AURORA STATE AIRPORT, OREGON - Regulations.gov

AURORA STATE AIRPORT, OREGON
NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAM AND VIOLATIONS

In response to voiced concerns by surrounding residential communities, Oregon Dept. of
Aviation developed a Noise Management Procedure for the Aurora State Airport. The airport is
bounded by City of Aurora on the southwest, Deer Creek Estates to the west, Prairie View
Estates to the northeast, and the Charbonneau community of the City of Wilsonville one mile
north of the airport.
Aurora State Airport has a single runway with a north-south axis, meaning aircraft approaching
from the north or taking off to the north are in alignment over Wilsonville and Charbonneau
unless they opt to follow the Noise Management Procedure.
Here’s how it is described on the Willamette Aviation web site:

   Noise Abatement Procedures

   Pilots flying out of Aurora State (KUAO) should be aware that the facility adopted
   a noise-abatement policy in 2007 in order to minimize aircraft noise over
   residential areas. For some time now, student pilots have been instructed to
   avoid overflying the towns of Aurora and Barlow, as well as the Charbonneau
   community, but the new policy spells out more precise departure and arrival
   procedures for VFR traffic.

   In all instances, pilots are advised to avoid flying over congested areas, which
   include Aurora, Charbonneau, and Barlow. Pilots also should bear in mind that
   the calm-wind runway at UAO is 35, and that winds are considered "calm" when
   less than five (5) knots. Upon arrival, pilots should fly as instructed by the
   control tower. Mid-field crossings in piston aircraft should be made at 2,200 feet
   MSL. Upon departure, pilots should fly the runway heading to 900 ft. MSL and
   then make a 45-deg. turns to avoid populated areas to the north and south of
   the field.

   Operating a safe and efficient air transportation system is a challenge — it's
   courteous and responsible pilots who make the difference by avoiding
   unnecessary residential overflights and by flying as quietly as safety permits. We
   want to do our best to maintain a "good neighbor" relationship with our nearby
   communities, and we ask that all pilots do their part by cooperating with these
   procedures and guidelines.

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ODA NOISE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE

        ODA provided Noise Management Procedure brochure available on ODA website.

The ODA Noise Management Procedure is described as follows on the ODA website:
Noise abatement procedures are designed to minimize exposure of residential areas to aircraft noise, while
ensuring safety of flight operations. There are communities surrounding UAO airport which are noise
sensitive. We want to minimize the noise impacts on these communities. The procedures described herein
are intended for noise abatement procedures and are subject to air traffic control and pilot discretion for
reasons of safety.

Flight Crews on IFR flight plan are recommended to file using Heading to Standard Instrument Departure
(SID) example:
APPROACHES

STANDARD NBAA/AIRCRAFT OPERATING MANUAL NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES SHOULD BE USED

Inbound flight path should not require more than a 25 degree bank angle to follow noise abatement track.
Observe all airspeed limitations and ATC instructions. Initial inbound altitude for noise abatement areas will
be a descending path from 2,500 feet AGL or higher. Maintain minimum maneuvering airspeed with gear
retracted and minimum approach flap setting. During IMC, extend landing gear at the final approach fix (FAF),
or during VMC no more than 4 miles from runway threshold. Final landing flap configuration should be
delayed at the pilot’s discretion; however, the pilot must achieve a stabilized approach not lower than 500
feet during VMC or 1,000 feet during IMC. The aircraft should in full landing configuration and at final
approach speed by 500 feet AGL to ensure a stable approach.
During landing, use minimum reverse thrust consistent with safety for runway conditions and available
length.
DEPARTURES
STANDARD NBAA/AIRCRAFT OPERATING MANUAL NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES SHOULD BE USED

Climb at maximum practical rate not to exceed V2+20 KIAS (maximum pitch, attitude 20 degrees) to 1,000
feet AAE (800 ft. AAE at high-density-traffic airports) in takeoff configuration at takeoff thrust. Between 800
and 1,000 feet AAE, begin acceleration to final segment speed (VFS or VFTO) and retract flaps. Reduce to a
quiet climb power setting while maintaining a rate of climb necessary to comply with IFR departure
procedure, otherwise a maximum of 1,000 FPM at airspeed not to exceed 190 KIAS, until reaching 3,000 feet
AAE or 1,500 feet AAE at high-density-traffic airports. If ATC requires level off prior to reaching NADP
termination height, power must be reduced so as not to exceed 190 KIAS. Above 3,000 feet AAE (1,500 feet
at high-density airports) resume normal climb schedule with gradual application of climb power. Ensure
compliance with applicable IFR climb and airspeed requirements at all times.
Runway 35: Avoid straight-out departure; turn left (270° HDG to NEWBERG2) or turn right (060° HDG to
GLARA2) If straight-out departure are unavoidable then depart 340° HDG, direct Interstate 5.
Runway 17: Avoid turns that will fly-over City of Aurora; turn left or right three (3) mile from end of runway

TOTAL OPERATIONS AT AURORA STATE AIRPORT
Thanks to the operation of an air traffic control tower (ATC) at Aurora Airport, we now have
access to the FAA’s Air Traffic Data System (ATADS) database, which documents all flights
handled by the ATC and allows assessment of Total Operations at the airport (excluding flights
that occur when the ATC is not staffed).

