Asking this question is tantamount to asking you if your nose itches. Even if it didn’t before, it does now.
But our cousins over in the CD ask the question that must be asked: With Sea-Tac’s new runway in place and operational, have you noticed a change in jet noise where you live?
Last month the airport opened up the much-delayed 3rd runway to general use, and I’m curious if anyone in the neighborhood has noticed a difference. The approach for the eastern-most runway takes planes roughly over 20th Ave as they head south over the city. The new runway is a half mile to the west, which would put those planes over closer to 12th.
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No clear answers over in the CD. For me, I’ve noticed more planes. But I think that’s because I’m looking for them. Kind of like that itchy nose.
Here are some interesting notes from neighbors with a closer vantage point:
http://www.b-townblog.com/2008/11/24/has-the-third-runway-in
* The flight paths have definitely changed because of the third runway. If you disagree (or don’t believe us), go out and watch the approaches yourself and you’ll see that every single aircraft using it is now flying further west than ever before so they can line up to land (they have to in order to land!).
* Aircraft flying further west are most certainly closer to areas previously unaffected by airplane noise. These areas were never flown over prior to this because aircraft never had to.
* We watched and listened from numerous vantage points today and noticed a definite increase in sound due to aircraft using the third runway.
* At one point, we even heard loud aircraft sounds in our office in Olde Burien, something we’ve never noticed before.
I’ve lived on 14th for 3 1/2 years and have almost grown used to the planes flying overhead on their way to landing at SeaTac. I haven’t noticed an increase in noise…just about the same amount. I have a friend who has a house in Burien and has already noticed a huge influx of noise when the runway opened.
just checked out the flight tracker the Burien blog linked to http://sea.webtrak-lochard.com/template/index.html
The conditions right now match pretty closely to what J has mapped with approaches over about 10th and 18th aves. Seems like this will spread the noise around a bit more with less frequent flights right over my place off 19th. If I still lived on 10th I would have a better idea of the noise impact of the new path
i was wondering about this myself (live on 16th) and it actually seems a lot quieter on 16th. we used to get some pretty nasty noise up here and it seems like planes are coming in either further east or west of where they usually do for us.
I live on 15th and Yesler. I am at home all the time because I work out of my home. Lately I have noticed that I am right under the flight path for South or Northbound jets (and light planes) flying in a straight line North to South or South to North. The noise starts as early as 4 am and does not stop until about 1 am I looked up the flight corridor and it seems they are supposed to be confined to the Duwamish-Elliott Bay corridor. Sometimes the jets move farther to the west but lately they are back. It is driving me crazy and the jets seem to be louder than they have ever been. I had no resolution when calling the Port. They just sent me graphs and told me the jets were coming and going from different flight paths. I wonder why they aren’t over the Bay or over the Downtown area.
Definitely there has been a shift since June of this year. It is a nonstop freeway of planes landing from the north to the south. All kinds of planes, one after another all day from 0500 to 1200. I wonder if this is permanent!
I live at 12th and Mercer on Capitol Hill. I moved here recently, so I can’t compare to what the noise was before, but I can hear the jets at night when I am at home. The fly over pretty regularly, sometimes one every 5 minutes or so. I can hear them moving from north of me, passing what seems directly overhead, then continuing south. At times it gets really loud. If I am watching TV or listening to the radio I have to turn it up until the jet passes otherwise I cant hear it.
I do worry about the jet fuel pollution that is being released each time a plane flies overhead, and how much of that toxicity is coming down to the ground into the air I breath (though admittedly, I don’t have any backing information about this).