Residents tired of loud airplane noise disturbing the peace in their neighborhoods, on their porches or even while they sleep have recourse: Complain.
That’s the advice of Montgomery County Quiet Skies Commission, a group of volunteers frustrated by the noise created by airplanes flying overhead. To and from Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The official mission of the group is to “resolve the untenable levels of aircraft noise, air pollution, and flight safety risks imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration's flight paths and procedures at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).”
The group formed in 2015 after FAA changes in airplane departure paths from Ronald Reagan National Airport were approved in 2013 and those for approaches in 2015.
Last week the group met at a community meeting at the Avenel Community Association office in Potomac to give residents an update on progress and inform newcomers on the purpose of the local Skies Coalition. About 30 people came out to the meeting on what was a very rainy night.
“We are an advocacy group,” said Janelle Wright, Quiet Skies member, who conducted the meeting. “We do not want to move the noise over other communities; we think the FAA can disperse the flights and increase the altitude [of approaches.]”
The group meets regularly as part of a community working group with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to discuss concerns about the 450 flights a day at National Airport.
They also lobbied the Montgomery County Council for money to hire a noise expert to add professional expertise and statistics to community members’ complaints. The council set aside $125,000 for that purpose and Arlington County added the same amount. Unfortunately, after a year of trying to work out an operating protocol allowing both counties to hire the same expert, the Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition rejected, just before last week’s meeting, the idea of working with Arlington County.
After a year they are now back at step one, Wright said.
“It’s been a year of frustration,” she said. “We want to hire someone who can do noise studies, we are totally outmatched [by the FAA].”
“You are right, it's like a David and Goliath situation,” Anne Hollander, another member of the group, said.
There was good news, though. The group is now a registered nonprofit and can accept tax deductible donations.
And there were statistics pointing to the power of citizens’ complaints.
“It is very important to complain so we can show there is a problem,” Basem Makar, another member of the group, said.
What is needed is more complaints by a wider group of people, the group said.
“I’m sick of complaining but it's helpful,” Wright said. “It’s a pressure point, and it helps support our advocacy.”
To submit a complaint, visit:
http://www.flyreagan.com/dca/dca-reagan-national-submit-noise-complaint
Further directions for registering a complaint read:
Scroll past the legalese and Click on the link for either Mobile Phone or Webform (if you are on a computer)
Click on Sign Up. You will be taken to a form asking for your name, address, etc. to set up a profile. You will also create a user name (your email address) and password. Important: You must create a profile to log a complaint. It has to do with data integrity as the profile enables the noise complaint system to track how many times one person complains vs. how many different people are filing complaints. Your personal information is not shared with anyone. The system creates a unique ID and that is what they use each time you log in.
Once you have created your profile, you will be taken to a complaint form. The next time you use the mobile link or go to the complaint webform at the DCA website, you will login with your username and password. The software takes about 10 seconds to check your profile and then the complaint form is displayed.
Fill in the Date, Time and Disturbance Type. You can also submit comments.
Check the box that says I am not a robot. Jump through that hoop and Click on Submit Complaint. You will get a “receipt.”
If you file complaints via a mobile phone, you are able to see a history of your complaints by clicking on the lines in the upper left corner and selecting History. This history does not include any complaints filed using the Webform.
To make it even easier to file complaints, put a Reagan National Noise Complaint Link on the home screen of your mobile phone by:
Go to the browser on your phone and type in the following URL:
http://viewpoint-app.emsbk.com/dca
Tap the Upload icon () at the bottom of the screen, then scroll to the bottom row of options until you see “Add to Home Screen”.
Click on “Add to Home Screen”, then click on “Add” in the upper right corner.
Here is a 1-minute YouTube video tutorial illustrating the steps above.
How to Set Up A DCA Noise Complaint Link on Your iPhone
For an Android Phone:
Go to the browser on your phone and type in the following URL:
http://viewpoint-app.emsbk.com/dca
Tap the row of dots in the upper right corner, then select “Add to Home Screen, then scroll to the bottom row of options until you see “Add to Home Screen”.
Click on “Add to Home Screen”, then click on “Add” in the box that comes up.
Here is a 1-minute YouTube video tutorial illustrating the steps above.
How to Set Up a DCA Noise Complaint Link on Your Android Phone
For more information about Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition visit:
https://sites.google.com/site/208xxquietskies.