Total Operations are all take offs and landings from an airport (including Instrument and Visual
Flight Rules operations) but exclude overflights (no landing or take off). Total Operations are
made up of two types, Local Operations (operations within the traffic pattern airspace—i.e.
take off and land at the same airport) and Itinerant Operations (those arriving from another
airport or departing the traffic pattern airspace to another airport).

The ATADs data for Aurora State Airport shows by month Local, Itinerant and Total Operations
occurring at the airport (excluding operations that occur with the ATC is not staffed).

Because this Noise Management Procedure is voluntary, and because there continued to be
significant repeat offenders after it was put in place by ODA, a resident of Charbonneau began
documenting violations which resulted in overflights or residential areas and/or significant
noise violations using Flight Aware software which documents the flight paths of aircraft flying
into and out of Aurora State Airport.
The majority of violations are itinerant operations on flights from the local air space to another
airport, and the majority are also turbo-craft or jet aircraft, which make the most noise.
This documentation of Noise Management Procedure violations has become particularly
valuable because the incidence is neither small nor infrequent. Further, flight path violations of
the Noise Abatement Procedures result in overflights of neighborhoods that result no just in
noise pollution, but related exhaust pollution. It should be noted that an air traffic control
tower was constructed at Aurora Airport in 2015, without conducting an environmental
assessment or environmental impact study of either previous environment pollutions and how
they would be disturbed, nor of the likely increase in noise and environmental pollutions from
increased operations due to the presence of an air traffic control tower.
The collection of flight data using the Flight Aware software has made possible the assembly of
a data set that correlates flights registered in Flight Aware with Total Operations – they will
never be the same because as many as 10% of operators don’t register their flight path and
thus don’t appear in Flight Aware, but would appear in FAA ATACS data.
For the nine months from June 2020 through March 2021, violations of the Aurora Airport
Noise Abatement Procedures have been captured using Flight Aware software, and they
document a constant and sizeable level of weekly and monthly violations, as follows:

AURORA STATE AIRPORT – NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES: violations vs. Total Operations
                            Noise
   Week         Total                 Violation
                          Abatement
   ending     Operations                Rate
                          Violations
 6/6/2020             685          88      12.8%
 6/13/2020            407          71      17.4%
 6/20/2020            691          90      13.0%
 6/27/2020            784          91      11.6%
 7/4/2020             653         105      16.1%
 7/11/2020            591          93      15.7%
 7/18/2020            864          86      10.0%
 7/25/2020            885          89      10.1%
 8/1/2020             815          97      11.9%
 8/8/2020             702         134      19.1%
 8/15/2020            633          77      12.2%
 8/22/2020            767         112      14.6%
 8/29/2020            724         123      17.0%
 9/5/2020             825          49       5.9%
 9/12/2020            310          35      11.3%
 9/19/2020             87          45      51.7%
 9/26/2020            610         134      22.0%
 10/3/2020            842          88      10.5%
10/10/2020            675         112      16.6%
10/17/2020            644          88      13.7%
10/24/2020          1035          111      10.7%
10/31/2020          1162           85       7.3%
 11/7/2020            448          78      17.4%
11/14/2020            415          85      20.5%
11/21/2020            334          65      19.5%
11/28/2020            232          56      24.1%
 12/5/2020            668          89      13.3%
12/12/2020            422          54      12.8%
12/19/2020            277          61      22.0%
12/26/2020            240          46      19.2%
 1/2/2021             427          48      11.2%
 1/9/2021             391          59      15.1%
 1/16/2021            421          62      14.7%
 1/23/2021            729          81      11.1%
 1/30/2021            268          64      23.9%
 2/6/2021             365          69      18.9%
 2/13/2021            365          69      18.9%
 2/20/2021            191          35      18.3%
 2/27/2021            450          77      17.1%
 3/6/2021             702          93      13.2%
                   22736         3194      14.0%

Data collected using Flight Aware software.

It is striking that the violations average 14%, and much of this is due to it being a voluntary
program created by Oregon Dept. of Aviation and there being no penalties or accountability for
said violations.
This level of violations results in a continuous flow of noise and environmental pollutions
imposed on neighboring communities.

Prepared by Friends of French Prairie
PO Box 403
Donald, OR 97020

Updated March 15, 2021