FAA drops flight path change over Bethesda

Residents have scored a temporary victory in the air wars over western Bethesda. The Federal Aviation Administration just announced it is dropping a proposed Reagan National Airport departure flight path change that would have increased airplane noise over western Bethesda neighborhoods along the Potomac River. Called LAZIR-B, the proposal went through an extensive review process and stirred outrage among affected Northwest D.C. and Bethesda neighborhoods. It would have moved the departure route closer to - and in some spots over - Bethesda homes.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center Director Ken Hartman represents Montgomery County on the Reagan National Community Noise Working Group. The group overwhelmingly endorsed two recommendations by Montgomery County, which would have kept planes as close to the center of the river as possible, at its November 3 meeting. Combined with overwhelming resident and official opposition, the result was the FAA canceling its plan, which had been advertised as increasing efficiency and lowering the environmental impacts of jet travel.

In a statement, the FAA said it would continue to support the efforts of the Community Noise Working Group.

Bethesda TV tower goes dark for 3rd time in 21 months

The Crown Castle telecommunications tower behind McDonald's in the 5200 block of River Road in Bethesda had no aircraft warning lights overnight. This is the third time since January 2015 that the tower has gone dark for a night; the tower had never gone dark for decades prior to this. Normally, this requires a Notice to Airmen to be issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, as the tower is 850' tall.

Crown Castle has had frequent problems with the lights on this tower. When they are on, one or more of the flashers have frequently operated at intensities that exceed light pollution regulations. The problems are apparently contagious. A cell tower operated by Crown Castle at the nearby Kenwood Golf and Country Club recently had its reliable red warning light replaced with one of these unreliable, cheap white flashing lights.

The record of Crown Castle makes one wonder how long it will be before that tower starts having light issues as well. Meanwhile, right over the border in the District, several TV towers continue to successfully use the standard red flashers. I've advised Crown Castle during numerous communications to reinstall the red lights, which never failed over several decades, and have never generated light pollution complaints.

Here we go again. Crown Castle has usually been responsive when I contact them, but it is clear that they have no intention of permanently solving these problems.

FAA schedules meeting on proposed flight path change toward Bethesda

Updated 12:00 AM September 3: The meeting location has been moved to downtown Bethesda due to "Back to School Night" at Westland MS. Please note the new location below

A public workshop will be held on September 15 to discuss a proposed flight path change from Reagan National Airport along the Potomac River. The meeting will be held at 6:30 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, which is located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda.

Under the proposed change, the path of jets departing Reagan National would move 1525' closer to the Maryland side of the Potomac from its current departure route. Essentially, neighborhoods in McLean would get a relative break at Bethesda and Palisades residents' expense (though, considering both communities are very wealthy, one has to wonder what would tip the political scales in any particular direction in this case). In official terms, however, the change is part of the NextGen program that the Federal Aviation Administration expects to have significant environmental and efficiency benefits.

Among those predicted benefits, the FAA says, will be the saving of 2.1 million gallons of jet fuel, and 18200 metric tons of carbon. The new flight paths will also improve on-time performance of airlines operating out of major U.S. cities, the agency forecasts.

The FAA says its "noise modeling" of May 2016 tells them that "there would be no significant noise impact" on communities near the new flight path. It should be noted that computer modeling is not the same as measuring actual noise levels in the real world environment.

Attendees will be able to speak individually with experts, and comment on the proposed flight path change. Those comments will be reviewed by the FAA before it makes its final determination this fall.

Map courtesy FAA

COUPLE'S ROMANTIC

AFFAIR LEADS TO

$1 BILLION LAWSUIT BY

BETHESDA CONTRACTOR

Downtown Bethesda Firm Alleges

Improper Relationship Cost Them

Longtime FAA Contract

A forbidden romance. Corporate espionage. A showdown in D.C. Superior Court.

Is this a movie coming to cineplexes this weekend?

No! It's a true story centering around a downtown Bethesda company(!!).

Washington Consulting Group, headquartered at 4915 Auburn Avenue right here in Bethesda, is an aviation contractor that once held a valuable Federal Aviation Administration contract. Until a romantically-involved couple at defense giant Raytheon and the FAA (respectively) caused them to lose it, WCG alleges in a $1 billion lawsuit.

The upshot of the story is this:

FAA employee Charles Keegan began a romantic relationship with a subordinate, Maureen Knopes. Keegan left the FAA for a job at Raytheon. Knopes used her position to steer a lucrative air traffic controller training contract - previously WCG's for twenty years - to Raytheon. All of this is alleged in WCG's lawsuit, Washington Consulting Group, Inc. v. Raytheon Technical Services Co., LLC.

On Monday, the DC Superior Court judge ordered Keegan to pay some of WCG's legal fees, because he had failed to turn over a Raytheon letter of reprimand which referred to the affair. But WCG has not yet been able to prevail in its quest for $1 billion in damages.

$1 billion!

And you thought Valentine's Day could get expensive...