MMU Runway 23 departures

A proposal has been submitted by Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) to the FAA to modify the departure route from Runway 23 in order to avoid routing aircraft directly over residential neighborhoods.  This preferred route restores the intent of a noise-reduction plan first implemented in 1975.

It is important to understand that this is only a "recommended" route.  Actual departure routes are controlled by FAA air-traffic controllers at TRACON in New York, and often deviate wildly from the recommended route.  To illustrate this, a map of the current "observed" departure paths is below. 

As our experience has show, planes are taking off directly over residences much of the time.

The new route preferred by MMU is shown below, along with the nominal current route.  Non-residential zones are shaded in bluish gray.  A few points to bear in mind:

• The plan's intent is to route aircraft so they no longer fly directly over anyone's home.
• The preferred path restores the original intent of the 1975 MMU noise abatement agreement.
• The preferred path still keeps aircraft banking slightly left from the runway axis.
• In reality, everything depends on air-traffic controllers keeping aircraft on the recommended route.

For a close-up of the area of maximum noise relief, click here.

QUEST will continue efforts to see that air-traffic controllers keep pilots on minimum-noise paths.