‘We can’t please everyone’: No miracle cure to aircraft noise troubles

Resident have welcomed the chance to put their complaints directly to the agency responsible for aircraft flight paths, but there might not be any relief on the way. HAVE YOUR SAY >>

AVIATION experts have conceded it will be virtually impossible to please everyone amid a review of flight paths in and out of Hobart Airport.

But residents were given the chance to put their case directly to authorities on Saturday as part of a 3½-hour community information session at Hobart’s Wrest Point.

The consultation, hosted by Airservices, is part of a review into the Hobart Airspace Design implemented in 2019, aiming to mitigate aircraft noise in affected communities.

A range of suggestions made by the community to change flight paths were scrutinised at the forum, with a group of almost 20 residents posing questions to Airservices experts.

Airservices had already ruled out many of the suggestions, but have committed to further investigate three of them, while four more related to Hobart-New Zealand flights are also in the works.

After the meeting, Carlton residents Glenn and Lynn Ransley said they appreciated the chance to put their concerns directly to authorities, saying aircraft noise had just become part of life.

“Pre-Covid we could get probably 12-plus flights a day, and they’d come in lots of three. So every few hours you’ve got three aircraft coming in over the period of an hour. It’s pretty intrusive,” Mr Ransley said.

Planes would fly over their home as early as 7am and as late as 10pm.

“You go to Carlton and Primrose (Sands) for a nice quiet life, and then it’s not there anymore,” Mr Ransley said.

They are now preparing for the amount of flights to return to pre-Covid normal once Tasmanian borders fully reopen next month.

“We understand the aircraft have got to fly somewhere. One of our suggestions was to share it over a wider area so everybody shares the pain a little bit but apparently it’s too expensive to do,” Mr Ransley said.

Forcett resident Sharon Fotheringham lives under a frequently used flight path Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Sharon Fotheringham, of Forcett, said the Airservices consultation was welcome, but she did not expect significant changes to flight paths that would eliminate the noise she experienced.

“I’m hoping that we’ll get some positive results, a bit of relief for those that are under the permanent flight paths,” she said.

“The flight path I’m under, we have flights 18 hours a day. For health, it’s really bad.

“They are talking that they are going to give us if a bit of relief by moving some of the planes after a certain time to another tracking route, so if that happens that would be good for all of Primrose Sands, Dodges Ferry and myself.”

Airservices community engagement manager Donna Marshall, who ran the session, said the consultation was about finding the best possible solutions that struck a balance between industry and the community’s wishes.

“We can’t please everyone,” she said.

Airservices senior advisor of community engagement, Tim Gill, answered in detail many questions from residents about why, or why not, suggested flight path routes were appropriate.

Experts also offered an explanation into the methodology of noise monitoring as part of the review, in addition to reduced flight schedules during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The changes in 2019 followed a 2017 overhaul of flight paths linked to satellite-based navigation systems aimed at improving the safety of aircraft.

Airservices said any changes potentially implemented would be further reviewed.

Public comment is open until December 17 on the Airservices Engage website.

Resident’s aircraft noise horror

SHARON Fotheringham used to live in relative peace and quiet on her Forcett property.

Now, she says she cannot get away from the dreaded noise of passenger planes flying over her home across a span of up to 18 hours each day.

Ms Fotheringham will share her frustrations at a community information session in Hobart on Saturday hosted by Airservices to talk about flight paths in and out of Hobart Airport.

It has sought feedback from residents as part of a review of the Hobart Airspace Design that was implemented in November 2019.

That followed a September 2017 overhaul of flight paths linked to satellite-based navigation systems aimed at improving the safety of aircraft.

Ms Fotheringham said there were currently three flight paths that affect her, but she is also concerned more changes could be coming as a result of direct flights from New Zealand.

“Every time there’s changes, we cop something more negative,’’ she said.

Ms Fotheringham, who shares her home of 35 years with pet Border Collie Gabby, said she did not want the problem simply dumped on other residents, but the noise more evenly shared.

“My sleep is terrible because the flights start at 6 in the morning,’’ she said.

“The noise, it just bites into your bones. There’s no way you can escape it, inside or outside the house.

“If you are listening to the TV or trying to talk to someone on the phone, you can’t hear them.”

Ms Fotheringham claimed the planes of one particular airline made a whining sound.

“I hear it maybe from 2-3km away, it just whines,’’ she said.

The session at Hobart’s Wrest Point is being staged from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday, November 13, but attendance is by registration only.

Public comment is open on the Airservices Engage website until December 17.

EARLIER:

FLIGHT paths in and out of Hobart Airport are again being put under the microscope, with a new report proposing ways to further mitigate aircraft noise experienced by residents.

Airservices Australia has released a draft review of the Hobart Airspace Design that was implemented in November 2019 following community concerns about noise.

Those issues came about after a September 2017 overhaul of flight paths linked to satellite-based navigation systems aimed at improving the safety of aircraft.

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Airservices said the post implementation review sought to minimise the effects of aircraft operations on the community, and give people a chance to submit alternative flight paths.

The review involved six-month noise monitoring at Richmond, Primrose Sands and Connellys Marsh.

Noise from air traffic in and out of the Hobart airport is still a concern for residents in surrounding suburbs.

Noise monitoring picked up higher than estimated levels at Primrose Sands and Connellys Marsh, with lower than expected noise at Richmond.

As part of the review, 34 submissions were received from the community with suggested alternatives, with 19 changed flight path scenarios assessed.

Of those, three will be investigated. A further four proposed changes linked to flight routes between Hobart and New Zealand will also be examined.

Tasmanian aviation expert, Par Avion managing director Shannon Wells, said changes to flight paths in 2017 and procedures related to GPS approaches did not allow for as much flexibility in air routes.

“What happened in 2017 was that they centralised a lot of the flight paths and used more GPS approaches ... and a lot of the traffic went over the same residences,” he said.

“I can understand that would be pretty annoying.

“They recently started doing some different, varied approaches, and tried to do flight paths to impact the least amount of residents.

“Personally, I’d be happy to see the reintroduction of pilot hand-flown approaches, but the airlines don’t really want that.”

Par Avion managing director Shannon Wells said changes to flight paths in 2017 resulted in air traffic flying over the same residences. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Mr Wells said the GPS approaches to flying were considered to be safer and more fuel-efficient.

But he said with the Hobart airspace getting busier, the review was needed.

An Airservices spokeswoman said three of the 19 suggested flight path changes would now be considered.

“Three of these suggested changes will be further assessed to determine if improved community noise outcomes can be achieved without adversely affecting safety and operational efficiency,” the spokeswoman said.

“A further four proposed changes from the aviation industry for the flight routes between Hobart and New Zealand will be assessed for improved efficiency and environmental impact.

“The majority of suggested flight path changes did not meet the criteria for improved safety, efficiency, noise and environmental impacts.”

Airservices is now seeking feedback on the draft report with a community information session to be held at Wrest Point on November 13 from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

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