The current FAA NextGen directive for aircraft departing south from DCA has been the impetus for considerable dialogue. I have lived in the Mount Vernon area for over 50 years and am very familiar with aviation noise — the last 33 of those in Westgrove which is particularly impacted by the noise. A fair and sensible solution to this problem would be an equitable distribution of aircraft turning west over all our neighborhoods south of Alexandria City so that no one community has to suffer constantly from the current “Super Highway in the Sky” as we do in Westgrove.
Even to me, the recent proposal to simply send all the planes further south before turning west at a higher attitude does not seem fair. We should all share this noise burden together and equally.
Those of us who park cars out in the open, away from trees, underneath this aerial “Super Highway” will notice an oily residue coating them in dry weather. This substance that drifts down from above is the combustion by-products of Avtur jet fuel. Jet exhaust contains vaporized kerosene and several additives. Does this pose a health hazard? I do not know, but fuel for thought, too (no pun intended).
Ed Hindman, DDS
Alexandria