Airport Jets Damaging Temple

[sriracha john]

Temple's roof damaged by jet vibrations

Vibrations caused by jets arriving and departing from Suvarnabhumi Airport are forcing monks at a 100yearold temple to practise amid falling roof tiles and deafening blasts.

Residents and school children have already complained they were being driven to distraction by the loud aircraft.

And Monday, the abbot of Wat Bamrungruen in Lat Krabang claimed the temple was suffering.

The temple is just five kilometres from the runway and last month the deafening engine vibrations started dislodging roof tiles from temple buildings. This left holes in the roof of its century-old ubosot, or ordination hall, the abbot said.

The Nation

[Tywais]

Wonder why they haven't implemented noise abatement procedures if it is bad as it seems.

[farangsay]

Wonder why they haven't implemented noise abatement procedures if it is bad as it seems.

Many mornings (OK late morning) I am woken by an immam and his

loudhailer from a nearby mosque.

I go out to grab a coffee and get my ears busted by loud and distorted

(and crap) music blaring out from the stalls selling CD's.

This is just the start of the day.

From then on it gets louder.

Are you actually in Thailand , because in my opinion here they could not

even spell let alone understand "noise abatement".

[Tywais]

Are you actually in Thailand , because in my opinion here they could not

even spell let alone understand "noise abatement".

Been working here for a very long time and there is a difference between your local karoke place and an International airport that can implement them under standard procedures followed at many airports through out the world. As for the karoke place near me, a few calls to the MIB and "noise abatement" was in place. Can't help with your mosque problem though.

[sriracha john]

Money... or the lack thereof.

Between all the corruption and shoddy work having to be redone, there's none left.

AOT promised the nearby college something like 100 million to redo things for noise abatement in February... and the college is still waiting for it.

[khaosai]

Wonder why they haven't implemented noise abatement procedures if it is bad as it seems.

Hi,

noise abatement from an operational point of view normally has a note on the airfield charts to the effect. Noise sensitive airports generally require jet aircraft to reduce take off thrust to climb thrust at 1500 ft above the ground, and commence acceleration at 3000 ft above the ground.

If not stipulated then some carriers will reduce thrust at 1000 ft and immediately accelerate thus increasing the noise, dare i say pollution.

The old Don Muang airport did not, if i remember correctly, have any requirement for this procedure on the charts. The new airport might.

The authorities might attempt to come up with some new standard instrument departures, or as a stop gap air traffic control could assign a heading to fly after getting airborne.

Places like Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, amongst others, have noise monitoring points either side of the departure routeing, which trigger at a certain amount of decibles. Each year a table is produced to see who the worst offenders are, and those airlines are suitably fined. These monitoring points are however ignored in the interests of flight safety, let say due to a weather deviation on departure.

Rgds.

[Jai Dee]

An aircraft passes over the damaged roof of the ‘ubosot’, or ordination hall, at Wat Bamrungruen, where monks have been worshipping amid falling tiles and deafening noise from landings and takeoffs at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Source: The Nation - 7 November 2006

[Jai Dee]

Wat's tranquillity shattered

Vibrations caused by jets arriving and departing from Suvarnabhumi Airport are forcing monks at a 100-year-old temple to practise amid falling roof tiles and deafening blasts.

Residents and school children have already complained they were being driven to distraction by the loud aircraft.

And yesterday, the abbot of Wat Bamrungruen in Lat Krabang claimed the temple was suffering.

The temple is just five kilometres from the runway and last month the deafening engine vibrations started dislodging roof tiles from temple buildings. This left holes in the roof of its century-old ubosot, or ordination hall, the abbot said.

"The airport sent an engineer to estimate the loss and concluded it would cost Bt1 million," he added. The airport had covered the holes temporarily and told the temple it would have to wait before the job could be completed.

"I have no idea when work will start," said another Wat Bamrungruen monk. He said Buddha images and murals in the ubosot had been damaged by rain leaking through the roof.

Tiles continued to fall from the roof each time a jetliner zoomed overhead. The temple has tried to secure them to prevent further damage while it waited for the airport to make repairs and install soundproof glass.

The abbot said monks were forced to tolerate the situation because neither the historic temple nor the airport could be moved.

Meanwhile, monks observe religious practices under the leaky roof and to the sounds of giant airliners landing and taking off.

Some, however, cannot bear it and have expressed an intention to move.

Chuchuen Klaythong, 62, who lives in the temple compound, said she saw many tiles falling from the ubosot roof as aeroplanes flew overhead during a recent funeral ceremony.

