September 2000
The following comments and questions have been received by the Regional Airport Authority and consultant team and appear unedited in their entirety.
Questions and comments received through the Project Information Line, Project Website, and/or Public Information Centers will be forwarded to the RAA and responded to by the consultant team at the next Study Group Meeting, and posted on this site.
Audubon Parkway
Louisville, 40213
September 2000
After I sent comments in last night around 8:30 PM, aircraft noise north of the airport continued to grow. Here are further on-field conditions obtained in conjunction with selected northbound departures - bearing in mind again that agreed runway use procedures anticipate these highly disruptive operations only when the tailwind component along the runway azimuth of 350 degrees exceeds 7 knots:
| Time | Direction | Speed | Tailwind Component |
| 2050 | none | calm | 0 |
| 2105 | 240 | 4 | -1 |
| 2120 | 240 | 3 | -1 |
| 2145 | none | calm | 0 |
| 2200 | none | calm | 0 |
If these figures are radically different from those applied to runway use decisions, then the latter need to be available to the impacted community. If other factors are in play, those need to be available to the impacted community. It's patently untrue in this case that noise doesn't travel in a vacuum. Quite the contrary.
Audubon Parkway
Louisville, 40213
September 2000
Noise exposure has been maximized all day and all evening over the most heavily populated areas north of the airport, by conducting operations stipulated for use only when the tailwind component in the preferred southerly runway direction exceeds seven knots. Spot checks of on-field (ASOS) conditions when operations were observed, and a phone was nearby, yielded the following:
| Time | Direction | Speed |
| 1320 | 030 | 6 |
| 1740 | variable | 5 |
| 1840 | 310 | 6 |
| 2010 | none | calm |
There was rain yesterday, but today's been dry, cool, and sunny all day. Hourly readings posted by NWS had numerous gaps today, but the thrust of available readings indicates that winds from the north haven't exceeded tolerances for normal operations since 4 or 5 AM. Repeated reports of "calm" in this evening's hours are especially troubling.
There must be some reasonable explanation for the highly disruptive and annoying traffic pattern observed today, but available weather indications are clearly and consistently *not* it. As noted in other similar instances, if *all* these indications are "wrong", then the case for making real-time, real-use decision data accessible to the impacted public is indisputable. I look forward to your ideas.
Iowa Avenue
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
Date of noise event: 9/26/2000. Time: Approximately 5:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Extremely loud flight, I think from NW to SE. My neighbor could not hear me or me hear him. I'm am sure it was more than 65 Decibels. Something needs to be done about the increased very loud flights going over our homes at all hours of the day and night. Especially now that there is a gas shortage the number of flights should be decreased and we should not have to use that awful smelling gas because of the increased air pollution due to the number of flights and their waiting times.
Iowa Avenue
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
We still have planes flying over the neighborhood setting off many of the car alarms, which just goes to prove the planes are flying lower and louder. What are you going to do about it?
Iowa Avenue
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
I’m part of the one of the committees on the noise study committee meetings. And I am very concerned because the level of noise lately has increased tremendously when these planes fly over. I couldn’t even tell which way it was coming from and going, it was so loud. But I think it was going, which seems kind of weird, it almost seems like it was going west, to like it was going west to the east. Kind of from the south to the north but I’m not even positive cause like I said lately when they’re coming over they are so loud that you just can’t figure out which way they’re coming from. And I want to know why they’re getting louder I thought the whole idea of the noise study was to lower the amount of decibels and noise going over our homes. And I’m noticing quite a bit today which is the 25th of September. And also during the night I’ve noticed that you’ve had more flights going over that are noisier and I want to know why there is an increase of flights going over at night and why they’re nosier. Just do not send me a form letter just saying well the flights are going over and they’re not really noisy you just think they are or that’s just normal for these airplanes. That’s not normal this is more than normal noise. So don’t send me a form letter telling me this is normal for these airplanes.
