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106
Terminology
Many people are confused by some of the terminology being used in relation to the proposed Section 106 agreement, which purports to provide environmental protection for the residents of Thanet, from aviation activity at Manston. The following is an attempt to clarify some of the confusion. Modern jet aircraft, such as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 make about half as much noise as second generation jets which were introduced in the 1970's, and about a quarter as much noise as jet aircraft built in the 1950's and 1960's. However, this comparison is only true on a weight per weight basis. A big new plane can still make more noise than an old small plane. Aircraft have grown in size and weight since the 1950's and with the numbers of aircraft increasing at most airports the noise climate around those airports has deteriorated, despite the improved technology. For these reasons the noise climate around Manston will undoubtedly get worse as the airport expands. Anyone who pretends otherwise is either a liar or a fool.
What is the difference between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 aircraft ? In November 1944, the representatives of 52 nations came together at a convention in Chicago to create a framework for the anticipated growth in world civil aviation. This Convention on International Civil Aviation (also known as the Chicago Convention) produced a treaty which agreed the establishment of an intergovernmental organisation to be known as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and this body formally came into existence on 4 April 1947. Both Britain and the US were among the first nations to ratify this treaty. The aims of the ICAO are primarily to promote the development of international civil aviation and to ensure economic fairness and safety within the industry. They also have the specific aim of encouraging the arts of aircraft design and operation for peaceful purposes. Aviation standards and practises are set out in a series of 18 technical amendments to the Chicago Convention. Aircraft must comply with standards which are set out in Volume 1 of Annex 16 to the Convention. The standards for jet aircraft are set out in two sections. Chapter 2 of Volume 1 contains the standards applicable to jet aircraft designed prior to 1977 and Chapter 3 contains more stringent standards, which were applied after that date. The first edition of this Annex was published in 1981 and a second edition was produced in 1988. The standards contained within these chapters are based on noise measurements taken at various points when the aircraft is either landing or taking off. These readings are simply used in the process of certifying the aircraft. They cannot be used to estimate noise levels at any particular airport because the terrain around each airport varies and the readings only relate to the specific point where they were taken. Nevertheless, they provide a means of comparing the noise generated by large aircraft. The noise is measured in EPNdB (Effective Perceived Noise Decibels). Three noise measurement points are used . All are taken at ground level and at the same elevation as the runway :
Maximum noise levels are set out for each of these noise measurement points. However, the permitted noise level increases with the weight of the aircraft and the number of engines.
For these reasons the distinction between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 does not provide sufficient basis for a noise control policy.
Government legislation will ban the use of old noisy planes after April 2002 ? The government have indeed issued recent legislation. However, it will come as no surprise to learn that the wording of the document does not include anything about banning old noisy planes. The legislation concerned is entitled Statutory Instrument 1999 No. 1452, The Aeroplane Noise Regulations 1999. You will note that in 2002, any aircraft built before 1977 will be over 25 years old. What this legislation seeks to do is to ban large jet aircraft (maximum take-off mass of 34,000 kg. or more) from operating at UK airports unless they are certified to meet the standards laid out in Chapter 3 of Annex 16. It is possible to modify the engines of some aircraft built before 1977, by fitting 'hush-kits'. These 'mufflers' cause a reduction in the noise level of these aircraft such that they comply with the standards set out in the Annex 16. Whilst aircraft which have been modified in this way technically comply with the Chapter 3 standards, this solution is unsatisfactory for two reasons :
The European Union have recognised these facts and have been seeking to ban the use of hush-kits. However, the USA have large numbers of Chapter 2 aircraft still in service, and they make all of the hush-kits which will extend the working life of these planes. Consequently the USA have prevented the EU from implementing the ban on hush-kits, by threatening retaliatory action against British trade interests. One of the widely reported threats was to ban Concorde from landing in the New York. In early March 2000 the US issued a formal complaint to the ICAO. In so doing, the US are seeking to prevent the EU from implementing a ban on hush-kits. If successful it will allow the thousands of Chapter 2 aircraft currently operating worldwide, to be hush-kitted and to operate within the EU for the forseeable future. It is highly misleading and inaccurate for local politicians to claim that legislation will prevent the use of noisy aircraft after 2002. If the US challenge is successful the current legislation will merely result in the removal of some planes, designed before 1977 which cannot be hush-kitted. This is amply illustrated by the DC8 aircraft belonging to MK Airlines. Two of these have already been hush-kitted but you cannot tell whether an incoming DC8 has been hush-kitted as they still make so much noise. In addition, the 2002 legislation contains exemptions for a number of categories of aircraft. One of these exemptions is for aircraft which are coming into the UK for the purpose of maintenance or repair. At Manston, Wiggins have declared their intent to use the airport for such activities. This means that non hush-kitted Chapter 2 aircraft will be able to use Manston. It is entirely possible that Third World Nations, who cannot afford to replace their fleets of Chapter 2 planes will also challenge the legislation when 2002 arrives. If they were successful further exemptions on economic grounds would be possible.
