Can technology help cut airport noise?

Navigation tech may reduce noise, say YYC officials

State-of-the-art navigation technology expected to be implemented at the Calgary International Airport later this year could go a long way toward addressing noise concerns in the city’s northeast, officials say.

Garth Atkinson, president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, said the new Required Navigation Performance procedures proposed for YYC by NAVCanada should allow for quieter aircraft arrivals.

RNP, as it is known, is a navigation system based on GPS technology that sets precise vertical and horizontal paths for aircraft. It allows aircraft to come in with a smooth, continuous descent, rather than taking a series of “steps” down to the runway as is current practice for most planes that land in Calgary. Using RNP allows a plane’s engine to do less work, meaning better fuel efficiency and also less noise.

“We’re optimistic that with some new technology and efforts, we’ll be able to minimize the impacts of aircraft activity,” Atkinson said in an interview after the Calgary Airport Authority’s annual general meeting Thursday. “There’s going to be some aircraft noise with an inner-city airport, but we really are trying very hard.”

Complaints about aircraft noise have plagued Calgary Airport officials since the 2014 opening of the new runway. Neighbourhoods such as Rundle, Whitehorn, Marlborough, and Radisson Heights seldom got flyover noise before, but now some residents in those communities say the sound of planes keeps them awake at night. And in spite of efforts to address the problem — including having planes delay their turns until 1,000 feet to maximize their altitude before flying over residential areas — many people are still frustrated.

“Quality of life has not been addressed at all,” said Marlborough resident Robert Grey, who was among numerous residents at Thursday’s airport AGM. “I can’t sit in my backyard and have a barbecue.”

Former city councillor John Schmal, who lives in Mayland Heights, said many residents feel the airport authority is not listening to them.

He said even though a hotline exists for noise complaints, many people who call the number never get a call back acknowledging their concerns have been heard.

“It’s telling them that no one’s really interested,” he said. “And that’s upsetting.”

Schmal said while planes departing southbound are supposed to fly over 16A Street N.E., they often deviate from the path to fly over 19th Street. He is urging the Calgary Airport Authority and NAVCanada to work together to implement GPS navigation so the planes maintain a path over commercial areas and do not drift into residential airspace, regardless of wind speeds.

“It’s the deviation that causes the problem, because then the plane gets much further into the community, causing much higher noise levels than what they would expect,” Schmal said.

Atkinson said airport officials are encouraging NAVCanada to find ways to keep aircraft that depart from the south runway flying straighter and higher before making any turns. But he added that while RNP procedures could go a long way to eliminating noise on descent, they aren’t permitted yet for departures in Canada.

“It’s being studied by NAVCanada and I think we will see it here,” Atkinson said. “But honestly, it could take a few years.”

RNP technology has been used in Canada since 2004, primarily by WestJet. New criteria published by Transport Canada enables RNP procedures to be designed for use by more airlines and types of aircraft. But even once NA V Canada implementsnew procedures for arrival sat the Calgary Airport’s runways, that doesn’t mean all airlines or pilots will have the equipment or training needed to use the technology.

The Calgary Airport Authority anticipates an early adoption rate of only 10 per cent.