THE AIRCRAFT NOISE ISSUE
Clearly, our comittee and most of the residents we have spoken to are unhappy with the sudden increase of aircraft noise over the Sutherland Shire.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
This is not an easy question to answer, as it is difficult to get a consistent response to our problems from Airservices Australia.
What we do know is the following:
* BOREE4 FLIGHT PATH: the Boree4 is a relatively new Flight path that has created a major "highway" in the sky over much of Greater Sydney including the Sutherland Shire. This is not the only new or hugely increased flightpath that is affecting the Sutherland Shire, but it appears to be of major concern.
(Please see the graphs at the bottom of this page for more details on this flight path.)
* INACCURATE DATA: Airservices Australia has a tracking service online that can be viewed here: WEBTRAK that displays all of the aircraft movements Sydney. Incredibly, many of these displayed flightpaths are inaccurate. This affects the reporting of aircraft movement statistics to the Government.
* INACCURATE COUNTING: The Boree4 Flightpath, which begins well over the North of Sydney (north of Wahroonga), then flies in a Southerly direction until it reaches the Sutherland Shire, circles, and then turns briefly over the ocean before landing at Kingsford-Smith airport, and for statistics is counted as an ocean flight! All of these flights are included in statistics provided to the Government showing that a higher percentage of aircraft flights are now flying over the ocean, when this is totally ridiculous and clearly incorrect.
* THE CURFEW: While the 6.00am curfew was designed to protect the residents of Sydney from early morning aircraft noise, it is now having the opposite effect for the residents of the Sutherland Shire. Aircraft that are arriving in Sydney well before 6.00am are flying down the Boree4 flight path and circling over the Shire from 5.30am onwards, before returning to the airport after 6.00am. There is no sane reason why these aircraft should not be in a "holding pattern" over the ocean, instead of areas over Sydney including the Sutherland Shire at these early hours of the day.
* TIGHTER FLIGHT PATHS: With more accurate technology introduced into aircrafts and airports, aircraft flights are now running on even more specific flight paths. This technology should allow flight paths to be divided and more easily shared across the community, however, the opposite is now the case. The new routes are affecting a smaller number of residents in a much bigger way.
* MONEY: Qantas have admitted, and are not shy about the matter, that across Australia these new flight routes will save them $20 millions dollars per year in fuel costs (see Sydney Morning Herald Article). We don't object to saving of fuel. The problem is that AA seems incapable of using the new technology well. Many of these flights into Sydney are not even flying directly a direct route, but are circling overland before making their final approach. There is no reason why many of these flights could not fly over either unpopulated areas such as the Royal National Park or over the ocean without actually travelling any further distance and so use no extra fuel. In fact it would seem that at present the flights are using excess fuel whilst flying over populated areas on approach.
* INCONSISTENT RESPONSES: Many of our committee members and residents we have contacted have received inconsistent and inaccurate responses from Air Services Australia. Some of the responses to the increases aircraft noise have included:
- "Temporary Noise increase while an airport upgrade was being carried out at Sydney Airport" - the work was completed in February 2010, and the noise not abated, and in many instances, has got worse.
- "Stormy weather and Dangerous Flying Conditions" - while as fair-minded people, we do not mind that aircraft movements should change suddenly to avoid dangerous flying conditions for safety reasons, the truth is that we were not affected by aircraft noise three years ago in "stormy weather", so why is this only occurring recently, and why is this excuse only being handed out now? The evidence does not support AA claims.
- "Nothing has changed, the residents are becoming "aware" of noise that has always been here" - yes, Airservices Australia has had the cheek to suggest that we are imagining things!!! In fact they have even lied to Federal MP Scott Morrison when he asked the question in the Sydney Airport Community Forum. They continued this stance until their own (albeit inaccurate) reports proved them to have been misleading the Forum and the public.
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WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
This is not an easy question to answer, as it is difficult to get a consistent response to our problems from Airservices Australia.
What we do know is the following:
* BOREE4 FLIGHT PATH: the Boree4 is a relatively new Flight path that has created a major "highway" in the sky over much of Greater Sydney including the Sutherland Shire. This is not the only new or hugely increased flightpath that is affecting the Sutherland Shire, but it appears to be of major concern.
(Please see the graphs at the bottom of this page for more details on this flight path.)
* INACCURATE DATA: Airservices Australia has a tracking service online that can be viewed here: WEBTRAK that displays all of the aircraft movements Sydney. Incredibly, many of these displayed flightpaths are inaccurate. This affects the reporting of aircraft movement statistics to the Government.
* INACCURATE COUNTING: The Boree4 Flightpath, which begins well over the North of Sydney (north of Wahroonga), then flies in a Southerly direction until it reaches the Sutherland Shire, circles, and then turns briefly over the ocean before landing at Kingsford-Smith airport, and for statistics is counted as an ocean flight! All of these flights are included in statistics provided to the Government showing that a higher percentage of aircraft flights are now flying over the ocean, when this is totally ridiculous and clearly incorrect.
