LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Neighbors near Harry Reed International Airport said they were fed up with planes flying over their homes and didn’t agree to new flight procedures when the federal government introduced them.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Las Vegas Metroplex project went into effect in February 2021. The project was intended to streamline and secure airspace both inside and outside of Las Vegas.
8 News Now investigators gathered dozens of neighbors living southwest of the airport and told them that noisy planes have been constantly flying over their property since the establishment of the metroplex. Specifically, the neighbors live on Western Trails near Warm Springs Road and Decatur Boulevard.
“Some days are endless,” Ed Reed said. Reed moved to the area 45 years ago. His home is further west on Warm Springs Road to Rainbow He Boulevard.
“It quickly evolved into something more,” Reed said.
The new flight path will be via some general flights departing from Runway 19 from airports above the South West Valley. The plane should then make a right turn to the northwest as it leaves the airspace.
The reason for the change, according to preliminary project documents, is to eliminate the “need to taxi over two runways to depart” and simplify the workflow. A slide on proposed changes to the flow of traffic on the south side of the airport lists the “challenge” of “high load on air traffic controllers” and the “solution” of “some general aviation aircraft” using Runway 19. ing.
The FAA’s Record of Determination states that “all flight trajectories remain within historical flight trajectories.” “Therefore, no new territory overflows.”
“I wanted you to know that I write everything down,” said neighbor Karin Borgman. Borgman said she moved into her home in 1988. She said Ms. Borgman recorded all the noise on her plane and she called the airport hotline to complain about her.
“I could read the letters Delta on the bottom of the plane, but I’m blinder than a bat,” Borgman said.
Neighbors and county commissioners said they were told the new flight paths for general aviation aircraft would have no impact. But neighbors and commissioners said the FAA also categorizes charter flights and commercial flights. With the arrival of the Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas is seeing more charters.
A typical aircraft is parked on the west side of the airport adjacent to Las Vegas Boulevard and is close to its runways, requiring aircraft to taxi over “two congested runways,” the document said. there is
“We were promised one thing and they’re doing another,” said neighbor Casey Borges. “I feel cheated.”
“What does that noise represent?” 8 News Now Agent David Chaarns asked Bojes.
“It’s like a huge semi-truck on the highway, just standing there,” he says.
The FAA declined to be interviewed by cameras, but a spokesperson said the aircraft always departed from Runway 19.
“Although this route is primarily for general aviation aircraft, the FAA also assigns airlines that route if wind conditions prevent them from safely departing from other runways.”
Commissioner Michael Naft said, “I know when my neighbors heard ‘GA’ they thought of small planes or hobby planes.” The district of Naft includes the submerged area.
“We are kind of confused as to why they are still continuing with this plan and why they are not listening to the community,” Borges said.
While the Las Vegas Valley certainly stretched around the airport, flight paths have changed since the airport’s founding in the 1940s. Records show that older flight routes considered sparsely populated and industrialized areas.
FAA representatives made a presentation to Clark County Commissioners at a commission meeting in late 2021 about the project and the concerns of neighbors.
“I am never satisfied with this,” Naft said.
“We don’t have the human resources to meet with individual homeowner associations and neighborhoods,” FAA representatives told a panel discussion.
“That’s not an acceptable excuse for policymakers and government officials to say ‘no, we don’t meet with the public,'” Naft said.
At the time, Naft said there were more than 1,500 improper uses on the flight path between February 2021 and the fall meeting. Airports and the FAA may provide updated numbers as of Monday.
In a 2021 presentation, FAA officials said the new procedure would save about two gallons of jet fuel and reduce flight time by an average of about 30 to 40 seconds.
The FAA also said the procedure, which affects neighboring countries in the southwest, is part of extensive environmental research and a sound model. This model was run prior to the 2020 US Census and used 2010 population data.
Since then, the airport’s southwest zip code population has increased by 38%. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of homes in a zip code has increased 20% from 2010 to 2020.
Borges bought the house not expecting planes to fly overhead.
“Yes, we chose to live near the airport, but I don’t know how long ago the flight paths were established,” he said. “We have two small children and he woke up the night before wondering, ‘Is the plane going to land at my house?'”
An 8 News Now investigative team examined an old flight plan departing from Runway 19 and found no evidence of a far right turn in the previous pilot’s guidance.
Moreover, even though the “solution” to the ground transportation plan included repurposing more general aviation aircraft, possibly more small jets and aircraft, the FAA’s sound study indicated no change. I kept the aircraft types in the sound model with and without changes the same. Charter a bigger plane and on its runway.
The FAA’s sound investigation ultimately determined that “the proposed air traffic procedures would not alter runway use.” None of the documents reviewed by the eight News Now missions indicated that immediate right turns were considered as part of an environmental or soundness study.
“They are paid for by taxpayers’ taxes and they should be held accountable,” Naft said.
The FAA worked with airlines and pilots to make changes in the first few months after the introduction of Metroplex, including making runway 19 departures and right turns a last resort. for commercial aviation.
“So they’re finding a little gray area right now that it’s a 747, even though it’s a commercial plane,” Boges said.
With the federal government seemingly silent, neighbors and the county have had to put up with the noise.
“I expect some kind of empathy from them,” Borges said.
The FAA spokesperson added that “the Las Vegas Metroplex project did not change the use of the runway.” “The FAA has been completely transparent about the changes we proposed and ultimately implemented. I explained it on the display board posted on
“The FAA has released airspace routes for general aviation in 2021 when it completes the Las Vegas Metroplex project,” a spokesperson for the airport said. “Large aircraft, similar to commercial aircraft, use this route for charter flights, but fall under general aviation guidelines. However, the FAA may require commercial airlines to use this route under certain circumstances, such as wind and weather conditions, airfield construction activities, navigational assistance, and carrying capacity. The FAA manages air traffic control towers and uses publicly available routes to ensure the most efficient and safest operations.”
An airport spokeswoman said the Aviation Ministry has received 52 Metroplex-related complaints since February 2021. The FAA said it has received 22 complaints since February 2021.
In March 2023, the airport received a total of 104 complaints overall, some of which were concentrated in the southwestern neighborhood, according to the documents. Records show a total of 68 complaints were received at the airport in February 2023, a 43% decrease compared to February 2022, but a 300% increase compared to 2021. One household received 16 calls.
An FAA spokeswoman said the number of flights to and from the airport has increased dramatically since 2020 as the pandemic subsided, with traffic increasing by nearly 80%.
The airport noise complaint hotline is 702-261-3694.