FAA airspace changes to start Oct. 20

The Federal Aviation Administration's airspace changes, which critics fear will increase the noise from Kennedy Airport jets flying over Nassau County, will begin Oct. 20, the agency said.

The agency announced the start date for the new routes a day after an attempt by members of the U.S. House, including Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), failed to block the FAA's airspace redesign during a vote on an amendment to a funding bill in Washington on Thursday. McCarthy was the only Long Island Congress member who voted for the amendment.

The FAA says the redesign will send some departing planes from Kennedy Airport over communities in Hempstead and North Hempstead. The jets will be at altitudes of 8,000-10,000 feet once they pass over the North Shore, the FAA said.

"At the altitude they're going to be at, there's no noise impact we need to mitigate," said Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman in New York.

Under the new departure routes, some planes leaving Kennedy for the western United States will first fly east, then north over Nassau County before turning left over the North Shore to fly west across northern New Jersey.

Between 500 and 600 planes depart Kennedy Airport a day, and about one-third could take the new departure route over the North Shore, the agency has said.

North Hempstead officials are "extremely concerned" about the plans to reconfigure aircraft routes, which would result in "noticeable increase in aircraft noise," said town spokesman Collin Nash.

"We support proposals being pursued to hold off on the plan pending a study on the communities that would be impacted by noise from the redesigned flight paths," Nash said.

Sue Auriemma, of Manhasset, said Saturday that she was surprised more Congress members from Long Island didn't support the effort to delay funding for the FAA's airspace redesign.

"Am I missing something?" Auriemma said. "It seems like a no-brainer that our own representatives would vote to delay."

The FAA changes involve creating more departure routes from area airports, which the FAA hopes will improve efficiency at Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and Teterboro airports. The agency has predicted that the new routes could reduce delays by 20 percent in some of the world's busiest airspace.

On Thursday, Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) proposed an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill to hold off on the airspace redesign pending a study and consultation with communities affected by noise from new flight paths. But the House rejected it in a 303-120 vote.

"Any assertion that more planes taking off over homes won't add to noise here simply flies in the face of logic and I'll continue to work with my colleagues in Washington so that Nassau County has a voice in this process," McCarthy said Saturday.

The full FAA reauthorization legislation passed the U.S. House on Friday and moves to the Senate for consideration.

The number of flights going over Nassau County could increase should a growing economy spark airlines to add more departures from Kennedy, Peters said, adding that such a decision would be made by the airlines, not the FAA.

Carl Baessler lives in Atlantic Beach, and is his town's representative on the Town-Village Aircraft Safety Noise Abatement Committee, a western Nassau County group that meets regularly to discuss aircraft noise issues.

"This airspace redesign was designed to mitigate air noise all over the place," Baessler said. "It's going to help people in New Jersey more than it's going to hurt us."