The FAA is inviting the public and stakeholders to review and recommend updates to the agency’s civil aviation noise policy. The policy sets forth how the agency analyzes, explains, and publicly presents information on noise exposure consequences from aviation activity, including unmanned aircraft systems, spacecraft, and emerging-technology aircraft.
Comments are requested on these key items and more, including the FAA’s current use of the day-night average sound level (DNL) as the primary metric for assessing a person's cumulative aircraft noise exposure over a 24-hour period; if and how alternative metrics may be used in lieu of or in addition to DNL to improve agency decisions and its disclosure of noise effects; how to better manage and respond to aviation noise concerns; ways to improve communications on proposed noise-related agency rules, policies, and other actions; and using research findings to better measure health issues, speech interference, sleep disturbance, and economic impacts.
In addition to submitting comments to the Federal Register notice, comments may also be submitted to webinars scheduled May 16, 18, 23, and 25 on Zoom. The meetings will also livestream on the FAA’s YouTube account. The comment period on the review runs to July 31.