Last week, the City Council voted to authorize the Mayor to contact pilots directly if they do not honor Palomar-McClellan Airport’s voluntary quiet hours.

What’s this all about?
Even though the airport is in the City of Carlsbad, it is owned and operated by the County of San Diego. And, although the county operates the airport, it does not have the authority to restrict takeoff and landing times. That’s up to the Federal Aviation Administration, which also regulates the size of planes landing at the airport and how many planes use the airport. This is why the quiet hours are voluntary.

What are the hours?
In an effort to minimize aircraft noise impacts on the community, the county established a Voluntary Noise Abatement Program that includes, among other things, voluntary nighttime quiet hours for arrivals and departures:

• 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for jets
• Midnight to 6 a.m. for propeller aircraft

How are pilots notified?
If a pilot does not honor to the voluntary quiet hours, the county sends a letter explaining the program and asking them to comply in the future.

Starting next year, the City of Carlsbad will obtain information from the county on all pilots who do not honor the quiet hours and send a follow-up letter from Mayor Keith Blackburn. The letter will remind pilots how overnight noise affects nearby residents and urge them to follow the voluntary quiet hours. We hope this added encouragement and appeal to honor the peace and quiet of nearby residents will help impress upon pilots the importance of established quiet hours.

What can I do?
The airport has a noise office dedicated to tracking noise complaints and educating pilots about how to minimize noise. They put out a monthly report listing data on airport activity, including how many planes disregarded the quiet hours. You can contact this office anytime if you have questions or concerns about airport noise.

You can also report any violation you might observe. Here’s how:

1.  With the airport’s WebTrack portal, you can find the flight and click to instantly report the issue (a tutorial at the top left of the screen guides you through the process). 

2.  Call the noise office at 760-966-3288

3.  Send a letter to:

Community Relations/Noise Office
McClellan-Palomar Airport
2192 Palomar Airport Road
Carlsbad, CA 92011

More information
Staff report