No matter what objection or challenge taxpayers bring in response to Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) initiatives, FAA’s defense is always the same: changes are required for “safety and efficiency.” FAA’s global resort to such an excuse (e.g., justification for changes to flight paths over populated areas without notice or environmental review) is belied by the recent responses of both the U.S. Congress, and the Secretary of Transportation.

Although it's convenient for the wealthy, private jet travel is also one of the most carbon-intensive things a person can do, spewing about two metric tons of carbon every hour.

The people living in Van Nuys are mostly renters, majority Latino, and households here typically make less than $60,000 per year. That's roughly the cost of a round-trip private flight from LA to New York. Suzanne Gutierrez-Hedges lives nearby, and she's worried about how those flights are affecting her kids' health.

The results of this state-funded study indicate that the projected economic advantages to the region of the new flight paths are significantly offset by their negative health effects, which were measured through quality-adjusted life years and the medical economic burden on affected populations.

The study states that the total cost of hospitalizations, as well as direct and indirect costs of disease and lessening of life outcomes, will be approximately $1.2 billion over 30 years ($800 million in today’s dollars).

Most of the noise in an aircraft is generated by its engines. However, this is not the only source. Noise is also generated by the airframe and from the various systems in the aircraft, such as the air conditioning system. What steps are being taken to reduce this noise?

Nearly 20 years after the Concorde jet failed, aircraft-makers are still trying to master high-speed flights. But can they?

Technical challenges remain. Jet engine technology, noise regulations and the shortage of clean and alternative aviation fuel will make it difficult for airlines to get government approvals on aircraft and keep ticket prices low, critics said. Bold corporate claims of bringing back supersonic travel will run headlong into scientific challenges for years to come, they added.

In sectors from government regulation to health care practice, the threats posed by noise remain “often underestimated,” according to the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise.

Researchers and clinicians are trying to change this. They’ve shown that noise pollution not only drives hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypersensitivity to sound, but can cause or exacerbate cardiovascular disease; type 2 diabetes; sleep disturbances; stress; mental health and cognition problems, including memory impairment and attention deficits; childhood learning delays; and low birth weight.

The Federal Aviation Administration allowed Southwest Airlines to put millions of passengers at risk by letting the airline operate planes that did not meet U.S. aviation standards and by failing to provide its own inspectors with the training needed to ensure the highest degree of safety, according to a report released Tuesday by the Department of Transportation’s inspector general.

If you needed another reason to grumble about the screeching T under your office, the noisy traffic on your commute, or those flights from Logan Airport whizzing over your house, you have one.

A recent study identifies a mechanism that appears to play a “significant role” in how long-term noise exposure leads to heart disease, inflammation, and blood vessel damage.