Workshop: Fernandina Airport master plan will map noise, not recommend ways to reduce it

FERNANDINA BEACH — Residents frustrated by repetitive flight-school operations at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport brought their complaints to Saturday's airport master plan open house, but the consultants preparing the plan said it will not recommend specific measures to reduce aircraft noise.

Instead, the master plan will identify existing and projected noise exposure around the airport. Determining how to reduce that noise would require a separate study, according to Mike Kotlow, senior aviation planner with AVCON Inc., the consulting firm preparing the airport's long-range master plan.

"That's a separate, you know, study that would need to occur."

A separate airport noise briefing is scheduled for the City Commission on Nov. 4, providing another opportunity for residents to raise concerns about flight-training operations.

"I understand airports have planes taking off and landing all the time, but it's the repetitive, sometimes every minute, sometimes all day long, that is maddening. It's maddening," Hatton said.

Hatton said he submitted written comments during the workshop and had previously expressed his concerns on social media.

"We've been here 10 years, and it was a sleepy airport when we moved here 10 years ago," Bob Bradecamp said. "They didn't have the training schools coming in and out multiple times a day."

Her husband said some operations begin as early as 6:30 a.m.

"People landing here and taking off and making all sorts of noise, they don't pay a fee. I find that troublesome," he said.

"But it's an asset of the city that is not being used to improve the quality of life of its citizens," he said.

Federal aviation regulations and obligations associated with federal airport grants can limit a municipality's ability to restrict airport operations. Whether specific landing fees or operating restrictions could be imposed at Fernandina Beach would require further examination of the airport's grant agreements and applicable FAA requirements.

The airport has been the subject of complaints from residents of nearby neighborhoods, including Parkway North and Crane Island, over repetitive touch-and-go training operations.

Aircraft tracking data previously examined by the Fernandina Observer documented 14,748 touch-and-go maneuvers during the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2025, an average of about 40 per day.

Touch-and-go maneuvers involve an aircraft landing and immediately taking off again, allowing student pilots to practice repeated approaches and landings.

The city's voluntary noise-abatement guidelines recommend that pilots conduct no more than five consecutive touch-and-go maneuvers before leaving the airport traffic pattern. The guidelines are not mandatory.

Residents could walk among displays showing airport development alternatives and speak directly with airport representatives and AVCON planners. The consulting firm is evaluating airport operations, forecasting future aviation needs, developing alternatives for airport improvements and preparing the master plan for review by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Joining residents in reviewing the plans were numerous pilots based at the airport. Their primary interests were future runway configurations and plans for more aircraft hangars.

Nathan Coyle, who manages airport operations under contract with the city, said the open-house format follows FAA recommendations intended to encourage individual discussions and public participation.

Technical participants evaluate matters such as airspace requirements, airport geometry and operational limitations. Residents can address community impacts and their preferences for future airport development.

Coyle said the FAA reviews and approves certain technical assumptions during the planning process, including the types and categories of aircraft used to establish future airport design requirements.

Saturday's displays focused on alternatives for using and developing airport property. Environmental and financial analysis will follow as the planning process advances.

Asked how residents' comments would be documented and conveyed to the FAA, Kotlow said written submissions would become part of the master plan record.

"All the comment forms that are filled out will be included in appendix to the master plan, and we'll do our best to address all the public comments that we receive."

Coyle said informal conversations would be discussed by the planning team, but written comments provide a documented record for inclusion in the plan.

Although the master plan will examine aircraft noise, its noise contours will depict geographic areas exposed to different levels of aircraft noise based on existing operations and projected activity. The document will not establish specific measures to reduce that exposure.

"But we understand the sensitivity around this airport and the community, and, you know, we are definitely identifying the need to do follow-up efforts like the workshop and potentially other things as part of the master plan," he said.

"The master plan doesn't necessarily address the noise components as much," Kotlow said. "That briefing to the city commission on the 4th is really going to be the opportunity for that."

The city plans to hold a second public meeting as the airport master plan process advances, but a date has not been announced.