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HomeMy WebLinkAbout17 - Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles 17-1 NEWPORT BEACH City Council Staff Report CITY OF February 9, 2016 Agenda Item No. 17 ABSTRACT: At a December 2015 meeting of the Aviation Committee, residents and committee members expressed support for studying certain aspects of departures from JWA – including: (1) a series of turns over the Upper Bay versus the current single-turn departure(s); and (2) takeoff procedures, with a view towards departure climb profiles. Because the FAA is in control of the airspace once wheels are up, these studies may be of limited value – but the Committee thought that the Council should consider moving forward on them. RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager to work with JWA staff and the FAA on: (a) an analysis of whether departure pattern involving curved turns to match the contours of the Upper Bay for some departures would result in less noise for more people (and advocacy for that if appropriate); and (b) an analysis of whether altitudes upon departure have changed over the last several years. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: The City’s adopted FY 2015-16 Budget has resources designated to assist in funding these studies, if necessary. DISCUSSION: Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (JWA) is one of the community’s most important neighbors. For more background about JWA, the Settlement Agreement, and more, please see the City’s website (search for “Aviation Committee”). TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: City Manager’s Office Dave Kiff, City Manager 949-644-3001, dkiff@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Dave Kiff, City Manager TITLE: Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 2 17-2 Departures, RNAV and NextGen The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has worked with major commercial air carriers and airports across the nation to implement NextGen. NextGen is an attempt to optimize airspace to improve safety, efficiency, and fuel economy by using “area navigation” (RNAV) that directs pilots to more precisely fly planes down specific arrival and departure corridors. The Council heard a presentation about NextGen’s possibilities for JWA back in 2015. The below two charts show departure paths flown today from JWA (Exhibit 1) and what the FAA is proposing for NextGen implementation (Exhibit 2): Exhibit 1 Exhibit 2 Also in 2015, the City later sent a letter to the FAA regarding concerns with the implementation of NextGen in our area (also referred to as the Southern California Metroplex). The letter was sent as a response to the FAA’s issuance of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the SoCal Metroplex. At the time, the City did not advocate for or against “fanning” or multiple departure alternatives. Generally, the City’s concerns surrounded: (a) uncertainty about the specific paths of the departures proposed for JWA (the FINNZ, PIGGN, and HAYLO); (b) the removal of a fly-over waypoint that today is Noise Monitoring Station #7 at the Newport Dunes for PIGGN, HAYLO, and FINNZ; (c) making the offshore waypoint (now called the STREL waypoint a fly-over versus a fly-by waypoint; and (d) a desire to have implemented departures tested for at least six (6) months before making them final. For Flights Going…Name RNAV or Not?% Flown/Day East (LAS, SLC)MUSEL7 Not < 10% East/South (PHX, DFW, STL, ORD)STREL3/4 RNAV 50% North/West (SFO, OAK, SEA, PDX)CHANL2 Not 40-45% What's Flown Today (%s are est) For Flights Going…Name RNAV or Not?% Flown/Day East (LAS, SLC)FINNZ RNAV < 10% East/South (PHX, DFW, STL, ORD)PIGGN RNAV 50% North/West (SFO, OAK, SEA, PDX)HAYLO RNAV 40-45% What the So Cal MetroPlex EA Suggests (%s are est) Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 3 17-3 Generally, the departure routes proposed would assign most departures to a path similar to the existing STREL 4, which is used by about half of all flights today (those going east of Las Vegas or south). See Attachment A for a map of the STREL. The FAA has not yet responded to comments on the EA, though they have suggested a three (3) month review period of implemented departures. The FAA initially said that new departure routes could occur as soon as November 2016 (PIGGN) and March 2017 (FINNZ and HAYLO). In Recent Months As NextGen is being implemented nationally, departures at JWA have caused discussion in the community unrelated to NextGen. However, the FAA’s work on the SoCal MetroPlex may serve as a basis to refine and modify the departures following further analysis. The community’s questions include: • Did certain departure paths display a westward lateral shift as a result of a change in September 2014 after JWA runways received a new compass designation? (the latter is referred to as Magnetic Variation or MagVr). • Even as louder, older planes transition out of JWA, the ten (10) Noise Monitoring Stations’ thresholds remain geared for 1985. These thresholds cannot be made more restrictive without violating the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA). Many aircraft can now depart without employing the historical noise-abatement departure procedure (NADP) that takes them up to 800’, then flaps are retracted, then power cut back and then a glide until the shoreline. Without the cutbacks, have altitudes been lower and therefore planes louder? In addition to the above, Committee members have discussed whether to advocate for something that the City studied in 2012-13. This GE Aviation/Naverus Inc. study looked at how to modify and design departure procedures utilizing “Required Navigational Performance” (RNP) and create precisely engineered paths that consist of a series of curves approximating the center of the Back Bay — from the departure end of the runway to open water. RNP is an even more technology-based departure pattern than Conventional or RNAV Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs). Exhibit 3 is a diagram of Conventional, RNAV, and RNP departures. Having more curves in the Upper Bay departure paths might keep more planes further from homes on each side of the bay, and may further reduce noise impacts. GE/Naverus concluded that a curved RNP design “offers a number of significant benefits” including: • The designed location of the flight path could incorporate input from citizens of Newport Beach to a greater extent than has been previously possible with legacy navigation methods. A curved flight path could be designed that would … reduce Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 4 17-4 the potential for direct overflights of residential communities on both the east and west sides of the Back Bay. • The new departure procedure would represent an important milestone for the FAA’s NextGen plan: the first use of the RNP specification for a public-use departure (in the continental US). • The RNP departure procedure could be flown by