noise

DCA Runway Work May Direct More Planes Over Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Through the end of 2011, crews will be working to rehabilitate the main runway at Reagan National Airport. The work will force the closure of the runway at night, and will result in more planes flying closer to Arlington.

Reagan National’s Runway 1/19 will be closed for milling and resurfacing each night, weather-permitting, from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The project — the first such work on the 6,869-foot runway since 1990 — is expected to wrap up before the end of the year.

There are no scheduled departures at DCA after 10:00 p.m., but there are about a dozen regularly-scheduled nighttime arrivals that will need to land on another runway after 11:00 each night, according to airport officials. The runway that’s most likely to be used is Runway 15/33, which points northwest/southeast. Depending on prevailing winds and weather, arriving flights will either be directed to approach from the northwest — thus flying over Rosslyn and the Pentagon — or from the southeast, over Southeast D.C. and the Potomac.

Residents have expressed concern over increased late night air traffic.

“They’re still landing right now at 12:05… [and] flying directly over Rosslyn,” said an anonymous tipster, in an email sent last night. “This will be a major headache for the rest of the year.”

Airport officials, however, suggest the impact will be minimal.

“Folks won’t be seeing these 12 arrivals coming in, necessarily, every night,” said Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Robert Yingling. He added that arriving flights are generally relatively quiet.

“The engines are generally running at a pretty low rate when an aircraft is landing,” which limits the amount of noise generated, he said.

Although weather could occasionally cause Runway 1/19 to stay open — thus putting nighttime flights back on their normal path — it could also cause delays and force departures and additional arrivals to be pushed back after 11:00 p.m. Yingling said that only planes that meet certain noise restriction requirements are permitted to take off after 10:00 p.m.

We reached out to Arlington County’s resident aircraft noise guru — County Board member Mary Hynes — regarding the runway issue but have not yet heard back.

More Cannon Fire Planned Tomorrow Morning

By ARLnow.com

There will be another round of cannon fire at Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow morning.

The Army’s Presidential Salute Battery will be conducting more firing drills from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman.

“This elite element of The Old Guard has the duty of firing final salutes during memorial ceremonies for service members and veterans laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery,” the military said in a statement. “The Presidential Salute Battery maintains the highest level of ceremonial proficiency through recurrent training and will continue to perform to the utmost standards and traditions of the United States Army and our nation.”

Although the year’s first firing drill woke up residents in parts of South Arlington, lately the cannon fire has been heard mostly in the District, prompting numerous complaints from D.C. residents.

NORAD to Conduct Training Flights Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Washington area residents are in for another night of off-and-on noise as NORAD prepares to conduct another aerial exercise.

NORAD will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 11-08 from 11:30 tonight to 5:00 tomorrow morning. The exercise will “hone NORAD’s intercept and identification operations as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System.” Among the aircraft expected to participate are Air Force F-16s and a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter.

When NORAD conducted a similar exercise last month, some Arlington residents complained about being woken up in the middle of the night by loud jet noises.

Here’s the press release about tonight’s exercise from NORAD:

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 11-08 beginning Wednesday night into early Thursday morning in the National Capital Region, Washington, D.C.

The exercise is comprised of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR’s Eastern and Western Air Defense Sectors.

Flights in the National Capital Region are scheduled to take place between 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday morning. Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD’s intercept and identification operations as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System. Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s and a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter will participate in the exercise.

These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure CONR’s rapid response capability. NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will take place the next day, until all training requirements are met. If bad weather continues, officials will then make a decision to postpone or cancel the exercise.

As the Continental United States geographical component of the bi-national command NORAD, CONR provides airspace surveillance and control, and directs air sovereignty activities for the CONUS region. CONR and its assigned Air Force and Army assets throughout the country ensure air safety and security against potential air threats.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, CONR fighters have responded to more than 3,400 possible air threats in the United States and have flown more than 59,000 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.

Expect More Cannon Fire Monday Morning

By ARLnow.com

The army’s Presidential Salute Battery will be conducting another training exercise at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday morning.

Two of the battery’s training exercises, held earlier this month, were heard loud and clear in parts of South Arlington and the District. Residents can likely expect to hear more loud booming sounds from the battery’s cannons from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m.

