The League of Quiet Skies Voters announced that software developer Chris McCann – best known for his innovative Airnoise.io service that automatically reports users’ aircraft noise complaints – will speak at the League’s April 25, 2019, Town Hall.
Used throughout the U.S., the Airnoise.io “button” has become a popular and easy-to-use tool for citizens expecting more accountability from unresponsive airports.
After a career as combat pilot in the US Air Force, McCann completed a Master’s Degree in Software Engineering and became a software developer for Fairway Technologies in La Jolla, CA. Chris has over 5,000 hours flying time in 39 different aircraft and he flies a Cirrus SR-22 for fun now.
In the fall of 2016, when people in his community complained about aircraft noise due to the FAA’s NextGen routes and their airport’s lack of response associated with registering these complaints, it occurred to Chris that the difficulty of filing complaints with no actionable responses from airports might be solved using a bit of software that could gather information about the aircraft overhead and submit a detailed noise complaint.
As a combat veteran and software developer, Chris believed:
“There was no place in our democracy for the injustice I saw happening, so it was pretty much a call to duty.”
Today, Chris’ Airnoise service has led to over 1,880,000 complaints being registered at 39 airports nationwide. McCann and Airnoise.io have received substantial nationwide media attention, including a feature story in the Wall Street Journal last August, when the Port of Seattle’s Perry Cooper was quoted as saying there had been over 2,000 complaints filed at Sea-Tac per week. Airnoise was also featured in the Washington Post at the end of December.
At the League’s kick-off event on April 25, McCann will share with the audience:
- the impacts nationwide of capturing complaint data more efficiently;
- the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of airport responses to noise complaints; and
- how citizens might better use complaint data to influence local policymakers
McCann will also discuss tactics used by airports to push back against increased numbers of noise complaints.
“We’re excited to have Chris speak to our airport communities at the League’s first Town Hall because this type of out-of-the-box innovation is precisely what we need to address Sea-Tac’s broken complaint response system,” said Burien Quiet Skies Coalition President, Larry Cripe.
McCann will discuss how the Airnoise.io service has motivated conversations between residents, local airport authorities, the FAA, and elected officials with attendees at the April 25 League event.
“Chris is a perfect fit for our first Town Hall because its purpose is to maximize voter education on health and environmental risks from airport expansion, and to emphasize there is fact and science-based information associated with aircraft noise issues,” said Quiet Skies Coalition’s Treasurer Debi Wagner. “Airnoise.io is just that—real information and real data.”
Event details:
WHAT: League of Quiet Skies Voters Town Hall
WHEN: Thursday, April 25, 2019, 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: Highline Performing Arts Center, Burien WA (map below)
TICKETS: Tickets (FREE) available at www.LOQSV.org
About the League of Quiet Skies Voters
As aircraft noise and emissions present increasing human health and environmental concerns, impact property values and public safety, and create social, economic, and environmental justice disparities, the League of Quiet Skies Voters seeks to empower voters living in the shadow of the 8th busiest airport in the United States with the information to fully understand the risks of this expansion, the alternatives, our rights and choices, and how to engage our policymakers for change.
The League was created as an association of regional citizen-led groups including:
- Quiet Skies Puget Sound
- Quiet Skies Coalition
- Federal Way Air Noise Alliance
- The Briefing Project
More info at https://www.loqsv.org.
The Highline Performing Arts Center is located at 401 S. 152nd Street: