Federal Aviation Administration
Report on the Los Angeles Helicopter NoiseInitiative
May 31, 2013
Issued on May 31, 2013 Report on the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Initiative Page 2 of 56
Table of Contents
Issued on May 31, 2013 Report on the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Initiative Page 3 of 56
1.0 Executive Summary
Helicopter noise in the greater Los Angeles region has been a concern for residents for manyyears. Residents in certain areas of Los Angeles County, including the San Fernando Valley,Santa Monica, Palos Verdes, Hollywood Hills and Torrance, have raised helicopter issues withtheir Congressional representatives. On May 23, 2012, the two Senators from California plus fiveHouse of Representative members from the affected communities wrote a letter to the Secretaryof Transportation requesting that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) begin a process tosolicit local stakeholder views and undertake an examination of potential remedies.In response to this request, the FAA has undertaken the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Initiative. This collaborative effort, led by the FAA Western-Pacific Regional Administrator, has solicitedinput from local communities and other stakeholders on helicopter noise and safety issues in LosAngeles County. The FAA solicited public input through two public workshops. These workshopsgenerated over 500 comments with suggestions from private citizens, elected officials, civic grouprepresentatives, and the helicopter industry. The FAA’s role in these meetings was to listen andconsider the views of all stakeholders. The FAA has considered and analyzed stakeholders’ comments and suggestions in 10 generalcategories:Ensure Safety of Helicopter OperationsEstablish Noise Abatement Helicopter RoutesKeep Helicopters at Higher AltitudesLimit HoveringReduce Helicopter Source NoiseReduce Flights by Electronic News Gathering (ENG) OperationsRestrict Helicopter FlightsCharge Fees for Helicopter OperationsImprove Information on Helicopter Operations and Noise Abatement PracticesEstablish a Forum for Addressing Helicopter Noise IssuesIn support of the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Initiative, the FAA formed an internal workinggroup to provide the expertise and participation of FAA offices with a role in helicopter safety,operation, and noise. Appropriate FAA subject matter experts analyzed suggestions in eachcategory to determine feasibility for implementation. This report describes each of the categoriesof suggestions and provides a summary of the FAA’s findings. There is no single remedy that can be implemented on a large-scale basis throughout the LosAngeles Basin. The airspace over Southern California is among the most congested andcomplex in the world. For safety reasons, helicopter traffic must be separated by altitude fromhigher-performing and faster-moving fixed-wing aircraft. The density of land use in the area, as