FAQ - What Is The Basic Nature Of The Airplane Noise Problem In  Foster City

Question: What is the basic nature of the airplane noise problem in Foster City?

Answer: The close proximity of the City to the airport (6 miles), and the orientation of the airport landing runways (28L/R) is such that majority of the landing traffic must fly directly or nearly directly over the north eastern part of the City at relatively low altitudes. Typical number of flights over this area is three to four hundred a day. This largely unavoidable fact makes for the very frequent and highly annoying noise levels received by residents located in Neighborhood 2 of the City. Also impacted significantly, but to a lesser extent, are residences in Neighborhoods 1 and 3.

SFO is a major hub, and air traffic comes from all directions. Portions of the landing traffic coming from the North is directed to come down the peninsular west of Foster City and Highway 101 at relatively high altitude. This traffic then normally turns eastward over Palo Alto and Menlo Park and then north westward to line up for a straight in landing toward 28L/R near the shore of Foster City. However, sometimes, some part of this traffic (less concerned pilots?) elects to turn eastward early directly into Foster City, cut across the City center, and then joins the straight in approach to the Airport at or near the HW 92 Bridge. These short cutting airplanes at 1500 to 2000 feet over the center portion of the City would cause noise levels as high as those normally experienced in Neighborhood 2, but much fewer occurrences in a given day. Effort on the part of the Airport and FAA Traffic Controllers, by communicating better with the airlines and pilots, has substantially lower the occurrences of such short-cut practices from about 30-40 a day to about 5-15 a day for jet powered airplanes.

Management of the normally high traffic volume into and out of SFO in a manner to minimize delays in operations gave rise to some special problems to Foster City. Turbo-prop airplanes into SFO, because of their smaller size and lower speed, do not ?mix? well with the larger jet powered airplanes in the landing approach streams. They are ?permitted? to short cut across Foster City in order to land. Turbo-prop planes are generally quieter (5-10 dB) than the larger jets but they are intrusive nevertheless. Movement in technology is in the direction that use of turbo-props will go down to nearly zero in the next few years.

San Carlos to the south of Foster City has a small airport in which general aviation type airplanes operate from. Although the airport management is active in advising the airplane operators to be sensitive and to stay away from intrusion into Foster City, there are still occasional complaints from Neighborhoods 7 and 8 that may be traced to operations out of San Carlo Airport.


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