the majority of airline operators serving JWA. (page 6 of 61, John Wayne Airport Departure Feasibility Assessment, February 28, 2013) For more information about the GE Naverus study, see the City’s website at: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/home/showdocument?id=15548 Exhibit 3 Another possible benefit of the curved departure pattern for some flights versus all flights may be to reduce the frequency and intensity of flights that, once over a waypoint called TOING, would go routinely over specific neighborhoods. As an example, the planned PIGGN departure generally shows that nearly all commercial carriers would depart down the same path across the bay, leaving them traveling roughly directly over Ruby Avenue on Balboa Island. However, if half the flights (flights going east of Las Vegas) went out on the STREL 4/PIGGN path and half (flights going north via HAYLO, or going to Salt Lake City or Las Vegas via FINNZ) on a different curved path, the latter flights may not impact Ruby Avenue quite so much. See Attachment B for a possible curved path, overlaid on what has been referred to as the “ideal departure” path for JWA. Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 5 17-5 All of this is speculation unless studied further and – most importantly - embraced by the community, the airport, air carriers and the FAA. Departure Climb Profiles JWA has a well-known NADP that, generally, has planes initiate thrust cutback at not less than 800’ and prior to the point where the pilot retracts flaps or slats. This is called the “Close-In NADP.” There is another NADP called the Distant NADP. In the Distant NADP, flaps/slats are retracted before thrust cutback – which occurs higher than 800’ in altitude. As Exhibit 4 shows, the flaps provide drag to slow a plane down on landing, but when partially extended on takeoff allow a slower stalling speed to take off on a shorter runway. The slats provide additional lift to the wings so that a plane can fly at slower speeds. Exhibit 4 1991’s FAA Advisory Circular #91-53A (AC 91-53A) established specific criteria for Close-In and Distant NADPs nationwide. Following AC 91-53A’s guidance, in 1992-93, the City and County studied these two different NADP options. One would cut power back at 800’ in elevation (Close-in) and another at 1,500’ in elevation (Distant). The findings at the time were generally that the Close-In NADP was best for JWA given its Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 6 17-6 lesser impacts on noise to Santa Ana Heights and the Anniversary tract, although it was suggested that there are different advantages to the Distant NADP, depending in part on the technology of the plane. Exhibit 5 is a chart that shows more about the differences. It was the 800’ cutback that was then formalized for JWA in 1992-93. Exhibit 5 The ARTS Study In June 2008, the City sponsored a study done by ASRC Research and Technology Solutions (ARTS) called the JWA/Orange County Airport Departure Noise Impact Analysis. The ARTS study looked back at AC 91-53 in light of emerging technologies. The 2008 ARTS Study (page VI-2) noted that: The analysis and development of AC91-53 was done in 1993 … There are emerging technologies that will continue to provide improved noise characteristics and improved aircraft performance. … These may change the conclusions drawn in 1993 with regard to the best departure procedures for JWA. The noise-abatement departure procedures described in AC 91-53A involve trading noise levels close to the airport for noise levels more distant from the airport. In 2003, Minneapolis studied departure procedures and concluded that a “distant” departure procedure was optimum as compared to the “close-in” procedure described in AC 91-53A. However the geometry at each airport is unique and must be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. … Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 7 17-7 As newer aircraft enter the fleet, the departure procedures should be reviewed to ensure that the procedures in use represent the optimum procedure for operations and SNA (emphasis added). Later in 2008, Airport Consultant Tom Edwards reviewed departure procedures at JWA. At the time, he noted that the County of Orange had concerns about changing from the Close-In NDAP, as it could negatively impact airport-adjacent neighborhoods. Current Use of the Close-in NADP The Close-In NADP at JWA is not an actual requirement of the airport, the FAA, or the Settlement Agreement. What’s required is that planes pass by each of the seven (7) departure-side noise monitoring stations at a decibel level that is below the stations’ thresholds. As louder planes (like the MD-80) have transitioned out of use at JWA, some planes can depart from JWA without using an NADP, with some exceptions. The same model plane – where one is full of passengers and luggage and headed to the East Coast – may need to use the NADP, while another one headed to the Bay Area with day-only travelers and 65% full may not. Local residents have pointed this out – the frequent lack of use of the NADP – and have stated that they believe planes are flying out lower (and therefore may be louder) than in years past. Arguably, a flight that reaches 3,000’ or more faster will cause less noise on the ground – for most places outside of the airport’s vicinity – and may disperse fuel- related pollutants less intensively over a specific area. Members of the Aviation Committee voted to ask the Council to consider directing staff to work with JWA or a consultant to newly evaluate what the 2008 ARTS Study recommended, as well as to better understand altitudes over time. We believe that JWA staff has the ability and technology to do much of this data gathering and analysis, and will work with them closely to study altitudes for as extensive a comparison period as we can. This could be considered Phase I of the Altitude/NADP study. With that data in hand, the Aviation Committee and Council can weigh in at a future date on another aspect of their December 2015 discussion, which was to study whether a Distant NADP would result in less noise (and possibly less pollution) across the community and near the airport (considered Phase II). We’ll need to acknowledge, however, that the City has very limited control over this issue – especially what might finally be implemented. Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 8 17-8 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find that this action is not subject to CEQA pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A - Map of STREL 4 Attachment B - So-called “ideal departure” (in blue), a possible two-turn departure (in yellow) overlaid on a map of the JWA Noise Monitoring Stations Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 9 17-9 Attachment A Departures from John Wayne Airport, NextGen, Curved Paths, and Departure Climb Profiles February 9, 2016 Page 10 17-10 Attachment B Legend: • “Ideal Path” • Curved Path (possible)