Our neighborhood's fifty-plus years in the forefront of aircraft noise abatement issues is being recognized by the Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER) by inviting Mat Thorp, current chair of the PCA's Aircraft Noise Committee to be a member of its Advisory Board. The PCA was added as an advisory group at the same time as Airbus and Bombardier.

PARTNER was established by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Transport Canada in order to "enhance the understanding of aerospace environmental issues." As one of five long-term FAA Centers of Excellence, PARTNER is a world-class consortium of academic, industry, and government organizations. With their invitation to PCA, FAA and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the lead university in PARTNER, have deliberately added a community-based organization to the mix. In fact, PCA is the only community-based organization in the mix.

Other members of the partnership include:

Nine top universities, such as Purdue and Stanford;
Large airframe and jet engine manufacturers, such as Airbus, The Boeing Company, General Electric Aircraft Engines, and Rolls Royce;
Washington-based member associations, such as the Air Transport Association of America, Inc. and Airports Council International-North America; Owners and operators of airports, such as Massachusetts Port Authority (Logan) and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (Reagan National and Dulles);
Advocacy groups formed by municipalities and counties affected by aircraft noise and emissions, such as O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission and San Francisco International Airport / Community Roundtable.

Further information on PARTNER will be available at the October 4 general membership meeting and on the PCA website. You can also visit http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/www.partner/. Mat Thorp, Chair, Aircraft Noise Committee

THE QUEST FOR QUIET
Homeowners View Shelter From Noise as a Must-Have Amenity, Surveys Show (Excerpt)

By DAN RAFTER Special to The Washington Post
Saturday July 20, 2005; Real Estate Section

When Mat Thorp bought his home in the Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington, he gave little thought to the airplanes that would be roaring over his residence on their way to and from Reagan National Airport.

That was 40 years ago, when Thorp worked long hours in the aviation field and traveled extensively. Living so close to the airport - with the quick access it gave him to cities across the country- outweighed the negatives of noisy days.

His viewpoint changed once Thorp retired and began to spend more time at home. The turning point, he recalled, was a reception he hosted on his patio in 2001. When he replayed a video of the event, Thorp was struck by the number of times an airplane would roar overhead, cutting short conversations and drowning out laughter.

"We all knew the airport was there before we moved into our homes," Thorp said. "And many of us do recognize the airport as a community asset. But the sound of those jet engines can be very disconcerting if you are outdoors or if you have your windows open. What we are trying to do is to work together with the airport on various noise abatement and mitigation programs so that we can all live together."

Thorp emphasizes that he is not just complaining about noise, he's doing something about it. Thorp serves as chairman of the aircraft noise committee of the Palisades Citizens Committee, and is the D.C. citizen representative on the airport noise committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

His goal is not to wipe out National Airport, but to work with it to make sure that flight paths and jets cause the least amount of noise for the residents who live in its shadow. Thorp and his neighbors are working with airport officials to move flight paths along the Potomac River, rather than directly over homes. They're also working on new arrival and departure procedures that would allow for quieter flights.

As for his home, Thorp hasn't done much soundproofing beyond the obvious: He long ago installed central air conditioning and he owns thick storm windows.