The Patriot Ledger: Milton Gets Flight Data

MILTON, FEB. 12 - State Representative Dan Cullinane & I attended the most recent meeting of Milton’s Air Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) on February 6th in order to deliver flight track data received from Massport (Massachusetts Port Authority).

We are hopeful that this represents meaningful progress and the first of many steps toward achieving the transparency deserved by those affected by these flight paths:

"Milton Gets Flight Data

By Fred Hanson The Patriot Ledger

Two state legislators given town officials data on flights before and after the implementation of a new navigation system.

MILTON − The town’s airplane noise advisory committee has received information on flight tracks from before and after the implementation of a GPS-based navigation system for flights in and out of Logan Airport.

State Reps. Bill Driscoll, D-Milton, and Daniel Cullinane, D-Dorchester presented the information at this week’s meeting of the committee. Andrew Schmidt, the chairman, had been seeking the information from Massport, which operates the airport. They were successful in their efforts to get Massport officials to release the information, which covers flights on Runways 4R and 4L on two specific dates - October 29, 2009 − before the use of the RNAV system − and November 13, 2017.

“It is our understanding that Massport has not shared this type of technical data set regarding primary flight paths over Milton until now,” Driscoll said.

Local officials feel the RNAV system concentrates air traffic over a narrow area which bears the brunt of airplane noise and pollution.

Cullinane said there has been much debate over the issue of air traffic over Milton. He said, in the end, facts matter.

“If the data is accurate and unfiltered, it should show us the facts that will be key to how we discuss and move forward on this issue as a community,” Cullinane said.

Driscoll applauded the efforts of the committee members and other volunteers in town working to “research, decipher and demonstrate the changes that have occurred in the airspace over Milton.”"