South Fourth Street
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
This is the third night out of four that I have been awakened by loud aircraft directly overhead. They are coming about every 80 to 90 seconds, and considering that you hear them coming and going, there is about 20 seconds of silence between each plane. I am actually considering selling this house--assuming that anyone would actually want to live here. This is ridiculous; we are told what colors we may paint these historic homes, which are protected by the Department of the Interior, but we must be subjected to this outrage on a nightly basis, which I am sure must be much more damaging to the structure.
New Albany, 47130
September 2000
The planes are so low they vibrate the house. I’ve talked to people in Louisville and in Indiana, and everyone gives me the runaround. These planes have plenty of room to go elsewhere. Something has to be don. I’m going to my congressman. The control tower told me the pilots just seemed to be a different breed and went were they wanted to go. I know they are not at their required height. It is just an accident waiting to happen.
New Albany, 47130
September 2000
At 4:05 one plane was so low it was at treetop level. Please do something about these planes.
Gillette Avenue
Louisville, 40209
September 2000
At 9:15 a.m. there was a continuous run-up noise.
Audubon Parkway
Louisville, 40203
September 2000
Here's a further sample of on-field weather conditions reported concurrent with observed departures over the most heavily populated areas north of the airport. Air was clear and dry, and preferred operations are to the south unless tailwind component exceeds 7 knots.
| Time | Direction | Speed | Tailwind Component |
| 1630 | 020 | 8 | 7 |
| 1740 | 080 | 8 | 0 |
| 1945 | 060 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010 | 070 | 4 | 1 |
| 2040 | 080 | 4 | 1 |
| 2105 | 100 | 3 | -1 |
| 2140 | 090 | 3 | -1 |
Either the recording instrument, or control of traffic, seems to be badly out of kilter.
Anonymous
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
Lots of aircraft noise over old Louisville. It is inexcusable.
Anonymous
Southern Indiana
September 2000
We’ve been awake since 4 a.m. It is horrible. They were okay for awhile. They come through here any way they want to and it is an accident waiting to happen. The rest of the aircraft usually turn off to the west or east. We are up 1,000 ft. with 70ft. trees and you can’t tell me they are up high enough. If they come down over here it will take out at least 1,000 people.
Melford Avenue
Louisville, 40217
September 2000
There were 2 planes that were very noisy taking off to the north on the east runway, one which appeared to be a DC-9, the other looked like a private jet. These were so loud it was uncomfortable to be outdoors, I am in Parkway Village and the hush kits are useless when the planes take off over us. We need some type of relief from this kind of aircraft.
Anonymous
Louisville
September 2000
At the U of L game on Saturday there was a plane taking off that flew so low it looked like it would hit the light posts. There were several aircraft throughout the game that were threatening. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
Pickwick Lane
Louisville, 40219
September 2000
Planes taking off to the south turn left and fly over my neighborhood. The air board bought land south of airport so the noise would not disturb other neighborhoods, but the planes are turning left before they go over the land bought. Is seems certain planes go over our neighborhood more than others do.
South Fourth Street
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
Extremely loud, whining aircraft approximately every two minutes from about midnight to nearly 2 a.m. They did space out to about every five minutes shortly after 2 a.m. I understand that weather conditions influence landing patterns; I understand that we will have airport noise occasionally. What I did object to last night was that the planes seemed lower than usual as they passed over my house, and that there seemed to be no letup. Also, I had bought noise reduction headphones to try, which cut down significantly on police and fire sirens. They did very little for planes. The whine was much more offensive than the usual roar we hear.
Louisville, 40208
September 2000
Date of noise event: September 10 through September 16, 2000. Time: Frequently
The Planes are frequently, especially at nights, flying so low and so loud that they are setting off all the car alarms in the neighborhood. Especially the "STARWARS" alarms that blast out for 20 minutes, and then in a short time, when its dark outside, another low flying loud plane flys over and it starts all over again. There is something wrong with the way the planes are flying to cause this. Sometimes it has happened during the daylight hours.