etc.), aircraft operators are obligated to conduct their operations via Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) many times flying specific predetermined instrument approach and missed approach paths. Due to the critical nature of IFR operations and instrument approach procedures, aircraft cannot stray off these established flight routes. Because of this, you may experience aircraft flying over the same area more frequently in bad weather as a result of the aircraft flying one of our instrument approach procedures flight paths.

Pilot education is a major part of our voluntary noise abatement program and the reporting of aircraft concerns assist the Airport in this effort. Each concern is reviewed for a determination. Staff attempts to follow up on each call in an effort to respond to the concerns expressed. Often, there are justifiable circumstances which may not seem apparent to the party expressing a concern. Late night medical evacuations are a good example of this. The concerns are then compiled into a monthly report which allows the Airport to see trends which assist staff in enhancing the education program. The program includes general outreach as necessary and individual contact with pilots.

No. The FAA prohibits the FMAA from pursuing punitive actions against a pilot who chooses not to use the voluntary noise abatement procedures. This is why the FMAA promotes “Good Neighbor Flying” among all tenants and users of the airport so that they will choose to comply with the procedures voluntarily.

Our voluntary noise abatement procedures discourage aircraft operators from landing from the north or departing to the north over the City of Hailey unless weather, aircraft performance, pilot experience and familiarity, company operations specifications, and/or Air Traffic Control instructions, necessitate otherwise.

Most commonly, departures to, or arrivals from the north are dictated by prevailing winds at the airport, at that time. Most aircraft have operating criteria preventing them from safely departing or landing with “tail winds” in excess of 10 knots. In other words, if winds out of the south were in excess of 10 knots at the airport, aircraft would quite likely elect to arrive from the north. If winds at the airport were in excess of 10 knots out of the north, aircraft would likely elect to depart to the north. In fact, some light aircraft are restricted from operating with any tailwind component whatsoever.

In short, airport staff works diligently to educate the pilot community about all aspects of our voluntary noise abatement program regarding its importance to our airport and community on the whole. However safety and the authority of the Pilot in Command take precedent.

Airport noise modeling

In 2017, FMAA commissioned noise modeling analysis to identify impacts of noise from the Airport on neighboring communities. The analysis was conducted in two phases:

Phase 1 established the Existing (2017) Baseline Noise Contour and identified Existing (2017) Baseline Grid Point Noise Analysis.

Phase 2 analyzed 2017 Average Annual Day, 2017 Peak Month (July 2017) – Average Day, and 2017 Peak Day (August 22 – Eclipse traffic). Peak month and peak day analysis utilized grid point analysis.

This noise modeling effort is one of the first efforts of this kind by FMAA. The modeling results will better help FMAA and Airport Management understand noise impacts from the Airport on the neighboring communities and how to address potential mitigation efforts in the future. Phases 1 and 2 results can be found below.

Phase 1 – 2017 SUN Baseline Noise Modeling Memo

Phase 2 Analyzed 2017 Average Annual Day, 2017 Peak Month (July 2017 ) – Average Day, and 2017 Peak Day (August 22 – Eclipse traffic) Memo

In March of 2016, FMAA appointed Voluntary Noise Abatement/Runway Program Review Committee to review the Airport’s Voluntary Noise Abatement Program. This committee was comprised of representatives from Hailey, Bellevue, Blaine County, Airport Tenants, Airport Staff, and the local pilot community. The link below is the Voluntary Noise Abatement Committee’s Findings and Recommendations to the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority.

VNAC Findings and Recommendations