Phra Suwit of nearby Wat Lat Krabang said his temple suffered similar damage but had made repairs itself.

Meanwhile, a couple residing in Soi Pooncharoen in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district complained to a newspaper on Sunday that tiles had been shaken from their roof by the vibrations from passing aircraft, leaving a one-metre by 2.5-metre hole.

Charuwan Wutthinawin, 50, said that while she was sleeping with her 10-year-old daughter on Sunday morning, she was awoken by a banging sound and saw a hole in the ceiling. She rushed to a police station to report the matter.

The family moved into the house last year, and since the airport opened have suffered from the deafening sound of aircraft taking off and landing every one to two minutes.

Charuwan said she knew the large jets would cause vibrations but never expected they would damage her house.

Source: The Nation - 7 November 2006

[sriracha john]

I would think there were very few things that could be considered worse than destroying an old temple.

Sounds like AOT is just blowing off their responsibility. If they wait the same 10 months and counting to fulfill their promises as in the case of the college, there'll be nothing left of the Wat....

[Briggsy]

And the plan under the previous administration was for an aeropolis. Hmmm

[sriracha john]

PCD vows to cut noise near airport

Aircraft noise specifications, new flight plans among new measures

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) is preparing drastic measures to reduce noise pollution caused by aircraft landing and taking off at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The measures will be put before the National Environment Board for consideration by the end of this month.

"We plan to be strict about the aircraft that use the new airport, their specifications and their flying patterns," PCD director-general Monthip Srirattana Tabuganon said yesterday.

She was speaking after a meeting with representatives from relevant authorities including Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Civil Aviation Department, Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT), the Transport Ministry and the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.

According to Monthip, it will be proposed that aeroplanes that fail to pass noise-certification requirements by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) be prohibited from using the new airport.

The proposed measures will also require planes to change their flying patterns when using Suvarnabhumi Airport to ensure minimum noise around the airport's neighbourhood.

"The AOT will have to inform airlines and monitor their compliance," Monthip said, adding that relevant officials would meet again tomorrow to discuss the proposed measures in detail.

However, she said a conclusion had already been reached that the concentration of runway use should focus on the western runway because it would reduce noise pollution in affected housing estates.

PCD deputy director-general Suwat Wangwongwattana said his department had already asked the Mental Health Department to help take care of residents suffering from noise pollution caused by the new airport.

"In future, we also plan to set up a hotline to provide counselling services," he said.

Suwat also disclosed that the AOT has earmarked Bt390 million to compensate the owners of 71 houses in areas that, according to the environmental impact assessment (EIA), were suffering from noise pollution caused by planes landing and taking off at the airport.

He said the relevant authorities, based on aerial photographs, were also aware that the number of affected houses had increased since the EIA was conducted.

"The AOT has taken this into account and will also consider giving them compensation," he said.

- The Nation

[sriracha john]

Suvarnabhumi to curb aircraft noise

Suvarnabhumi airport will place noise restrictions on all planes and plans to adjust the landing routes of aircraft to help ease noise pollution affecting local residents, officials said yesterday. Supat Wangwongwatana, deputy chief of the Pollution Control Department, said the agency had agreed with the Civil Aviation Department to ban all aircraft violating noise level limits currently set at 103 decibels by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). ''The Aviation Department will make an announcement this week to inform all airlines,'' Mr Supat said. ''Airlines will have to show us noise certificates that their aircraft meet the regulations.'' Aviation Department chief Chaisak Angkhasuwan said all planes registered in the country will be verified by the department, while other civil aviation agencies would be asked to strictly check planes in their countries. The Pollution Control and Aviation departments also plan to use the eastern runway more for landings to ease noise pollution on the western part of the airport where the majority of people live. The new airport currently uses its western runway for 98% of landing aircraft. The report says there are some 71 houses affected by noise from planes using Suvarnabhumi. Those suffering from noise higher than 70 decibels will receive compensation from Airports of Thailand. The government has set aside 300 million baht for payments. But chief of Pollution Control Monthip Sriratana Tabucanon added that many houses in Onnuj district in Bangkok might also meet the criteria for compensation.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/08Nov2006_news16.php

[John K]

Well lets see, it is not the landings that make the noise it is the full power takeoffs. Reducing the power at takeoff tends to result in a much louder crash down range. I can recall on dramatic crash in Washington DC that involved a faulty sensor that only let the engines power up to 80%. Not to mention lower power also means lower altitude.

