The noon hour in the southeast Calgary community of Doverglen is when Dale Guyett has to listen to planes flying over his house every few minutes.
“The worst is when they’re taking off, it’s unimaginable,” Guyett said. “I usually wear hearing aids but I can’t with them. They’re that loud.”
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Doverglen is just one of many communities under the various flight paths of planes landing or taking off from the Calgary airport.
READ MORE: A first look at the Calgary airport’s new terminal
While planes have to follow strict routes and altitude regulations set by Transport Canada, each year hundreds of people complain about the noise, the number of planes and when they fly over.
Last year, there were 1,100 complaints and so far this year there have been 860. Every one is reviewed by the Calgary Airport Authority.
“We do have a team that is dedicated to talking to people and investigating some of the concerns to ensure that the aircraft are actually flying the way they should be flying,” said Jody Moseley, senior director of corporate communications at YYC Calgary International Airport.
She says while the airport authority monitors the noise and takes the complaints, they still have to work with the federal government and airlines to make changes.
“If something is a little out of the ordinary, it is our role to have a conversation with these different partners to ask the questions.”
Click here for information on how noise is monitored and controlled by the Airport Authority
Moseley says in her time at YYC, it’s been rare to see an aircraft flying outside of the regulated way it should be flying.
Often when people complain about planes in a different location or time of day than normal it could be due to bad weather, wind direction or other arriving and departing flights.
Some of the noise complaints received are about the Global 1 traffic helicopter. Global Calgary station manager Chris Bassett says all those complaints are taken seriously and investigated to ensure complete compliance with Transport Canada regulations regarding altitude and flight paths.
“We look into all noise concerns with our helicopter crew and regularly review where they fly and how long they stay over any particular traffic scene or neighbourhood,” Bassett said. “The helicopter provides significant benefits to the community through its ability to cover breaking news and provide a unique perspective on events of significant interest to our viewers.”
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