✈ Understanding the DMAPS Changes ✈

Plane Sense from Plane Sense

We received this interesting question from a resident who has received the Wellington Airport consultation documents. To answer this question, here's what you should look out for:

🔎*Compare the old vs. new flight paths*:
*Page 7*: Old flight path
*Page 4*: New flight path (however, see more in the comments 👇)

🔎*Check page 2*: It mentions that pilots can request to deviate from the path, but 'occasionally deviating' is very different from being directly under the new path. Previously, lighter turboprop planes flew over, but now DMAPS concentrates jet engine aircraft over suburbs, causing a significant noise increase.

📊*Noise impact*:
*Old*: 54dB (prop planes) - this is what an Airways Report tells us.
*New*: Up to 80dB (jet engines) - actual noise captured by sound monitors in the suburbs (this isn't included in the consultation documentation). And remember, decibels increase exponentially like the Richter scale!

🚨Plus, unlike on the previous flight path, DMAPS means more frequent flights, with smaller gaps between them, and an increase in jet departures means higher noise levels for longer periods over the new path. That's why we're pushing for the DMAPS decision to be *reversed*, reverting to the old flight path - which isn't the same as sending all the jets over another suburb.

🤖Learn more about the bias in the consultation process, independently analysed by AI: 👉www.planesensewellington.com...