60-20-20 on this one. There is no pilot that will put lives in danger including their own. They had nothing to do with the location of the airport so they should not be asked to put lives in danger because someone else wanted to make money.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE RELATED NEWS

SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT

AOT 'must sort out compensation within 2 months'

Householders in Bang Phli, also irked by take-offs and landings, join the fray

A compensation dispute between Airports of Thailand (AOT) and residents suffering from noise pollution caused by the new Suvarnabhumi Airport must be resolved within two months, according to disgruntled householders.

A number of residents are dissatisfied with the compensation offer and the attitude of the AOT.

In addition, a new group of home-owners from Bang Phli in Samut Prakan will lodge a complaint about unexpected noise pollution from take-offs and landings.

"Ninety per cent of Lat Krabang residents have been here for generations. My family has been living here for 100 years," said Chaloey Klinsukon, a resident with a 120-square-wah home.

Chaloey is unhappy about AOT compensation, which he claims is lower than his home's Bt25,000-per-square-wah market price.

Vinai Saechueng shares the sentiment: "I don't like the AOT attitude when it says Lat Krabang has developed thanks to the airport. The area was developed before the airport was constructed. We didn't want the airport, or to move."

AOT president Chotisak Asapaviriya insisted compensation payments would be fair and all 71 households - including those of Vinai and Chotisak - would be satisfied.

He said most complainants were from parts of Lat Krabang in Bangkok and Moo Baan Chaiyapruk in Samut Prakan.

Meanwhile, more discontented residents emerged at Bang Phli. They met with AOT yesterday. Residents from Nobel Park, Raimon Park and the administrator of Sathit Bang Na School held a separate meeting yesterday.

They complained of surprise at being affected by airport noise because they were not supposed to be on a flight path.

"The television signal is down, you can't hear the person on the other end of the telephone, and some can't sleep," said one Nobel Park resident who asked not to be named.

AOT promised to survey the location where the new complainants lived and resolve the dispute within one month.

In a new development at the airport Chotisak reported another hitch. He announced an investigation was under way into why engineers had failed to swiftly free passengers in a stalled elevator and laughed at those trapped inside.

The Nation

[khaosai]

Hi,

flew out of the new airport a few days back.

The airport authorities have now introduced a notice to crews operating out of the airport to use specific noise abatment procedures. This is at least a step in the right direction, and might allievate some of the problems being reported.

Rgds.

[sriracha john]

Aircraft shatter nerves and studies at Bang Phli school

When we entered the school on Bang Na-Trat Road, Km 16, we noticed nothing different from other medium-sized schools, but after five or six steps, suddenly there was the thunderous roar of a twin-engine aircraft passing overhead.

We arrived at Poolchalearn Witthayakhom Secondary School in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district during the morning assembly. However, the national anthem sung by the 2,142 students and the daily announcements reported over a loudspeaker were drowned out by another sound: the shriek from passing planes.

It added 10 or 20 minutes to the usual 30-minute ceremony.

Whenever a plane soared directly above the school, the sound waves shook us slightly. The planes flew so low that we felt we could reach up and snatch them out of the air with our hands.

From 8-9am, 36 aeroplanes took off from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

With no air-conditioning or soundproofing, the school has had to endure he11 since the airport started commercial services on September 28.

Most activities must pause and teachers stop talking when the overwhelming din occurs.

"The school provides some amplifiers, but there aren't enough to go around, so teachers who don't use them speak louder and end up getting a sore throat," said science teacher Lamai Songsiri.

She said students had invented a new fad, guessing which airline a passing aircraft belongs to from the insignia painted on it.

But stress has built up among students and teachers alike, even good-humoured social studies teacher Umakorn Poolsana.

"It makes me feel like I'm on a battlefield," she said.

Boonma Lekroengsin, an assistant to the school principal, said Airports of Thailand (AOT) officials went to the school to measure the noise of jets flying overhead, which was more than 70 decibels.

AOT might install air-conditioners in every classroom and employ soundproofing materials like double-layer glass windows.

Student-union president Yaimai Pongjeen, 17, said the noise had ruined their peaceful existence at school and at home.

"My mother is suffering from insomnia, stress and lack of rest, which is disrupting her work and her life. She must take sedatives every night to sleep," said Yaimai.

She was growing impatient with the authorities' lack of action. "Don't waste time discussing how to solve this problem. Spend more time coping with it."

Wannapa Phetdee,

Ninnete Surarat

The Nation