Life in Coronado is ubiquitous with watching the U.S. Navy SEALs train on the beach or military aircraft zipping past overhead. But some residents say the noise from aircraft has gotten louder and more frequent in recent years, and that it is encroaching on their quality of life.
At a resident meeting hosted by Naval Base Coronado, a flock of people – many residents of the Coronado Shores condominiums – said the noise has gotten untenable and suggested that flight paths have changed to bring aircraft directly above their homes.
Captain Ladislao Montero, commanding officer of Naval Base Coronado, said that there has been an increase in flights in recent months, but that flight paths have not changed.
He said that the flight paths onto Coronado’s military runways are dictated by safety standards put into place by the Federal Aviation Administration, and that any aircraft deviating from the flight paths would constitute a flight violation and would be called off on their approach.
“Well, I’m just telling you what we’re seeing,” one resident, who did not identify himself, said during public comment, shrugging as the audience behind him murmured.
The runways in Coronado have been busier than usual in recent months, due to aircraft carriers training to deploy to the Western Pacific Ocean and a hull swap that took place off the coast, Montero said.
Montero noted that many military aircraft are very large, so they may appear closer than they are. But during public comment, many residents challenged this, saying they could see aircraft flying very close to their units at all hours of the day. One commenter said he measured noise of 120 decibels in his unit, and that the jet noise would set off car alarms. Many of those speaking said they have lived in Coronado for decades, but posited that the excess noise was new.
The flights in question approach Runway 29, which passes close to, but not over the Shores, Montero said.
During good weather, aircraft take an offset approach to the runway, which diverts them from residential areas. The purpose of the offset is noise abatement.
In bad weather, however, aircraft take the “straight in” approach, which posits aircraft more directly above residences. “Bad weather” is determined by the FAA as a cloud ceiling below 600 feet or visibility of fewer than two miles.
The FAA requires that on a straight in approach, aircraft stay a minimum of 250 feet above obstacles. Montero said that their flight path keeps aircraft more than 600 feet above the Coronado Shores, the tallest buildings in the area.
“What we don’t ever want to do is to fly unsafely and to put anyone – the public or anyone else – in danger,” Monterso said. “So we’re very, very, very adamant that anyone who is off (the flight path) or has a flight violation, that we follow the whole process for that.”
Megan Kitt is married to an active duty U.S. Navy officer.
People that live at the Shores know full well that this is a navy town and there is a lot of aircraft activity. The main concern at the meeting was planes not sticking to approved flight paths and flying over the buildings – which creates unnecessary increased noise, but more importantly is dangerous and a violation of FAA flight paths. Most of the people at the meeting were long time residents that enjoy being around the aircraft and “the sound of freedom”. They were expressing concern that the way the planes are flying has changed and flying over the buildings more frequently.
The NASNI CO was very clear that there are no approved flight paths directly over the condo buildings and answered a direct question by saying they do not have approval to do that and that they do not do that. The picture in the article shows a jet flying directly over the complex between the buildings and I have seen this many times. It seems that the Navy either doesn’t know where the pilots fly, or doesn’t care.
Also, just because you question the military or have concerns does not mean you don’t support them or don’t understand. My wife’s grandfather was awarded a Purple Heart in WWII, my Step-Father sailed from San Diego to Viet Nam and my sister served in the Air Force with numerous tours in the Middle East.
In the 70’s and 80’s, the S-3’s were far louder and far more frequent as they did their touch and go’s. There are many other beach towns the complainers can move to if they don’t like it here, La Jolla and Del Mar spring to mind.
Anyone who doesn’t like it there should move elsewhere.
Let me know if real estate prices drop.
Actually the sound of freedom is the ability to voice your concerns without fear of reprisal
Hello Shores residents! The NASNI CO knows what he’s talking about— safety and FAA rules govern the flight paths.
Visual Flight Rules (VFR) is a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. It involves flying an aircraft primarily by visual reference to the earth’s surface, rather than relying solely on the aircraft’s instruments. VFR allows pilots to utilize natural landmarks and visual cues to navigate.
VFR is often contrasted with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), where pilots rely mainly on their instruments for navigation and control, especially in conditions with reduced visibility.
While both VFR and IFR have their place in aviation, VFR is typically used when weather conditions are favorable and offer adequate visibility.
As a Coronado Shores resident, I have never complained about the noise…. and I have been going to the Navy meetings for over a year. As my retired Navy aviator son-in-law says… It’s the sound of freedom… And I agree. What I do complain about is when the aircraft fly directly over our buildings, off the flight path.
To me that is a disaster just waiting to happen. It would be catastrophic for not only Coronado Shores, but also for the city of Coronado.
Amen to the above! Why would you buy next to an airport then wonder why you hear aircraft noise?
My parents lived on the 16 th floor of a shores building. I can not remember the name and my mother would wave at the pilots as they flew past the patio. This was way back in the late 80’s early 90’s so it is not a new thing but just how things were and are. We live in a military town and the planes are part of it.
Give me a break! Some people are not happy unless they’re complaining! The Naval Air Station was on Coronado long before the Shores were built! Don’t these people realize how blessed they are to even live in Coronado? At the Shores?
Julia Viera. Those Shores residents are newcomers, some of whom do not understand the following: Coronado is the birth place of Naval Aviation, that roar which has always approached North Island along the ocean beach line is THE SOUND OF FREEDOM. Some of us are old enough to remember the carriers coming home from WW II. We had husbands and fathers who served there and in Viet Nam, and where everthere was trouble. The Shores actually were the last construction permitted that close to a California beach. We could do without them, but now they are here, you who chose to live there, deal with it. Respect it.
Bravo Julie!
Well said Julie!
Fighter Town USA — Naval Aviation readiness is critical to mission success and American Freedom… if you don’t like it rent or move elsewhere or stay in Arizona
Amen to the above! Why would you buy next to an airport then wonder why you hear aircraft noise?
Were the complainers living there prior to the Navy? If they do not like it move. I love the military overhead.
I’ve always wondered how residents of the Shores can complain about so many things that were in place long before they ever bought. If it’s not the Navy aircraft it’s the bonfires on the beach, or too many people on the paseo. It probably is irritating at times, but they had to have known what they were buying in to. I wonder how many of the complainers are renters?
Love it when people move here from New York and expect Coronado to change. Coronado is a military town.
Agree. The roar of a Navy jet is the sound of peace and freedom.
Agree
If you don’t like airplane noise, don’t buy a condo under a flight path. North Island Naval Air Station was there long before the Shores.
Agreed
The condos are near a flight path, not under a flight path. Jets flying directly over the buildings in good weather is not an approved flight path.