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Photo Provided by Port of Portland.

Phil Stenstrom has a unique relationship to Rotary.  In addition to his job as Aviation Noise Program Manager for PDX, Hillsboro, and Troutdale airports, he is a conflict mediator.  This summer he will begin his tenure as a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Portland International is considered a regional airport; the smallest of 30 hub airports in the US.  Last year, 18.3 million passengers traveled through its gates; a 9% increase over the previous year.  In 2016, the airport saw 227,709 take offs and landings and more than 50,000 people in the terminal each day.  During the same year, PDX generated nearly 18,000 jobs, $415 million in state and local taxes, $744 million in local purchases, and $10.7 billion in business sales.

United States’ airspace is both the most congested and the safest in the world.  By 1954, the number of people traveling by air exceeded those traveling by passenger vehicle.  In recent years, airlines have become more efficient by using larger aircraft and putting more seats in each plane.  Those who travel frequently have witnessed the decrease in leg room.

Newer aircraft are also much quieter than their predecessors.  In 1982, some 20,000 acres of land in the Portland area were considered high noise areas.  By 2008, that number was reduced to 3,700 acres.  Currently, not a single person lives in a high noise area.  This is not to say that planes can’t be heard flying overhead.  There are 10 microphones placed around Portland neighborhoods that help collect data about noise.  At this point, 77% of the complaints that are fielded by noise analysts come from the same 5 people.

The Citizen’s Noise Advisory Committee was created to field complaints and educate citizens about aviation related noise.  The committee is a team of noise analysts and community volunteers who do outreach and advocate for policies.  Residents who have concerns about aviation noise can lodge complaints through CNAC.  For more information, visit portofportland.com/Inside/CitizenNoiseAdvisoryCommittee.