Jackson Heights Life

Can we raise the plane noise issue to a townhall meeting?

Check out http://queensquietskies.org/ They are already advocating quite a bit on this issue for all of Queens. 

that last question is super subjective: i moved here from astoria in the mid '90s anied knew i was moving close to an airport -- and having grown up about the same distance from another major airport, i knew about what to expect in terms of noise. that said, it has gotten a bit worse since i moved here.

 we live in the standard landing pattern, and landings are quieter than takeoffs (the engines are cut by the time they get here). but with the increase in flight frequency (which can be changed) and the changeability of weather patterns (which cannot), i'd say problems occur about 10 or so weekends a year, versus three or four weekends a year a few years back.

the issues tend to occur on weekends only. and very early. i've never heard it last all day, but the 6 am to noon or so can be bad. i live on 35th and 77th, and the takeoffs bank pretty much directly over 76th/77th/78th. i think that may be the worst. people who live in the low 70s seem to notice it less. and the further north you go -- towards LGA -- the worse it is. near northern seems the worst.

i think it's an annoyance, but not enough to make me consider moving.

Thanks, good to know. I'll try to visit on Saturday mornings. So Sundays are quiet then? Do any of you have Citiquiet windows and does the noise still wake you up when the windows are closed?

P.S. I think it affects people differently.  Also, I'd like to mention that while it's annoying, I find it tolerable since it's limited to only certain Saturdays about 10x per year.  However, I do complain every time it happens and encourage others to complain because I always think there's a chance that if we don't complain, maybe the frequency of the noise occuring could increase.

We moved to Jackson Heights about 3 months ago and are very happy with the decision.  It is a wonderful neighborhood with an involved community.  The fact that we can discuss this issue in this forum demonstrates the investment people are making in the neighborhood.  Anyway, I agree with some of the other posts that the truly problematic plane noise occurs about one Saturday morning per month.  Someone told me that on those mornings the airport is repairing the more frequently used runways.  Once the work is done the planes return to taking off or landing on runways that impact Jackson Heights much less.  I have no idea if this explanation is accurate but it is consistent with the pattern of noise.  If this is the case, maybe the airport could do repairs overnight or on a different day while more people are at work?

sorry, that sounds like a bridge waiting to be bought.

this is what's going on:  http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/snapshots/airport/?locationId=37

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131126/jackson-heights/residents-sound-off-on-laguardia-airplane-noise-but-no-relief-on-horizon

I was able to get some new info about the occasional plane noise here, and found out that NextGen is not causing it.  NextGen is a satellite-based navigation system for aircraft and airports.   NextGen systems are starting to be installed in airports, including LGA, but relatively few aircraft currently have the capability to use it.

Since NextGen may result in different takeoff and landing profiles by aircraft, it is also possible that it could have adverse noise impacts in specific other places.  But that's not what's happening in Jackson Heights.  Our occasional weekend noise is due to runway construction.

I also got a little more info on filing complaints -- you should first write down the time that the noise occurs.  Wait 20 minutes or so, and then go to http://www.panynj.gov/airports/webtrak.html  Click on the "PANYNJ Webtrak" link to see a detailed animation of all of the flights in the region.  You can select the specific time you heard the noise, and then identify the plane that caused it.  (There's a 20 minute delay in posting the data for security reasons) Click on the "Investigate" tab for instructions on how to submit a complaint.

So far I have only tried submitting the basic complaint at http://www.planenoise.com/panynj/daPRAbr9/

i'd respectfully disagree with that "no buy area" characterization, Buzz. there's a strong demand (and low inventory) for houses, and the one sale profiled in the times recently (there's a thread here) shows that we're hitting the $1 million mark, not just for listing prices, but actual sale prices. is it aggravating? you bet. does it make life a bit less unpleasant? sure does. but as everyone seems to agree, it's a few times a year, and not worth bailing over. and, no, i don't envision it becoming a 365 day a year thing anytime soon (and by soon, i mean the next 40 years).