1978, 1979, 1983Â – First documented publication of noise abatement procedures in 1978 in Resolution 47 (amended in December 1979 by Resolution 59 and in May 1983 by Resolution 77), including the following primary elements:
- Recommended use of National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA – now National Business Aviation Association) close-in noise abatement departure procedure (NADP) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) landing procedures.
- 1,000′ minimum altitude over the City of Naples, except on landing or departure (helicopters and Mosquito Control exempted).
- 1,500′ turbine-powered aircraft pattern altitude, 1,000′ piston-powered aircraft pattern altitude, light aircraft 800′ pattern altitude.
- Noise abatement flight paths – straight out on Runway 4 (now named Runway 5), left turn on Runways 13 and 22 (now 14 and 23), and right turn on Runway 31 (now 32).
- Noise abatement flight patterns – right-hand traffic on Runways 4 and 31 (now 5 and 32), left-hand traffic on Runways 13 and 22 (now 14 and 23).
- Request for minimized use of reverse thrust.
- Prohibition of non-emergency maintenance run-ups between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
February 1987 –Â NAA completes first formal noise study under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 150, “Airport Noise Compatibility Planning,” as codified under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR Part 150); see www.faa.gov/airports/environmental/airport_noise/.
August 1988Â – Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finds the 1987 and 1992 Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) in compliance with applicable requirements of 14 CFR Part 150.
February 1989Â – FAA publishes Record of Approval (ROA) for Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program (NCP), which approves the addition of the following major elements to the noise program:
- Preferential use of Runway 4/22 (now 5/23), including maximized use of Runway 4 (now 5) for departures and Runway 22 (now 23) for arrivals.
- City and County adopt airport overlay zoning ordinances within 65 decibel (dB) Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL)
May 1996Â – NAA adopts the following new and revised noise abatement measures:
- Mandatory night (10 p.m. – 7 a.m.) curfew on non-emergency Stage 1 jet operations.
- Voluntary night (10 p.m. – 7 a.m.) curfew on non-emergency Stage 2 and 3 jet operations.
- Mandatory nighttime prohibition of non-emergency maintenance run-ups extended by two hours to run between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. (from prior 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.)
February 1997 –Â NAA submits Part 150 NEM and NCP updates to FAA.
April 1997Â – FAA finds the 1996 and 2001 NEMs in compliance with requirements of 14 CFR Part 150.
September 1997Â – FAA publishes ROA for the revised Part 150 NCP, which adds or revises the following major noise program elements:
- Noise abatement flight paths
- Mandatory nighttime (10 p.m. – 7 a.m.) ban on non-emergency Stage 1 jet operations (represents FAA approval of previous NAA action in May 1996).
- Voluntary Helicopter departure procedures, including common midfield departure areas, to maximize altitude when crossing airport boundary.
- NAA, City, and County adoption of 60 dB DNL for zoning and land use planning.
Naples Airport, February 14, 1999
January 1998Â – NAA Noise Compatibility Committee (NCC) recommends that the NAA adopt a 24-hour ban on non-emergency Stage 1 jet operations.
February 1998 –Â NAA submits second Part 150 NEM and NCP update to FAA; proposes 24-hour Stage 1 jet ban.
September 1998Â – FAA finds the 1998 and 2003 NEMs in compliance with requirements of 14 CFR Part 150.
March 1999 – FAA publishes ROA approving 24-hour ban on Stage 1 jet operations; NAA implements ban.
May 1999 – NCC recommends that the NAA adopt a 24-hour ban on non-emergency Stage 2 jet operations.
January 2000Â – NAA authorizes commencement of Part 161 analysis of Stage 2 ban and alternatives.
June 2000Â – NAA submits Part 161 Study to FAA.
November 2000Â – NAA adopts by resolution the proposed 24-hour ban on all Stage 2 jet aircraft operations, with the exception of air ambulance and emergency operations.
November 2000 –Â NAA submits 2000 and 2005 NEM update to FAA.
December 2000Â – FAA finds the 2000 and 2005 NEMs in compliance with requirements of 14 CFR Part 150.
January 2001 –Â NAA adopts Resolution 2000-8 implementing 24-hour Stage 2 jet ban.
August 2001 –Â NAA completes supplemental analysis to the Part 161 Study.
October 2001 –Â FAA approves the Part 161 Study but alleges Stage 2 ban violates grant assurance that “the airport will be available for public use on reasonable conditions and without unjust discrimination” and begins Notice of Investigation under CFR Part 16.
March 2002Â – The NAA begins enforcement of the Stage 2 jet ban.
APF – Copyright, Mark Pasqualino, February 18, 2007
March 2003 –Â FAA finds Stage 2 ban is “unreasonable, unjustly discriminatory, and preempted by federal law,” and suspends NAA’s eligibility for federal grants under the Airport improvement Program (AIP). NAA appeals FAA decision.
June 2005 – U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturns FAA decision and retroactively restores
NAA’s eligibility for AIP grant funds.
February 2008 – NAA initiates Part 150 update process and establishes Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to report to NCC.
September 2010 – NAA submits 2010 and 2015 NEM update to FAA. Part 150 study process finds there is no basis for modifying existing NCP, since no measures have been identified in study process that offer improved opportunity for noise compatibility.
Naples Airport – photo credit, The Real Naples blogspot, 2009
October 2010 – NCC recommends that NAA terminate the Part 150
study; NAA votes to terminate Part 150 update and to focus remaining study resources on improving the effectiveness of existing, FAA-approved noise abatement measures, and on pursuing formal instrument procedures that will guide aircraft along preferred corridors at the highest feasible altitudes.
November 2010 – FAA finds the 2010 and 2015 NEMs in compliance with requirements of 14 CFR Part 150. NAA ratifies termination of the Part 150 TAC.
January 2011 – NCC develops “Action Plan” concept to implement NAA recommendation to focus efforts on implementation and effectiveness of the existing, FAA-approved noise program.
2012 – FAA’s Next Gen modernization and redesign of the national air traffic control system known as Metroplex, replaces ground-based air traffic navigation with satellite-based navigation which will enable aircraft to fly precise, more efficient flight paths known as Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures. 10 instrument flight procedures are under development or amendment for the Naples Airport.
2013 – Sequestration halts the Metroplex project and FAA priorities are re-evaluated.
2015 – FAA initiates Central/South Florida Metroplex project, involving 51 airports including Naples, which may have provided an opportunity to increase the departure hold.
April 2015 – NAA applies to conduct a new part 150 Study. The request is rejected by the FAA.
2017 – Metroplex scaled back to the largest hub airports: Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale.
January 2020 – NAA initiates a new federal Part 150 Noise Study update and establishes Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to provide citizen input related to the study.
August 2021 – NAA submits completed NEM Report, including updated noise contour maps, to the FAA for approval.
August 2021 – NAA creates multiple seasonal contour maps to show community impacts outside of average annual calculations. The following maps have been shared with the FAA:
- Peak Season (December 2020 – May 2021)
- Peak Month (March 2021)
- Peak Jet Day (both northeast and southwest flow)
- Increased use of Runway 14/32
- Impacts of a Stage 3 aircraft ban
- Increased Voluntary Curfew Compliance
December 2021 – FAA determines that the NEM submitted by the NAA is in compliance with Part 150 regulations, signaling the completion of the first phase of the noise study.
January 2022Â – NAA initiates the Noise Compatibility Program (NCP) phase of the study with multiple public and virtual open houses.
