Issue Six Winter 2021

0dB L A,max Noise Exposure
B777-300 Population Exposure (L A,MAX )
6% of aircraft fleet
Have you noticed noisy airplanes overhead?
60dB
Straight In 119,392
RNP 33,145
Difference (Straight In
RNP)
86,247
Perhaps one of those airplanes flew directly over your
home. If so, then it was probably flying to or from Logan
Airport. Although routes servicing urban airports incorporate
noise abatement procedures, sometimes those procedures
are not strictly followed, especially when airplanes
are not flying in conditions that require instrument-only
navigation. In those conditions, clear skies allow pilots to
navigate by simply looking outside of the cockpit to find
the airport and maintain separation from other aircraft; the
pilots do not have to rely on instruments to track radio signals
through the clouds to or from an airport. For example,
Logan has seven sets of standard instrument departure procedures.
Each of those departure procedures states Flight
crew awareness and compliance is important in minimizing
noise impacts on surrounding communities.
All seven procedures cut a path around Nahant (but never
over it). Much to the chagrin of Nahantans, however, planes
are sometimes directed to modify those departure procedures
by flying over Nahant in order to shorten their route
and, as such, save time and fuel. If that happens, and you
feel it caused an unreasonable disruption of the enjoyment
of your home, then you are invited to register a complaint on
Logan’s noise report line – (617) 561-3333 – or file an on-line
complaint at www.massport.com/logan-airport/.
If you really want to get deep into the weeds, you can monitor
aircraft around Nahant at www.Flightradar24.com, and
you can listen to air traffic control at www.LiveATC.net (Logan’s
airport code is KBOS). Noise may soon be a larger issue
for us in Nahant: As it stands now, the instrument arrival
into runway 22L follows a straight line over Beverly, Salem
and Lynn into Logan Airport. But Logan is considering a
change to that path that would have planes of all shapes and
sizes cut over the causeway.
Noise studies regarding this new path show that Little Nahant
would be the only community affected negatively. According
to Phil Hitch, a Little Nahant resident and retired
captain of a major airline, Logan’s noise abatement procedures
do not apply to arrivals. Aircraft approaching Logan
can fly any path that allows a safe route to the airport.
This means that flying over Nahant on arrival is permitted.
Captain Hitch also mentions that when visual conditions exist
more and more aircraft will fly close to or directly over
Nahant with the potentially new 22L arrival. We can expect
more noise on a daily basis when prevailing winds are from
the Southeast through the West.
Our town administrator has already reached out to Senator
Moulton for assistance, but Nahantans can be heard too.
The Massport Community Advisory Committee is the liaison
between Logan Airport and its surrounding communities.
Nahant is represented on that committee by Bob D’Amico,
a long-time Nahant resident and member of Nahant’s
Noise Abatement Committee (founded by Joe Moccia, Rick
Scourtas and Bob Risch).
The Massport CAC will soon hold a public meeting addressing
the possible changes to the 22L arrival. You are invited to
attend and participate. Town Hall will provide details once
they become available. In the meantime, do not hesitate to
use any of the methods above to register complaints about
unreasonably noisy air traffic.
15 | Nahant Magazine