Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Commercial Air Traffic is coming over West Seattle?!?!!!
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
July 28, 2009 at 6:45 pm #591709
Fauntleroy FollowerMemberMany months back I started hearing commercial flights going overhead in the middle of the night and thought “that’s strange.” Then I started seeing some passenger flights from Seatac going right over the middle of W. Seattle in the daytime. Right around this time I read something about Burien being upset because Seatac has been using the third runway much more than they originally stated they would, and it all started making sense. Seatac is slowly adding flights over W. Seattle!!! Has anyone else noticed this?
I for one would rather not let this happen unchecked. Anyone that knows what it’s like over in Magnolia, Capital Hill and other parts of the City that have flight paths overhead knows how misserable it is. We have never had to put up with this in the past, but if we sit queitly and let it happen slowly over time they will get away with it. I say we start inquiring with the Port of Seattle to find out what the plan is and if they are going to be upfront about all this.
This is something we cannot afford to be complacent about. This will impact our quality of life and I would imagine property values as well.
Please post if you have noticed this or want to discuss stratgies to combat this problem.
We can’t afford to ignore this. It will only get LOUDER!!! 4-5 years from now we will all need sound packages from the Port of Seattle for our houses to combat the sound, just like they have in Burien and Des Moines, and not use our backyards because it will be too LOUD
July 28, 2009 at 7:03 pm #673073
KBearParticipantIf you live in a big city and appreciate the convenience of having a major airport nearby, you’ll have to tolerate some noise. I don’t think passenger flights over West Seattle are anything new, though.
July 28, 2009 at 7:12 pm #673074
WSBKeymasterAlso watch for more flyovers this week – when the Blue Angels are in action at Boeing Field etc. (and they’re due in this afternoon – one arrived yesterday, six more today) – air traffic is redirected, much of it this way.
July 28, 2009 at 7:36 pm #673075
JiggersMemberIf you don’t like the noise of a city then leave. Otherwise, live with it.
July 28, 2009 at 7:36 pm #673076
swimcatMemberI have not noticed any increased noise from commercial flights. When it is cloudy I do notice that the flight path seems to change so that it is louder in the hood though. The small aircraft are always flying DIRECTLY over my house from Boeing Field to the other side of the sound. Now that can get loud.
July 28, 2009 at 7:39 pm #673077
bluebirdMemberHere are the noise abatement watch paths.
http://www.portseattle.org/community/environment/noiseprocedures.shtml
They do the best they can to fly over water. What neighborhoods would you prefer they fly over instead?
And I agree with Kbear. The price of the city. Just like trains, ship horns, traffic, sirens, construction, and everything else. I like it. Sounds alive.
And the flight noise is absolutely nothing like how it is in south Burien and never will be. The altitude is just not the same.
July 28, 2009 at 8:05 pm #673078
MargLMemberThe weeks of Seafair are going to be very loud. I remember last year while the Blangels were practicing and while the show was going on traffic was diverted right over the top of us (Arbor Heights) it was quite amazing to watch some of the larger commercial planes buzz our house. (well not really but it was quite loud/close compared to what we’re used to!)
July 28, 2009 at 8:32 pm #673079
christopherboffoliParticipantStrange. The centerline for even the third runway at KSEA is still pretty far east of the majority of West Seattle. I could see White Center and certain parts of Burien maybe getting increased noise and traffic. But I can’t imagine why they’d be routing traffic over the middle of West Seattle. I wonder if there are certain atmospheric conditions that make the sound carry more than usual.
If Boeing can just get the 787 Dreamliner flying I think people may appreciate how significantly quieter it is over the older generation of airliners it will be replacing.
July 28, 2009 at 8:58 pm #673080
lazybeardParticipantThat’s true on the 787 being quieter, but also the 737 Next-Generation’s that SWA flies are much quieter too. I can imagine that a lot of the noise attributes to the older engines, a “simple” replacement could possibly reduce noise levels.
As a side note, I know SWA has been lobbing Boeing for more than a couple of years now to investigate and bring to the public the GE 787 engines on 737s since they are significantly more fuel efficient.
July 28, 2009 at 8:59 pm #673081
lazybeardParticipantThe reason that the third runway is also being heavily used right now is because the first runway is in being re-done from the ground up. I had to ask a friend who’s running for Port Commissioner all the info.
July 28, 2009 at 8:59 pm #673082
mrhinehMemberI think there are some pilots that cut the corner of Alki quite a bit and go over the Alaska Junction. Otherwise, much ado about nothing, compared to AH or Burien.
July 30, 2009 at 12:21 am #673083
ToddinWestwoodMemberlast saturday eve, just as all the thunderstorms were coming down from the north, we noticed the flights still taking off to the north, but banking hard twords the west (over sw W.S. to avoid the storms.)
July 30, 2009 at 7:59 pm #673084
hopeyParticipantI live near Fauntleroy Park in view of the ferry terminal and Vashon Island. I regularly see commercial flights flying northward over the water, heading towards the eastward turn over Elliott Bay. This is definitely a change since the opening of the 3rd runway. Haven’t noticed any significant increase in noise.
