Noise Complaint

Important Background Information

The Oregon Department of Aviation (ODAV) manages 28 public airports across Oregon. Because these airports are for everyone, we must treat all pilots fairly. Any pilot with a valid license can fly to and from our state-owned airports, if they follow the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).

It's important to know that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) makes and enforces all the rules about flying not ODAV. This includes rules for airspace, planes, and pilots. 

The Oregon Department of Aviation does not control what pilots do in the air. We can only enforce some rules on the ground. If a pilot breaks a Federal Aviation Regulation, the FAA is the agency that will investigate and take action. ODAV does not own or operate any airplanes that carry crews. 

Community Outreach / Aurora State Airport Noise Abatement Program

People who run airports, like us, listen to our surrounding communities to better understand noise impacts, and plan with noise impacts in mind. This includes improving the airport and finding ways to lessen or avoid adding noise for people who live nearby. We do this by making long-term plans, talking with the community, and looking into noise complaints from our neighbors.

Over the years, we've held public meetings and worked with noise committees. For example, we've created noise guidance for the Aurora State Airport. This guidance was made with help from the people living near the airport. They tell pilots how to fly to make less noise in certain areas. We ask pilots to "fly neighborly" and stay away from places where noise bothers people. We give pilots directions on where to take off, how to fly around the airport, and other tips to help them.

This noise guidance is a suggestion, not a law. We can’t require pilots to follow it. However, we really encourage all pilots to follow the guidance as much as they can. Besides talking with airport users and other people in public meetings, we've put our noise guidance on our website. We also use signs and other ways to tell pilots about the guidance when they use the airport.

Aircraft Operations Outside of Noise Abatement Procedures

There are many factors involved with aircraft operation. The pilot is always in charge and must make sure the flight is safe and follows all regulations. Air Traffic Controllers also consider many factors when giving directions in the airspace around Aurora’s airport.

Some of these factors include:

• How many aircraft are flying. 
  
• What kind of equipment does the aircraft have. 
  
• The pilot's experience. 
• The weather (like how far you can see, wind, and clouds). 

These can all change the path an aircraft takes when it arrives or leaves the airport. We want all pilots to use our noise guidance, but sometimes these other factors mean aircraft have to fly outside the noise guidance. This can bring aircraft closer to or over areas where noise is a concern. This doesn't mean the pilots are breaking any federal flying rules.

What do we do with Noise Complaints?

Noise complaints help us learn how aircraft flights affect people living near our airports. This helps us plan for the future and how to better improve our airports. When we get a noise complaint, we look at all the information we have. This includes the information provided in the complaint and what we see in our flight tracking systems. 

We may find information like: 

• The date and time of the flight. 
• The type of aircraft and its registration number. 
• Data from our flight tracking tools, which use special technology. 

Based on what we find, we may ask pilots to: 

• Follow our noise guidance when flying to or from Aurora. 
• Avoid flying too low over areas near our airports where noise is a problem, even if we don't have specific guidance for those areas.
  

Submitting a Noise Complaint or Question for a State-Owned Airport in Oregon