Jet traffic continues to increase at Hanscom Field, both in number and proportion.
The Hanscom Field Advisory Commission met virtually Tuesday and learned that overall November aircraft operations increased by 18.3 percent over the same month in 2020, but the difference in jets was 63.1 percent. The total was 3,388, almost the same as October’s 3,394, significantly more than the monthly total over the past decade.
Amber Goodspeed, airport operations manager at Hanscom, presented the monthly statistics and noted that the calendar year is still down 4 percent when compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
However, November operations were greater in 2021, and jets were up from 2,995 two years ago.
Indeed, the last time jet operations were close to current numbers was in November 2007. That month, the 3,151 in the jet category were 23.5 percent of the 13,392 operations. The comparable numbers for last month are 3,388 jet landings and takeoffs, 11,451 operations, for a percentage of almost 30.
A comparison that is even less gradual is noise complaints. Goodspeed reported 796 in November 2021. Two individuals registered 538 of the notices. The total reflects 26 individuals in 13 towns; 18 of the residents made multiple complaints.
Two years ago there were 259 complaints. Three years ago there were 59.
The reason for the numerical discrepancy is the increasing popularity of the Airnoise device, which electronically registers specific complaints by pressing a button. Goodspeed said 683 of the November complaints were filed this way.
Commission Chair Christopher Eliot asked Goodspeed if members could receive reports “on what the complaints are about.” But she explained that “this is not something that is cataloged in the system. It might be something through a software update that we can do in the future.”
She also told the commission that plans are underway for repairs next summer to the taxiway called Romeo, which is closest to Hartwell Road. She said the project won’t be a full resurfacing, for which funding will be available in three to five years. Much of it will involve crack sealing, although there will be some milling and overlay, she said.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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My house is directly under the approach for landing. What I have noticed is a significant increase in the number of flights later in the evening. The number of flights after dark seems much greater.
Wish they would stop flying directly over my house in Billerica