3 Airports to Get New Noise Monitors

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners voted Tuesday to spend about $1.5 million to upgrade noise monitoring systems at Van Nuys, Los Angeles International and Ontario airports.

The upgraded computer system will help enforce noise control rules developed by a local advisory panel and passed last year by the Airport Board to govern noise at Van Nuys Airport. It is expected to be in place by the end of the year.

Robert Beard, an environmental manager for the city’s Department of Airports, said the upgraded system will help airport officials better monitor the noise and routes of aircraft taking off from Van Nuys.

For example, he said the new system can identify craft whose pilots violate a curfew that limits when the noisiest jets can take off and land. It will also more accurately measure overall noise created by aircraft--a measurement that helps the airport determine how many adjoining residents suffer from excessive aircraft noise.

A noise ordinance that was also recommended last year bans the noisiest jets from the airport, phasing in the restriction over a six-year period. However, the ordinance has been criticized by the Federal Aviation Administration as being too restrictive. The City Council has yet to vote on that measure.