Fly safe — and fly friendly!

Excerpt from IWA's "Fly Friendly" PDF, available on the airport website for pilots.

A reminder from our friends at IWA (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway) that noise-sensitive areas exist all around the airport.

In particular, heightened sensitivity has focused on the area east of the corridor for traffic heading to the Southeast Practice areas. Also, be aware of Fighter Combat conducting aerobatic training east of IWA’s Class Delta airspace. 

IWA Community Relations Coordinator Patrick Oakley says that some residents in those areas have recently expressed concern about the noise of some departing and arriving aircraft.

IWA’s website provides a good section for pilots on how to “Fly Friendly.” It’s worth a look. Here’s the link: http://www.phxmesagateway.org/FlyFriendly.aspx

Also, the Aircraft Owners and Pilot’s Association has good general guidance on some things you can do to be a friendly to those on the ground while still complying with all the Federal Aviation Regulations. Here they are:

1. If practical, avoid noise-sensitive areas. Make every effort to fly at or above 3,500 feet MSL over such areas when overflight can be avoided.
2. Consider using a reduced power setting if flight must be low because of cloud cover or overlying controlled airspace or when approaching the airport of destination. Propellers generate more noise than engines; flying with the lowest practical RPM setting will reduce aircraft noise substantially.
3. Perform stalls, spins and other practice maneuvers over uninhabited terrain.
4. Familiarize yourself and comply with airport noise-abatement procedures.
5. On takeoff, gain altitude as quickly as possible without compromising safety. Begin takeoffs at the start of a runway, not an intersection.
6. Use PAPI. This will indicate a safe glide-path and allow a smooth, quiet descent to the runway.
7. Retract the landing gear either as soon as a landing straight ahead on the runway can no longer be accomplished or as soon as the aircraft achieves a positive rate of climb. If practical, maintain best-angle-of-climb airspeed until reaching 50 feet or an altitude that provides clearance from terrain or obstacles. Then accelerate to best-rate-of-climb airspeed. If consistent with safety, make the first power reduction at 500 feet.
8. Fly a tight landing pattern to keep noise as close to the airport as possible. Practice descent to the runway at low power settings and with as few power changes as possible.
9. If possible, do not adjust the propeller control for flat pitch on the downwind leg; instead, wait until short final.
This practice not only provides a quieter approach, but also reduces stress on the engine and propeller governor.
10. Avoid low-level, high-power approaches, which not only create high noise impacts, but also limit options in the event of engine failure.
11. Flying between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. should be avoided whenever possible.
12. 700 feet of separation between runways.
13. Simultaneous departures and arrivals on runways.
Note: These are general recommendations; some may not be advisable for every aircraft in every situation. No noise reduction procedure should be allowed to compromise flight safety.