JACKSON HEIGHTS — Residents of Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst will have the chance to roar like a jet against increased plane noise and air traffic at an upcoming meeting.
Councilman Danny Dromm, along with other elected officials, will hold a public meeting on Monday, Nov. 25 at P.S 69 to allow residents to express their thoughts and, hopefully, make steps towards change.
While noise from planes either landing or taking off from nearby LaGuardia Airport isn't new, it has become louder — and much more frequent— than ever before, Dromm said.
The planes are also flying "noticeably lower" than before, he said.
"I'm getting complaints from all over the district," he said.
The plane noise comes from a new flight pattern called NextGen that the FAA started using months ago, Dromm said. The program allows for more frequent landings and takeoffs by using global-positioning technology to rack planes and allow air-traffic control to safely reduce the distance between them.
The program is also better for the environment, according to the FAA's site, and flying is "becoming quieter, cleaner and more fuel-efficient."
But the cleaner and more frequent flights have a downside, Dromm said: More noise.
The councilman said that he had to stop several times during a street renaming ceremony in September in East Elmhurst, and there's also been increased noise in the historic district in Jackson Heights.
Residents living inin northeast Queens neighborhoods have also complained about the flight pattern, saying that the community wasn't notified about the changes.
The FAA said it will attend Monday's meeting to "address residents' concerns about air traffic operations at LaGuardia Airport."
The public meeting for air traffic noise will be held at on Monday, Nov. 25 from 7 p.m. at P.S 69, 77-02 37th Avenue.