Just today I saw planes departing from Sea-Tac taking a sharp westward turn over the southernmost parts of West Seattle, but not as far north as Fauntleroy. I am confident this is due to the Blue Angels’ airspace restrictions, and that the flight path will return to normal next week.
I do get small commercial and private plane traffic immediately over my house, headed east/west to and from Boeing Field — and I do mean right overhead. It’s never loud enough to be an issue though, and since it’s small plane traffic it rarely occurs at night.
I have not ever seen a commercial passenger or cargo flight routing northward immediately over my house, or to the east of where I live. I work at home, so I think I would have noticed if it were happening with any regularity.
August 5, 2009 at 6:50 am #673085
nativecaMemberI moved to arbor heights about six months ago and I have noticed a considerable amount of air traffic in the last week. The blue angels are gone and I am hearing flights overhead about one per minute. I did a little research and the seattle times concurs with WSB blogger LazyBeard that the first runway is down and will be repaired by September 30th. Also there is some sort of lawsuit over the third runway. It appears the third runway may be used more than some people thought it would be. I am very new to the area so I don’t know any of the history of this issue. If the WSB has some time to do some more research on this topic it would be greatly appreciated!
August 5, 2009 at 1:01 pm #673086
MagpieParticipantThere has been a path that starts around 11 pm that hits the area north of the WS junction that I have been hearing for years. There have been some earlier as of late, in fact, I can hear a plane right now and they were rare during the day. Of course, small planes going to and from Boeing go overhead a lot.
August 28, 2009 at 3:25 am #673087
sam-cParticipantI’ve been noticing it mostly around 5 am, some loud planes, but nothing too different (at least that I know of).
but, in the last half hour/ 45 minutes. 2 planes flew over, and they looked to be really low. not sure where they came from.
actually, they were so loud that I actually kept listening for an ‘impact’. it wasn’t quite like standing in outside of Stellar pizza in Georgetown, and seeing a big plane land at the king county airport, but it was close.
August 28, 2009 at 3:29 am #673088
CrazyDogLadyMemberGlad I’m not the only one — noticed those as well. I’ve counted four since about 7:30 tonight (8/27). I have never noticed before but these were loud. Hard to tell whether they were commercial or something else. I do notice regular air traffic at night but not this close.
August 28, 2009 at 3:37 am #673089
TDeParticipantTonight (8/27) I’ve counted 7 planes flying West over my house, a few blocks West of the Junction. This has never happened before. I’m going to contact the noise abatement link to see if anyone knows what’s going on.
August 28, 2009 at 3:37 am #673090
DuanobParticipantI noticed as well. It’s commercial cargo traffic from Boeing Field which makes it very odd that they are flying due west after take-off. Something is going on I’ve never seen them do this in the 8 years I’ve lived here off of Fauntleroy.
August 28, 2009 at 3:39 am #673091
LoveWestSeattleMemberI live on 42nd ave south of the Jefferson Square. I noticed several planes heading due West flying overhead. Why is this happening?
August 28, 2009 at 3:41 am #673092
sunshineParticipantWe were listning for the crash, too! But then another followed in exact same path, headed directly west. I’ve lived in this house for 18 years and hve never seen a plane that low on that path. It was flying on arelatively flat flight path. Mr. Sunshine grew up on an airforce base and is an aeospce engineer and estimatd the altitude at 500 feet, just a half mile from beach drive, on about Hudson.
August 28, 2009 at 3:41 am #673093
MookieMemberI agree this isn’t typical – several large planes flew west right over west seattle early this evening; one was so loud I went outside expecting to hear an impact, too (and it did seem startlingly low.)
August 28, 2009 at 4:04 am #673094
WSBKeymasterDidn’t see this thread first but I am investigating this – have started a home-page item – making phone calls to anybody who might know, but so far neither the FAA nor Boeing Field has anything unusual. Will add to HP item if we get any answers, hoping someone who’s an aviation insider might see it and solve the mystery.
August 28, 2009 at 2:54 pm #673095
SmittyParticipantThis is very interesting, and I hope someone figures it out soon.
I noticed some small turbo-props flying consistently over this exact route a few weeks ago. Someone responded by posting a photo with an explanation that they are used to track “new” routes and test radar, etc.
Something tells me that these “tests” were a “success” and that the commercial traffic from Boeing Field is being rerouted over West Seattle for certain times of the day (to the benefit of our Magnolia friends).
Just a guess.
August 28, 2009 at 3:13 pm #673096
jwwsParticipantWe were on our way home last night around 7:20 and noticed a large jet coming out of Boeing Field and immediately banking left – the plane was pretty low as it banked and then continued to climb as it headed directly across West Seattle – at first, I thought we were going to witness a crash or the pilot was turning around to head back to Boeing Field. Why aren’t these planes going out over the Sound and then banking left once more altitude is gained?
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.