Farmingdale Residents Can File Aircraft Noise Complaints

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale residents irritated by the amount of airplane-related noise traffic have before Friday to sound off.

John F. Kennedy International Airport held a public information workshop and public hearing regarding aircraft noise in September. Residents can, before Friday, email NYPart150@panynj.gov to issue a complaint about the hundreds of JFK Airport planes flying over Farmingdale each day.

JFK runs roughly 1,000 flights per day according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Of those, approximately 200 to 250 planes affiliated with JFK Airport fly over Farmingdale and Bethpage State Park each day, according to data collected by Quiet Skies JFK - Farmingdale, NY, a Facebook page with a mission to "promote fair and equitable distribution of JFK airport planes flying over Long Island."

That does not account for the several hundred planes flying out of or into Farmingdale's Republic Airport on a daily basis, according to FAA data.

JFK-affiliated planes are "intruding" into Republic Airport's airspace, Quiet Skies JFK - Farmingdale wrote in a statement.

"Hundreds of JFK planes should not be flying over Farmingdale every day, in addition to 949 existing FRG operations," the group stated, based on FAA data collected from June 30. "The FAA must provide a fair and equal distribution of JFK planes over Long Island."

The group is concerned about the negative health impacts that prolonged or excessive noise from aircraft has on people. Continual exposure to loud noise can cause stress, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The group also expressed concern about the effects of airplane exhaust, as emissions are a significant source of ultrafine particles, according to a report published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

"We pay the highest taxes in the region and have the inherent right after a busy workday to relax in our backyard without being tortured by the aircraft noise and poisoned by emissions," Quiet Skies JFK wrote in a statement. "The low flying loud planes and helicopters pollute our environment and cause irreparable damage to our health. Numerous research studies have been conducted on the adverse impacts of aircraft noise on people's mental and physical health. However, unfortunately, the FAA depends on models that fall short of how noise impacts people within their homes."