NOISE ABATEMENT

The Nantucket Memorial Airport Commission conducted a FAR Part 150 Noise Abatement Study with the support of the FAA.The process involved significant new studies by aviation consultants, participation by the major airline and private aircraft operators at the airport, involvement of interested and impacted civic parties, and meetings and deliberations by the Airport Commission.  Out of this cooperative process have come new VFR noise abatement air routes intended to reduce the impact of aircraft operations, particularly noise, on the island of Nantucket and on its residents.

A significant part of the charm and attractiveness of Nantucket has to do with its quietude. Removed from the hustle and bustle of mainland life, Islanders and Visitors enjoy the essence of tranquility.  Importantly, the threshold for "acceptable" aircraft noise on Nantucket is much lower than that for most other airports and airport communities.

Our pilot visitors can make a valuable contribution to our goal of keeping Nantucket, not only a nice place to visit, but also a peaceful place to live.  A reminder that reduced RPM arrival and departure profiles and your cooperation in abiding by our VFR noise abatement flight tracks is greatly appreciated by everyone!

To help manage noise effectively, Nantucket Memorial Airport has a Noise Hotline, 508.325.7531, to record citizen's concerns. The staff makes every effort to answer the Hotline on weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. otherwise, the message is recorded. Staff can also be reached by submitting the on-line Noise Complaint Form.

Our first priority is to be responsive to callers. We listen to each caller's comments and respond as soon as possible with pertinent information. The Environmental Office documents noise line complaints by obtaining information from the caller about the nature of the complaint, time of occurrence, residents location and the activity that was disturbed. The Environmental Office collects other pertinent information from our flight tracking system about the probable activity responsible for the event(s) and provides a written report to the complainant. The written report contains information about the probable activity responsible for the call, weather at the time of occurrence, runways and traffic pattern procedures in use. Written reports are also sent to the FAA and aircraft operators.

Nantucket Memorial Airport is committed to reducing, where possible, the effects and exposure of aircraft noise to residents and visitors.