What Burlington and the National Guard are doing to reduce F-35 noise: Here’s the latest

The Vermont Air National Guard will explore options to help mitigate noise from F-35 jets, but said not impact immediate operations because mission changes are determined on the federal level by Secretary of Air Force or a higher authority.

Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski passed resolutions to change the F-35 mission in recent months, citing the noise from the jets based at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in South Burlington being too loud and too frequent.

Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak along with Nic Longo, aviation director for Leahy International Airport, met with the air national guard leaders earlier this fall, as the city waits find out if the state legislature will take any action on the resolutions passed earlier this year. The next legislative session begins in January.

Guard leaders told Mulvaney-Stanak and Longo that the resolution will not change the military process for determining their mission.

While awaiting the legislative session that begins in January, Mulvaney-Stanak and Longo provided an update to residents during this week’s site council meeting about their work with Guard.

What is the Vermont Air National Guard doing to stop the noise from the F-35s

• VTANG noise mitigation efforts:

  • VTANG wants to work with communities to explore changes. They have historically made changes to the F-35 program, including flight path changes, and might be able to do it again.

  • VTANG will continue to explore operational – not mission – changes to reduce noise in the community, including how planes take off. This can take time as the need a federal environmental review.

  • VTANG provided needed data in a timely matter so BTV Airport could update their Noise Exposure Map.

• VTANG wrote a letter of support for the airport’s recent grant application to access Department of Defense Noise Funding. It’s a new federal program that provides millions of dollars annually to airports with Air National Guard bases.

  • If awarded, all money will be directed to increasing the current $5 million used for the airport’s Sound Insulation Program.

• VTANG representatives also warned it would not adjust all flights by the unit, as the VTANG Fire Department, as it was established well before F-35 mission and supports not just the airport but surrounding towns.

How many houses and businesses are bothered by the noise of Leahy airport

There are estimated 5,515 people living in 2,368 dwelling units – which can be an apartment building or single-family home – are affected severely by the airport’s noise, according to a new report. The noise includes all of the airplanes not just the F-35s.

The number comes from the new Noise Exposure Map that “describes the airport layout and operation, aircraft related noise exposure, land uses in the airport environs, and the resulting noise/land use compatibility,” which Longo presented at City Council. The updated map was completed using a 2023 grant federal Noise Compatibility Program, which also helps to pay for mitigation.

Essentially, the map shows the geographic boundaries of those impacted by the noise from any airport activity by calculating decibels in terms of the Day-Night Average Sound Level metric.

These are the commercial and residential properties that can apply for federal money to mitigate the noise. The average house revamped costs about $130,000.

Mitigation comes in the form of new insulation, new doors, new HVAC systems and more. While it’s early in the projects timeline, Chamberlin Elementary School has a new HVAC system and noise monitoring systems have been installed there along with in Winooski and Williston.

Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington mayor, airport director outline: Mitigation for F35 noise