Growlers go ‘gear-up’ to reduce noise

Published 4:25 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2015

A little relief from the thunder of Navy jets may rest in the landing gear.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is directing its Growler pilots to keep their landing gear up until they are over water as they fly routes over Lopez Island to lessen the impacts of jet noise, according to U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen.

Officials of NAS Whidbey Island recently performed informal sound tests in areas on Lopez Island.

One of the tests involved flying two jets overhead, one with landing gear up and one with landing gear down. Officials discovered a significant noise difference between the two jets.

The gear-up planes measured about 20 decibels less than those with gear-down, which, like the way in which the Richter scale measures the force of an earthquake, equates to an exponential reduction in noise by a factor of four, Larsen said.

As a result the base is now directing pilots to keep their wheels up until they are over water when they are flying approaches that go over Lopez Island.

“Residents in the San Juan Islands have shared their concerns with me regarding jet noise from EA-18G Growler operations at NAS Whidbey Island, including at a community meeting I attended last fall on Lopez Island,” U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen said in a March 10 press release. “I have asked the Navy to consider how Growler operations affect local communities, and I appreciate the Navy’s ongoing work to address these concerns. The Navy expects this operational change to lessen the sound of flights over sections of Lopez Island, while ensuring pilots can maintain the training they need.

Larsen has been working with local officials and the Navy to find ways to protect the health of the base and ensure proper training of it pilots, while at the same time addressing the effects on communities across the north Puget Sound impacted by the noise of the Whidbey Island-based Growler fleet.

Larsen has previously encouraged the Navy to pursue new technology that might help reduce engine noise and construction of a so-called “hush house” that would muffle the sound of on-ground engine testing.

“This operational change is a strong example of how ongoing communication between local communities and the base can help address these concerns,” Larsen said of the new landing-gear directive. “I am hopeful we can continue to find solutions.”