Submission information from Gordon Henwood (FOWSA)

NOISE from Western Sydney Airport.    Wallacia needs your help.                        PAGE 1

 We need SUBMISSIONS to stop night noise over Wallacia.  

• Making a SUBMISSION is easy. It does not need to be a formal document and can be anonymous.
• Go to gov.au. Select MAKE A SUBMISSION at the top of the screen.
• Scroll down to see the Form and get it done (type directly on-screen or upload a file).
• State your concerns and ideas. Numbering them 1, 2, 3, might help.    (See over for The Solution.)
• If you think of something later, make another submission.  Submissions close on 31 January.
• Please be respectful. I believe the airspace designers have done a very good job.  I think they have missed opportunities for some communities, including WALLACIA.   They have asked for our ideas.

So, what’s the issue?

Day Time (5:30 am to 11:00 pm) - No issues.    Some concerns for those near Mamre Road and Caddens,
and parts of Silverdale and Bents Basin.

Night Time (11:00 pm to 5:30 am) – Real issues for Mulgoa, Wallacia, Luddenham, Silverdale, Warragamba.

• Wallacia, Silverdale and Warragamba relate to RRO (Reciprocal Runway Operations). See over.
• Mulgoa relates to night take-offs to the north east, with aircraft flying directly over Mulgoa village.
• Luddenham relates to ground noise from operations around the terminal building.
• Papers, like this one for Wallacia, are being prepared by me for each community affected.

For Wallacia, the ONLY issue is NIGHT TAKE-OFF RUNWAY 23 during RRO,

but that could be 4 nights out of every 5.  It has an early Right Turn!

(NOISE TOOL at wsiflightpaths.gov.au.   Please forgive my poor copy.)

 

• There is a simple solution but it is in several parts.
• Wallacia residents need to make as many submissions as possible to fix this.
• The PROBLEM is explained on the next page, OR simply skip to the SOLUTION.
• SUBMISSIONS are the only way to get this fixed.
  

What is RRO (RECIPROCAL RUNWAY OPERATIONS)?   Night only (11 pm to 5:30 am.)            PAGE 2

 

To quote the EIS:   

        “……  RRO, if prioritised, may be available for up to 78 per cent of the 11 pm to 5:30 am period.”

______________________________________________________________-

 

First, what is RRO?    ALL take-offs are to the southwest using Runway 23 towards the National Park.

ALL landings use Runway 05 from the southwest, from over the National Park.

NO aircraft below 10,000 feet anywhere else.  A “dream scenario” for Penrith, St Clair, Blacktown, Blue Mtns.

 

Second, is it safe?    Absolutely.   Common practice at night in many places at night.

Third, what does ‘if prioritised’ mean?     It means that the NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES instruct air
traffic control to nominate RRO even if there is a 5 knot (10 kph) tail-wind in one direction on the
runway.     (Be in no doubt, many suburbs are campaigning for RRO to be prioritised.)

Fourth, how does it work?    There are few take-offs and landings between 11:00 pm and 5:30 am.

When an aircraft arrives, it flies the usual final approach from the southwest and lands on Runway 05.

When an aircraft takes-off, it departs in the opposite direction on Runway 23 to the south west.

 

NOTE:   There may be an aircraft arriving at about the same time as one is about to take-off.   So, air traffic
control will instruct a PROCEDURE with an immediate turn after take-off, to clear the arrival path (diagram Page 1)

 

A bit more detail.     An aircraft is issued a “CLEARANCE” about 15 minutes before engine start.    (This could be 30 mins before take-off.)     To be on the safe side, that Clearance will include the early turn after take-off.    Half an hour later, when the aircraft is cleared for take-off, there is an opportunity for Air Traffic Control to CANCEL the original Clearance and tell the aircraft to do something else.   That something else is defined in NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES as an instruction to Air Traffic Controllers.

 

THE PROBLEM   (State your concerns about night noise in your Submission.)

 

1. RRO at Night, Wallacia is affected by ALL landings AND ALL take-offs, 78% of nights. (4 out of 5!)
   Other Nights and EVERY Day, Wallacia is affected by ALL landings OR ALL take-offs.

 Surely, there is a case for some respite at night.

2. 2. The RRO Take-Off Procedure takes aircraft between Warragamba and Wallacia, resulting in high noise
   levels for both towns.    This procedure should only be used when absolutely necessary.

 THE SOLUTION  (Submissions are stronger if they suggest solutions.  The wording is important even if it sounds odd.)

1:   Every Non-RRO NIGHT TAKE-OFF PROCEDURE (Runway 23) needs a 20 degree left turn after take-off.  

 2:   There should be a NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURE advising Air Traffic Control to CANCEL the ‘RRO
Early Right Turn Night Procedure’, when traffic permits, and instruct an initial 20 degree left turn.

3:   Change the Early Right Turn Procedure to be: “at the latter of 500 feet above the ground or one
nautical mile past the end of the runway” (or similar) to avoid overflying Wallacia village, and
consider a lesser right turn (say 10 degrees less) which would help and avoid Park River Close.

Flight Path with 20 degree left turn