Helicopter Noise Complaint System Available For NoVA Residents

ARLINGTON, VA — The Eastern Region Helicopter Council and the Helicopter Association International are participating in a pilot program that will allow people who live in the Washington, D.C., area to use a new helicopter noise complaint system.

Residents will be able to submit noise concerns via a webform, iPhone and Android-compatible mobile app, or voicemail at the noise complaint hotline at 877-209-3200. Residents should provide as much information as possible when submitting a complaint.

Helicopter noise is a constant problem for people who live in Arlington, Alexandria and parts of Fairfax County. Using flight track data, the system is designed to accurately identify the aircraft generating concerns.

“For years my constituents have steadily complained of disruptive helicopter noise in the National Capital Region, and I have worked hard with colleagues and regional partners to address those concerns and reduce this noise,” U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) said at a news conference Friday.

Beyer said the helicopter noise complaint system meets a key recommendation made by the General Accounting Office in a report that he and his colleagues in Congress requested: that the FAA develop a mechanism to track helicopter noise complaints in the D.C. area.

The 2021 report by the General Accounting Office recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration “develop a mechanism to exchange helicopter noise information with operators in the D.C. area.”

Results of the pilot program will be evaluated by the FAA for potential permanent adoption after a 60-day trial run. The success of the program depends on the community’s participation, Beyer said.

Beyer held the news conference with Arlington County Board members Libby Garvey and Takis Karantonis, along with Jeffery Smith, vice president of operations for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, and John Shea of the Helicopter Association International.

“I am hopeful that this pilot program will prove to be a strong first step in carrying out recommendations developed with community input to reduce helicopter noise in Northern Virginia and across our region, and I will continue to work with colleagues and regional leaders and agencies to reduce helicopter noise in our skies,” he said.

The Department of Defense also conducted a recent study of military helicopter noise in the D.C. area at the request of Beyer and other lawmakers.

The report, released in 2021, found that airspace in the area is “is one of the busiest and most restrictive in the United States” and noted that at least 21 entities, including the U.S. Park Police, MedStar hospital and private charter services, fly helicopters in and around D.C.

The Army, Marine Corps, and the Air Force reported nearly 22,000 helicopter operations in the D.C. area in 2020, according to the report.

Due to the large number of commercial passenger jets that travel in and out of the D.C. area, the FAA requires helicopters to fly at lower elevations in the region’s airspace, causing greater noise.