So what are quota counts and how do they relate to Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 ? The Chapter 2 / 3 designation does not adequately distinguish between the noise made by large heavy aircraft and the noise made by smaller planes. For this reason the Quota Count system was introduced in 1993, in an attempt to set limits on the noise levels around Heathrow Airport. The Quota Count system takes the noise levels (in EPNdB) recorded for a particular aircraft when it is being certified to meet Chapter 2 or Chapter 3 of Annex 16. The noise level recorded at the flyover point is used to assign a take-off noise quota and the noise level recorded at the approach point is used to assign a quota-count for the aircraft on landing. The present arrangements classify aircraft into seven bands, Values range from QC0.5, which is the quietest to QC16, which is the noisiest. The important thing to understand about the quota count is that, unlike the Chapter 2 / 3 designation, the quota count does not take account of the weight of the aircraft or the number of engines. It simply reflects the noise made by the aircraft. For this reason, the quota count system is now widely used at UK airports, to restrict environmentally unacceptable activity. Unfortunately, when the quota count system was being devised, a "fiddle factor" was introduced into the part which assigns a quota count for landing aircraft. The result is that the actual noise levels permitted within each quota count category are increased by 9EPNdB for aircraft which are landing. This "fiddle factor" has caused considerable controversy during the various consultations and public inquiries held at Heathrow. It has the effect of making landing aircraft appear quieter on paper than they are in practise. As the Council have taken professional advice in drawing up the Section 106 Agreement they will have taken account of this fact in their calculations, and will not have assumed that the decibel figures listed next to the quota count categories have any relevance to the actual noise level for aircraft which are coming in to land. After 2002 there will be few aircraft operating in the UK which have a Quota Count of more than QC4 on landing. This simply reflects that fact that QC 4 is not particularly quiet, in part due to the "fiddle-factor" described above. Even hush-kitted Chapter 2 aircraft can meet this standard. Consequently, TDC's purported restriction on night flights is nothing of the sort. The only aircraft which will be prevented from landing at night will be old non-hush-kitted Chapter 2 planes which are arriving for maintenance or repair. At Heathrow, court action has resulted in only 16 flights per night being permitted, and no plane having a quota count of more than QC4 may be used during the night period. This means that the night restrictions proposed for Manston will be less strict than those currently in operation at Heathrow, as there will be no limits, either on the total flights or the total quota. In May, Heathrow residents are taking the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that the decision to permit night flights, causing sleep deprivation, constitutes an infringement of their human rights. If residents around Heathrow are woken by QC4 aircraft it would seem logical to assume that residents of Ramsgate will also be woken by such aircraft. It would seem that TDC are intent of breaching the human rights of those who live in Thanet and who made the mistake of electing them. A good illustration of this would be the Transatlantic Jumbo jets used by Virgin, BA etc. These aircraft are QC4 on landing, and they are clearly not quiet. In the recent past Virgin have used Manston for training circuits using a Jumbo jet and this activity has caused numerous complaints. If an empty Jumbo jet causes such disruption during the daytime, who in their right minds would claim that the same level of noise generated at night will not cause serious problems. If you require any further details or clarification of the items discussed above please feel free to contact the Manston Airport Group
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