Serving aviation demand, while managing aircraft noise within the airport’s environs, is a challenge for all airports. Annoyance by aircraft noise is a very personal issue. One individual can be greatly bothered an aircraft passing overhead, while another individual may hardly notice the same noise.
The federal government regulates airport operations, airspace, and aircraft. The Airport is owned and operated by the City of Arlington; however, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates virtually all aspects of airport operations. The FAA has designated the Arlington Municipal Airport as a general aviation “reliever” airport, designed to relieve traffic from DFW and Love Field, the region’s commercial service airports.
- The FAA requires that this Airport be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- The City cannot ban any specific type or size of aircraft from operating at the airport, based on noise levels.
- The City cannot establish any type of curfew without FAA approval. No airport curfews have been approved by the FAA in many years.
The FAA also manages the airspace nationwide, controls aircraft in flight, establishes flight patterns, and determines minimum flight altitudes for aircraft. Aircraft taking off and landing use flight paths established by the FAA, and generally must achieve and operate at a minimum altitude of 1,000 ft. for aircraft and 500 ft. for helicopters.
The reduction of aircraft noise, through development of quieter engines, has been a key goal of the FAA. Aircraft are classified in different noise “Stages”, with Stage 1 being the noisiest and Stage 3 being the quietest. As of Dec. 31, 2015, the FAA prohibits airplanes with a maximum weight of 75,000 pounds or less from operating within the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. unless they meet Stage 3 noise levels. This includes all aircraft currently operating at Arlington Municipal.