Group says airspace changes would affect Ballard

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to lower the altitude of aircraft flying over Magnolia, which could have an impact on Ballard.

The Magnolia Community Club has invited the FAA, Boeing Field and SeaTac management to a public meeting to discuss the proposal, which they say means a potential increase in danger, noise and pollution for Ballard, Magnolia and Queen Anne. The meeting is November 18, at 7p.m. in the Catharine Blaine School Cafeteria at 2550 34th Avenue West — next to the Magnolia Community Center.

Robert Bismuth from the MCC provides his assessment of the FAA proposal. “This would lower the floor of the airspace from 3000 to 2000 feet over all of Magnolia and potentially parts of south Ballard and West Queen Anne. This is a substantial change and would allow traffic landing to the south at SeaTac to be over Magnolia at altitudes down to 2000 feet. In the past such traffic typically turns from the west much further north and at about 6000 feet and above.

In addition from a safety point of view this proposal reduces the airspace available for non-SeaTac bound traffic as well – compressing that traffic (typically headed into/out of Boeing Field and Lake Union) into a channel from 1500 to 1999 feet high.

It also interferes with the preferred instrument approach into Boeing Field. That approach currently has a vectoring altitude of 2200 feet prior to intercepting the glide slope for descent into Boeing Field. This is typically the altitude at which we see all the large aircraft cross Magnolia. In order to keep that traffic out of the FAA’s revised Class B airspace they are also revising the ILS and lowering the approach over Magnolia by approximately 400 to 600 feet with additional requirements on the aircraft making that approach.

Using a standard formula for the impact of noise based on the distance from the source, a drop of 400 to 600 feet in altitude roughly doubles the apparent loudness of an aircraft passing overhead assuming the same= power settings and configuration of the aircraft.

We learned earlier this week that that FAA in fact are planning on putting the revised ILS approach to Boeing Field into use in late November. This was a surprise to a lot of people – in fact not even the management of Boeing Field were told of this approach change in advance. We also do not believe there has been any adequate period or opportunity for public comment.

In addition to failing to provide adequate notification and comment period for the change to the ILS, the FAA has also decided to hold the initial public meetings on the proposed revision to the Class B airspace in Everett, Burien and Auburn – communities that will suffer no major impact from the proposed changes.