After hearing complaints from startled residents, the military has been more proactive getting the word out about Monday’s training exercise. Here’s the announcement from the Joint Base Myer – Henderson Hall public affairs office:

The Presidential Salute Battery will be conducting firing drills in Arlington National Cemetery May 2 from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. The training is being conducted before the cemetery opens to not interfere with ongoing memorial services. This training ensures the unit maintains the highest level of ceremonial proficiency necessary to render proper honors to our nation’s fallen servicemembers and veterans.

D.C. Residents Awakened By Arlington Cannon Fire

By ARLnow.com

The cannons that woke up half of South Arlington Thursday morning have apparently been moved — to face the District.

Yesterday, our District-based reverse chronological publishing counterpart DCist went on a very familiar-sounding quest to find the source of loud, early morning booming noises that roused the fair residents of D.C. from their slumber. Of course, they immediately started blaming Arlington.

First they called an Arlington County spokesperson to ask if the noise came from blasting at the Rosslyn Metro station.

“We didn’t blast today,” was the reply.

Then they started eying other projects around Rosslyn — which, to D.C. residents accustomed to low-slung block-long buildings, is a place of wonder and possibility. They asked if construction at 1812 North Moore Street — destined to be the area’s tallest building — might be behind the racket. No, the workers there don’t start that early, they were told.

Perhaps the sound was actually the beginning of the “Great Battle of Clarendon” along the “Orange Line front.” But, in the end, Gen. Curtis Bikey Dogpark seemed to be an unreliable source.

Finally, the DCist big wigs took note of commenters who linked to our article, “Mystery Solved: Military Was Firing Cannons This Morning.” The noise, it seemed, was from the very same Presidential Salute Battery that woke up residents of Pentagon City, Aurora Highlands, Foxcroft Heights and Columbia Heights last week.

“Yes the Old Guard was doing a training mission,” an Arlington National Cemetery spokesman told DCist. Mystery solved, indeed.

Mystery Solved: Military Was Firing Cannons This Morning

By ARLnow.com

Nearly a dozen people have asked us what the repeated loud “booming” sound was in South Arlington this morning. Now we know the answer.

The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment — also known as the Old Guard — was practicing firing canons.

“The Presidential Salute Battery was conducting synchronized firing training within Arlington National Cemetery from approximately 0700-0800,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Coffee, from the Old Guard public affairs office. “The reason the training is conducted at that time is to not interfere with any funerals being conducted at open cemetery hours.”

Residents of Pentagon City, Aurora Highlands, Foxcroft Heights and Columbia Heights reported hearing the noise as early as 6:30 a.m. The sound was alternately described as a “pounding,” “banging,” “booming” or “explosion.”

Update on 4/19/11 — The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment has issued a statement regarding the cannon training.

We thank ARLNow for the opportunity to post to its site. The 3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) is privileged to serve as the US Army’s premier memorial affairs and ceremonies and special events unit, to honor its fallen comrades, and to represent the Army and its values to the nation’s citizens and the world. As such, we conduct sustainment training to maintain the high standards expected of the Army and specifically conduct ceremonial salute howitzer training outside of Arlington National Cemetery’s normal hours of operation in order to not inconvenience the bereaved during supported funerals for the armed services. In coordination with Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, we will continue to strive to be good neighbors and to closely coordinate our training and operations with local authorities, and we will also continue take measures to ensure our Soldiers continue to demonstrate the Army values, particularly honor and respect.

Military photo

Did You Hear the Fighter Jets Last Night?

By ARLnow.com

NORAD conducted an air defense exercise over the Washington area late last night, startling area night owls who aren’t used to the sounds of fighter jets streaking across the sky at 1:00 a.m.

Although NORAD regularly conducts exercises in the D.C. region, for some reason this one seemed louder than others. On Twitter, we heard from Bethesda, McLean and Arlington residents who all heard the jets and wondered what was going on.

The exercise was actually scheduled for the night before, according to a press release, but was delayed a day due to inclement weather.

Hynes to Host Helicopter Forum Wednesday

By ARLnow.com

Mary Hynes is a busy lady.

Hynes, the current vice-chair of the Arlington County Board, serves on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, recently joined the Metro Board of Directors, and is the Aviation Policy Liaison to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. On any given day, Hynes might be dealing with transportation issues below ground, above ground and in the sky.

