FAA shoots down Lakeland's first plan to reduce jet noise
LAKELAND — Instead of fulfilling a spring promise to reduce noise from the rumble of jet engines over Lakeland, city officials are vowing to try again in 2022.
Lakeland city commissioners approved a $201,150 contract with Texas-based Hughes Aerospace Corp. to develop a "parkway approach" to Lakeland Linder International Airport. It will be the commission's second attempt after the Federal Aviation Administration shot down a previous plan submitted by the city earlier this year.
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"People may be upset and I'm disappointed myself," Airport Director Gene Conrad said. "I have to follow the FAA, they have the exclusive authority to control air traffic."
Earlier this year, Lakeland commissioners conceded after receiving dozens of complaints about the rumble of low-flying jets since Amazon opened for business in July 2020. The corporation regularly flies Boeing 737 and 767 jets in and out of the airport.
In March 2021, the city hired consultant ABCx2 to develop what is called a "visual approach" to Lakeland Linder to abate air traffic noise. The contract was for about $50,000. The proposed "visual approach" plan would have guided incoming planes along South Florida Avenue, turning over the Polk Parkway to land at Lakeland Linder. A visual approach requires pilots to use landmarks and roadways to guide their flight path away from highly residential areas.
The city submitted the plan in August they hoped would be approved, according to Conrad. The FAA rejected it on Oct. 5.
Now, Conrad will work with consultants from Hughes Aerospace Corp. to chart what's called a RNAV/GPS Instrument Flight Procedure. This would call for planes to use instrumentation to develop a precise, GPS-based path that utilizes the same South Florida Ave. to Polk Parkway route.
"Unfortunately, it will take us a year to do that," Conrad said.
If there's a silver lining, Conrad said the more precise plan can be used by pilots under a wider array of weather conditions. A visual approach can only be used in fair weather conditions when visibility is good and there's no low cloud coverage.
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"If there's bad weather, the visual approach wouldn't allow airplanes to come in to land," the airport director said.
As part of this new contract, the city will also have a standard instrument-based departure procedure developed. It will create a defined corridor for takeoffsallowing aircraft to climb higher faster to get above the city and diminish noise, according to Conrad.
The parkway approach being developed for Lakeland Linder International Airport is part of a three-pronged approach by the city to reduce jet engine noise.
The airport implemented a preferential runway use program for its main runway 927 in March. The program changes the direction of planes approaching and taking off over Lakeland between the overnight hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
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The city also continues to work with Tampa Air Traffic Control, which regulates airspace over 2,000 feet above Lakeland Linder, to allow planes to climb higher to reduce the noise over the city.
Getting these noise abatement measures in place will be important to residents as Amazon is planning a nearly 63-acre expansion by building a 64,600-square-foot cargo sorting facility with additional parking for three jets, a 370-slot truck bay, and large employee parking lot.
These facilities would allow the company to double its number of flights per day, from 22 to 44 by 2027.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland to revamp plans to reduce jet noise after FAA objects
