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CHARLOTTE, NC – Neighbors living under the flight path to Charlotte-Douglas could soon get some relief. The FAA is working on a plan that would change how planes fly into the airport. It would affect people living near Steele Creek and Lake Wylie.
“You’ve got ’em flying over late at night. And you wanna go to sleep, and you can’t sleep cause you’ve got jets,” says Steele Creek resident Linda Wallace Martinez.
Under the new plan, airplanes would fly higher on approach and take a more direct path on their decent. The would also rely less on the tower and more on satellites and GPS.
“They’re gonna be decending at a sharper angle. And there will be less noise perceived,” says Lake Wylie resident and former pilot Ron Wanless. “It’s also going to be a good thing for the airlines too because they use less fuel with those kind of approaches,” he says.
Right now, the planes use a stair-step pattern, meaning more noise for people on the ground as the plane decends. But not everyone’s on board with the change.
“Well, my kids actually love the planes in the area. They like airplanes period, especially my son,” explains Steele Creek resident Ameila Pettus. Pettus says she grew up here and has grown accustom to them. “So, the planes haven’t really been a distraction or an issue. It’s kind of the area’s atmosphere,” she says.
