Category: Airport

Airport Awareness

10/17/2013

If you have noticed that there has been more take-off noise lately, the good news is that it is only a temporary measure.

The GTAA has informed us that maintenance will take place on Runway 06L – 24R meaning that Runway 06R – 24L will be used more than usual. There may also be more traffic on Runway 05 -23. Work is scheduled for completion by October 4th. Fortunately, this work should have no impact on the adherence to the preferential runway system, as our main preferential runways are available.

Departing on Runways 06R means that traffic is closer to some residents than when departing on Runway 06L.

For more information visit www.torontopearson.com/en/noiseadvisory/#

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airport update

5/13/2013

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The Night Flight Budget for 2013 has been increased to 14324 movements, an increase of 3.7% from 2012. A movement is considered to be an arrival or a departure. This should have minimal effect on Rockwood. A 3-year history of night flight runway usage shows that the
GTAA uses the preferential runways over 90% of the time and uses the 33L/15R runway less than 1% of the time. 33L/15R usage is mostly for weather related/safety issues and is uncontrollable by any of us. The preferred night flight runways for departures are 23, 33R and 24R and for arrivals 05, 15L and 06L.

The Early Turn Trial (ongoing since March of 2008) on the north/south runways continues. This trial covers from early turns from 6:30 a.m. to 6:59 a.m. and 11:01 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. No information is available as to how long the trial will continue or what the criteria will be to have the procedure being made permanent. If these flights adversely affect you, register a complaint online at www.
torontopearson/en/noisecomplaint or call 416-247-7682. Make yourself heard. I recommend you visit www. torontopearson/en/noisemanagement to see where noisemonitoring stations are located, summer runway construction plans improvements being made to the complaint process and other information is available.

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Night Flights, Noise, Early Turns...What is the Story?

5/7/2012

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Author: Gordon Crymble, Secretary, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

In the last couple of years the GTAA has begun conducting a Community Outreach program in an effort to better communicate the operations of the airport with residents. For many of us, it is a case of Airport 101 and it is much appreciated.

The first Outreach I attended was regarding a proposed series of three 10% increases in night flights at Pearson. Night flights are movements (landings or take offs) that occur between 12:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. At the time I was not aware that there is currently an average of 38 night flights each and every night. In fact, I had been erroneously told by other residents in the past that there were no night flights allowed at all. The reason we don’t notice them is mainly because runway 33L/15R, whose flight path is directly over Rockwood, has the lowest priority for usage at night. Consequently, I felt and still feel a bump in night flights would appear to have a minimal effect on our community.

However, as I attended a number of Outreaches, I encountered a lot of very angry people about perceived increased airplane noise. For the most part, their concern involved a procedure called “early turns”. This procedure allows planes to turn towards their destinations at lower altitudes than previously. These early turns generally go directly over Rockwood. Early turns of Propeller Aircraft for all runways have been in place since the 1970’s. Early turns for smaller jet aircraft on east/west runways was formalized in 2005 after a trial started in 2000. How many people, if any remember being informed of this trial and providing input into its impact? Regardless, it is too late as the procedures are formalized. However, many people perceive the number of early turns has increased and so has the noise. I have been told by the GTAA that the numbers have not increased. I have requested the data regarding the number of early turns on each flight path from 2008 until now to verify their claim. To date, they have not provided the data. Even if there has been an increase, I don’t know if anything can be done about it but it would be nice to know.

This is background to the point there are currently two trials under way that do directly affect the Rockwood and Applewood Heights communities. Both trials were started in 2008 and are currently under review (not sure what that means). Until I started attending these Outreaches, I was not even aware of the trials. The trials are;

1. Extending the hours for “early prop turns” from 7 am – 11 pm to 6:30 am – 11:30 pm.
2. “Early jet turns” are now being used on the two north/south runways.

I do not know what we as residents can do to fight these trials from becoming formalized. I do not know if the residents even care. However, I do know that now you know what is underway. There is an upcoming Rockwood AGM on May 17 where Robyn Connelly from the GTAA and Councillor Chris Fonseca will be in attendance. This will be your chance to voice your concerns, demand some answers about what can be done by the residents to prevent these trials from becoming formalized and find out what your Councillour is doing to address your concerns.

We’ve all heard of the Noise complaint System. I’m not sure of how it works or if it really has any effect. At the next CENAC meeting on June 6 at 4 pm at the GTAA offices, there is to be a presentation of the Noise Complaint Procedure and how it works. The public is usually welcome to ask questions and make comments at these meetings.

I suggest that all those who have concerns show up to better understand how the system works and what you need to do to make it effective for you. If you do not act now, do not complain later.

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gtaa to increase night flights

3/12/2012

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Author: Gordon Crymble
Secretary, Rockwood Homeowners' Association

The GTAA (Greater Toronto Airport Authority) has applied to Transport Canada to increase the night flight limits. Night flights are take-offs or landings between 12:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The reason for the increase is to satisfy primarily an expanding demand from Asian markets.

With an average of 36 night flights per night, these flights are capped as a percentage of total flights. Currently the cap is 3% of the total number of flights arriving or leaving Toronto Pearson. None of these night flights currently use the 33L/15R runway that is the direct flight path over Rockwood. The proposed increases should not change this.

While Toronto Pearson has requested a “modest increase” in the percentage of night flights allowed, this will be an ongoing issue as plans to increase day flights will create more demand for additional night flights. Further increases would be triggered by demand reaching 95% of the budget in the previous year (currently, approx. 13,200).

Last year Pearson turned down approximately 1,000 requests for night flights. Therefore, demand is already at 107.5%. So, even if demand remained stagnant, the new demand level after the first bump would be 97.8% and thereby trigger a second increase.

The number of night flights could be up to at least 44 in two years. There is already an allowance in place to increase night flights by whatever increase there is in passenger volume. So, a bump because of night flight demand could trigger another increase and thus allow the GTAA to double dip on night time demand.

As the GTAA has openly stated their goal of becoming North America’s gateway to the world, we can expect to hear more night flights in the years to come. While the north south runway under which
we live is not generally used to accommodate these flights, it is pulled into service when wind conditions
require this runway to be used.

In response to resident feedback, Councillor Fonseca has requested the GTAA to provide a presentation to the community on March 7th,from 7-8 p.m. at the Dixie Curling Club located at 3071 Palstan Rd. Representatives of Navigation Canada, and Transport Canada will also attend.

Although increases in night flights will have a minimal impact on Rockwood, increase in demand for flights from Asia to North America is a reality. The dilemma is that the airport is a serious source of revenue for the city not to mention the potential for increased business and associated employment opportunities in our backyard. Increased airport utilization will only enhance the value of our homes provided the associated noise levels do not increase from their current levels.

If you would like more information please go to www.torontopearson.com/community or www.GTAA.com or email community. engagement@gtaa.com.

*Please note this article was originally published in the Spring 2010 edition of The Rockwood Times.

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Airport Awareness

airport update

Night Flights, Noise, Early Turns...What is the Story?

gtaa to increase night flights

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