* THE CURFEW: While the 6.00am curfew was designed to protect the residents of Sydney from early morning aircraft noise, it is now having the opposite effect for the residents of the Sutherland Shire. Aircraft that are arriving in Sydney well before 6.00am are flying down the Boree4 flight path and circling over the Shire from 5.30am onwards, before returning to the airport after 6.00am. There is no sane reason why these aircraft should not be in a "holding pattern" over the ocean, instead of areas over Sydney including the Sutherland Shire at these early hours of the day.
* TIGHTER FLIGHT PATHS: With more accurate technology introduced into aircrafts and airports, aircraft flights are now running on even more specific flight paths. This technology should allow flight paths to be divided and more easily shared across the community, however, the opposite is now the case. The new routes are affecting a smaller number of residents in a much bigger way.
* MONEY: Qantas have admitted, and are not shy about the matter, that across Australia these new flight routes will save them $20 millions dollars per year in fuel costs (see Sydney Morning Herald Article). We don't object to saving of fuel. The problem is that AA seems incapable of using the new technology well. Many of these flights into Sydney are not even flying directly a direct route, but are circling overland before making their final approach. There is no reason why many of these flights could not fly over either unpopulated areas such as the Royal National Park or over the ocean without actually travelling any further distance and so use no extra fuel. In fact it would seem that at present the flights are using excess fuel whilst flying over populated areas on approach.
* INCONSISTENT RESPONSES: Many of our committee members and residents we have contacted have received inconsistent and inaccurate responses from Air Services Australia. Some of the responses to the increases aircraft noise have included:
- "Temporary Noise increase while an airport upgrade was being carried out at Sydney Airport" - the work was completed in February 2010, and the noise not abated, and in many instances, has got worse.
- "Stormy weather and Dangerous Flying Conditions" - while as fair-minded people, we do not mind that aircraft movements should change suddenly to avoid dangerous flying conditions for safety reasons, the truth is that we were not affected by aircraft noise three years ago in "stormy weather", so why is this only occurring recently, and why is this excuse only being handed out now? The evidence does not support AA claims.
- "Nothing has changed, the residents are becoming "aware" of noise that has always been here" - yes, Airservices Australia has had the cheek to suggest that we are imagining things!!! In fact they have even lied to Federal MP Scott Morrison when he asked the question in the Sydney Airport Community Forum. They continued this stance until their own (albeit inaccurate) reports proved them to have been misleading the Forum and the public.
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AIR SERVICES AUSTRALIA WEBTRAK
Residents can view the flight paths taken by aircraft over Sydney at the following link:
http://www331.webtrak-lochard.com/webtrak/syd3
This Tracking Service is about 20 to 30 minutes behind current time, however, you can also enter a date and time to look at historical data.
The accuracy of the flight paths are not perfectly aligned. However, this Webtrak service shows two clear items:
* Planes travelling in a North - South direction from the North of Sydney to Sutherland (Boree4), and circling over our residential area before turning out to sea, when there is no reason why these flights could not travel parallel to the cooast over the Tasman Sea, instead of needlessly flying over most of Sydney, and worse,
* Planes travelling in a South - North direction that reaches the Sutherland Shire before again turning South and then flying to the Tasman Sea before making their final approach. There is simply no reason why these flights just don't turn off towards the Tasman Sea prior to Waterfall, or even far earlier, instead of needlessly flying over our Shire and then turning back. There is no argument on "fuel savings" when they are just circling while waiting for their final approach to Sydney Airport.
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http://www331.webtrak-lochard.com/webtrak/syd3
This Tracking Service is about 20 to 30 minutes behind current time, however, you can also enter a date and time to look at historical data.
The accuracy of the flight paths are not perfectly aligned. However, this Webtrak service shows two clear items:
* Planes travelling in a North - South direction from the North of Sydney to Sutherland (Boree4), and circling over our residential area before turning out to sea, when there is no reason why these flights could not travel parallel to the cooast over the Tasman Sea, instead of needlessly flying over most of Sydney, and worse,
* Planes travelling in a South - North direction that reaches the Sutherland Shire before again turning South and then flying to the Tasman Sea before making their final approach. There is simply no reason why these flights just don't turn off towards the Tasman Sea prior to Waterfall, or even far earlier, instead of needlessly flying over our Shire and then turning back. There is no argument on "fuel savings" when they are just circling while waiting for their final approach to Sydney Airport.
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THE NEW BOREE4 FLIGHT PATH AFFECTING THE SHIRE
Quarter 4 - 2007
The Boree4 Flight Path does not even register on the official Flight Path map.
Quarter 4 - 2008
The Boree4 Flight Path, running north-south (see the line running 12.05 to 12.35 on a clock face) becomes quite prominent.
Quarter 4 - 2009
The Boree4 Flight Path is now firmly entrenched as a major "highway" for aircraft, and directly over the Sutherland Shire.
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AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA WEBTRAK REPLAYS
Here are some recorded replays of the Webtrak service. You will need to expand the video picture to "full screen" to view properly.
30 MAY 2010 - 06.00am Arrivals
This first example shows AirServices Australia directing Aircraft Traffic reasonably well without flying in from ocean then over shire and back out. It proves that AirServices Australia can manage the flights well without unduly affecting residents in the Shire. If they can do it on some days they can do it every day.