On Wednesday, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., the multi-talented Hynes will host a community forum about helicopter noise. It’s a follow-up to meetings Hynes hosted in September and November, during which a number of residents voiced concerns about the noise generated by low-flying government helicopters.

Tomorrow’s meeting will discuss a proposed system for allowing more community input into helicopter issues.

Along with Hynes, the forum will include representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, a representative from the Eastern Region Helicopter Association and a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

The meeting will be held in the Arlington County board room, on the third floor of 2100 Clarendon Boulevard.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

McDonnell Gives State of the Commonwealth Address — Speaking to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly last night, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) urged state lawmakers to put aside their partisan differences to help solves the state’s challenges, particularly roads and transportation. He also spoke of job creation and the rapid rise of college tuition. The speech was so polished that one state delegate from our area tweeted that he thinks McDonnell “is running for president.” Despite the overall bipartisan tone, McDonnell took the time to lavish praise on Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s pending lawsuit against the Democrat-backed federal health care reform bill. [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post]

Arlington Cop Helps Nab Jersey Bank Robbery Suspect — While driving on westbound I-66 early Tuesday morning, an alert Arlington police officer got a hit on a vehicle belonging to a suspected bank robber out of New Jersey. The officer stayed with the car as it exited the county. Backup — in the form of Fairfax County and Virginia State Police — eventually caught up and helped arrest the suspect after he pulled off the highway in Fairfax. [Bergen Record]

Hynes to Speak About Helicopter Noise — County Board Vice-chairman Mary Hynes will discuss helicopter noise before the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments today. Noise from helicopters is a persistent source of resident complaints in Arlington. Hynes is expected to talk about what’s being done to mitigate the noise. [WTOP]

County Releases Revised EFC Area Plan — The county has released the latest version of its controversial plan to urbanize the area around the East Falls Church Metro station. [TBD]

Volume Turned Down at Ft. Myer

By ARLnow.com

It will now be a lot harder to hear “Reveille” and “Tattoo” being played outside of Ft. Myer.

For the past two or three weeks, bugle music from the base could be heard clearly from more than a mile away, thanks to a new public address system. According to the following press release from the base’s public affairs office, the PA system has been fixed.

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall recently upgraded its early warning and emergency mass notification sound system to a new “giant voice” sound system. The same sound system is also used to sound the military tradition of daily bugle calls, which include Reveille at 6:30 a.m., Retreat at 5:00 p.m., Tattoo at 10:00 p.m., and Taps at 11:00 p.m. While working to adjust the sound levels, it was discovered that the volume had inadvertently been left on the highest level, which had prompted many complaints from neighboring communities primarily to the north of the installation.

The volume has now been lowered to a more acceptable level and will only be raised in emergency situations. Continued adjustments to the sound system will be made to ensure the installation’s emergency notification requirements are met without disrupting neighbors.

The installation’s Command has expressed its appreciation to all neighbors for their patience as the installation worked through the adjustments of the new system and respectfully regrets any inconvenience.

If You’re Hearing Bugle Music in the Morning, You’re Not Crazy

By ARLnow.com

If you’ve been waking up in the morning to the sound of bugler playing Reveille, don’t worry, you’re not the only one.

We received the following tips this morning:

On the northeast side of the 27/244 (Washington blvd/Columbia pike) intersection, there is a bugle that plays. I don’t know whether it’s coming from the Arlington National Cemetery or from the baracks down by the Air Force memorial, but I think they upgraded their loudspeaker in the past month because when they play reveille at 6:30am, that baby is loud. The evening bugle calls are much more subdued

And:

Hi – I live in Colonial Village on Wilson Blvd and for the past few days, since Thanksgiving, I have been awakened by loud bugle music at 6:30 am. It sounds like it is coming from the direction of Fort Myer. Any idea if this is a new thing? Will it continue? I’ve not heard it before and am wondering how the sound travels so far.

The wake-up call is indeed coming from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (a.k.a. Fort Myer), which just installed a new public address system.

Base spokesperson Sharon Walker says they’re aware of the problem and working to fix it.

“The commander has said ‘it’s too loud, turn it down,'” she said. “They’re trying to adjust it.”

Walker noted that in years prior residents may have noticed the music get louder as leaves — a natural sound dampener — fall from the trees. However, she said, the increase in volume this year is indeed the result of the new PA system and will be taken care of.

View More Stories