The overall 9860 number of October daytime flight operations has rebounded from the grim lows of last spring: 2358 for April, and 3652 for May. That total – which combines arrivals and departures by all small piston-engine aircraft, turboprops, jets, helicopters, and military aircraft – is now only 8.6 percent below the pre-pandemic level of 10,783 for October of 2019.
Although the pandemic continues to impact general aviation activity at Hanscom Field, with jet operations for October down 35.5 percent from a year ago, there are continued signs of recovery, especially in flight school operations, which are up 16.8 percent from 2019, the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC) learned during its Nov. 17 videoconference with Massport representatives.
However, the jet numbers are particularly important since they reflect general business and private travel, while flight school numbers simply show local flight training activity.
October Flight Operations
Massport Airport Administrative Manager for Hanscom Field, Amber Goodspeed, briefed the Commission on the most recent flight operations data for October, which shows that three categories of operations – practice flights by local flight school aircraft (which is typically the largest class of operations at Hanscom), non-training flights by twin-engine piston aircraft, and flights by military aircraft – are actually up from pre-pandemic levels of October 2019.
Among these three categories, the flight school numbers are most significant, since they typically make up the largest single class of operations at Hanscom (35 percent for all of 2019), while non-training flights by twin-engine piston aircraft and military aircraft are the two smallest classes of operations at Hanscom (less than 3 percent, and less than 1 percent, respectively, for 2019).
Although jet activity for October was still down over 35 percent from the same time last year, jet operations actually have risen almost 15 percent from the previous month.
October Year Over Year:
- Total daytime flight operations down 8.6 percent, from 10,783 to 9,860;
- Total nighttime flight operations down 25.1 percent, from 227 to 170;
- Local pattern work and touch-and-go practice flight operations up 15.8 percent, from 3,242 to 3,754;
- Other single-engine piston flight operations down 4.5 percent, from 2,377 to 2,271;
- Jet flight operations down 35.5 percent, from 3,187 to 2,057;
- Helicopter flight operations down 6.8 percent, from 848 to 790;
- Turbo prop flight operations down 26.7 percent, from 734 to 538;
- Twin-engine piston aircraft flight operations up 7.9 percent, from 331 to 357;
- Military flight operations up 45.3 percent, from 64 to 93.
October/September 2020 Month To Month:
Compared to the previous month, October total operations were down due to further declines in all categories except for jets, nighttime flights, and military flights. However, even though flight school activity slipped 9.6 percent from September to October, it is still nearly 16 percent higher than it was at this time last year.
Total daytime flight operations down 6.7 percent, from 10,571 to 9,860;
- Total nighttime flight operations up 15.6 percent, from 147 to 170;
- Local pattern work and touch-and-go practice flight operations down 9.6 percent, from 4,154 to 3754;
- Other single-engine piston flight operations down 16.7 percent, from 2,726 to 2271;
- Jet flight operations up 14.7 percent, from 1,793 to 2,057;
- Helicopter flight operations down 2.1 percent, from 807 to 790;
- Turbo prop flight operations down 16.8 percent, from 647 to 538;
- Twin-engine piston flight operations down 2 percent, from 370 to 357;
- Military flight operations up 25.7 percent, from 74 to 93.
Military flights typically average less than 1 percent of yearly flight operations activity at Hanscom Field. The Air Force transferred control of the airport and airfield to Massport for civilian general aviation operations 46 years ago in 1974.
Monthly Noise Report
Noise levels show a year over year trend downward in October for five of the six air noise monitors, with recorded noise falling by falling 0.3 to 3.5 DNL decibels (weighted Day/Night Level decibel averages), and overall ranging from 55.9 dB to 63.4 dB. The exception was the airfield monitor at the Concord end of Runway 11/29, which recorded an increase of 2.7 decibels for the month compared to last year.
There were five days of above 70 DNL dB recorded by the Concord airfield monitor and the Concord wastewater plant site monitor. Goodspeed linked those high noise levels on October 10, 15, 17 and 26 to large-frame charter and military aircraft, which included a Boeing 737 and Boeing 777. She said at least one of the jets was chartered by a sports team.
Note: Recorded air noise levels above 65 DNL dB are significant because the FAA considers persistent noise above that level to be incompatible with noise-sensitive land use such as “residential, educational, health, and religious structures and sites, and parks, recreational areas, areas with wilderness characteristics, wildlife refuges, and cultural and historical sites,” according to FAA 1050.1F Desk Reference, Paragraph 11-5.b(8).
Air noise disturbance reports fell from a yearly high of 314 reached in September to 159 for October, a 49.4 percent drop, which outpaced the overall 8.6 percent drop in total flight operations.
Anthony Gallagher, Massport Community, and Government Relations representative, tried to clarify how Massport handles air noise complaints from the surrounding communities.
Massport has offered two contradictory explanations of the process at past HFAC meetings, stating in April 2019 that residents’ noise complaints were routinely forwarded to aircraft operators by letter; and then stating last month that the only noise disturbance reports shared with operators, are those made about nighttime flights. Night flights between 11 pm and 7 am typically make up only 1 to 2 percent of the total flight operations at Hanscom Field, and do not include any of the thousands of local practice flights by the flight schools each month.
Gallagher was unable to give a definitive answer about how or if feedback on noise disturbance filings is shared with aircraft operators, or why Massport has offered contradictory explanations of the process, but said he would look into it before the December HFAC meeting.
Massport’s Airfield Projects and Developments
Gallagher gave a brief update on Massport airfield projects, noting that this fall and winter Ross-Rectrix Aviation will survey land for its Concord Pine Hill FBO expansion and for the building of a T-hangar complex on the North Airfield in Bedford (across from The Edge Sports Center and adjacent to Instrumentation Laboratory on Hartwell Road).
Bedford resident Patty Dahlgren questioned Gallagher about how much advance notice the Town and residents will be provided before Massport project construction trucks start rolling through Bedford streets. Gallagher said he has no details on the construction schedule at the present time.
Next HFAC Meeting Set for December 15th
HFAC’s next virtual meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. People who would like to attend that meeting can find the agenda and Zoom login information by visiting the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission website hosted by the Town of Lincoln at https://www.lincolntown.org/AgendaCenter/Hanscom-Field-Airport-Commission-58
Citizens may also register on the Lincoln website to be added to a list of subscribers who receive advance email notice of HFAC meetings and agendas.
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