Overflights - Status of Program in 2007 (Legacy)

The information on this page is provided for research and reference


Where are we and where are we going?

Status of Overflights Program, March 2007

The NPS and FAA are co-leads in developing and writing the “Special Flight Rules in the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park Environmental Impact Statement.” With the help of the National Parks Overflight Advisory Group (NPOAG), Grand Canyon Working Group, we have developed a range of alternatives to analyze for the EIS. The NPS and FAA have hired a contractor to facilitate writing the EIS, and we are on an aggressive schedule to complete the EIS by April 2008, to meet the deadline established in the 1996 Presidential memorandum. A Draft EIS for public review is expected in fall 2007.

The five draft alternatives span a range of options for restoring natural quiet to the Park while allowing for a viable air tour industry. A variety of tools to achieve these goals include using curfews, encouraging quiet aircraft technology, seasonal use, and modifications to routes and flight free zones.

The alternatives will be analyzed for environmental impacts, including impacts to the Park soundscape using noise modeling with FAA’s INM 6.2. Other resources to be analyzed for impacts will be visitor experience, wildlife, cultural, adjacent lands, socioeconomics, and more. The level of impacts (negligible to major) for each resource will help determine the preferred alternative.

 

Current Issues

There are several important tasks currently in process at Grand Canyon National Park

  1. Cooperate with the FAA and cooperating agencies (Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Navajo Nation) on the development of this EIS.
  2. Impact threshold development.
  3. Preliminary draft alternatives analysis.
  4. Support and participate in NPOAG, Grand Canyon Working Group meetings.
  5. Collect sound data throughout the Park to verify noise model predictions.
  6. Continue to collect sound data in support of other park activity plans, including the Fire Management Plan, South Rim Transportation Plan, Backcountry Management Plan, and others.
  7. Conduct government-to-government consultation with American Indian tribes affiliated with the Grand Canyon.
 

Legacy Documents for Researchers

Copies of these reports are available by request from Grand Canyon National Park's Museum Collection/Archive. > Submit an email request.

NPS/FAA Policy Changes, Federal Register Notices or Rules Updates

  • Vol. 70, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 29, 2005 (181kb PDF File)
    Noise Limitations for Aircraft Operations in the Vicinity of Grand Canyon N.P.

  • Vol. 68, No. 216 / Friday, November 7, 2003 (43kb PDF File)
    Notice of Recommendation From the Aircraft Noise Model Validation Study

Last updated: May 1, 2023

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Mailing Address:

PO Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

Phone:

928-638-7888

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