Mitigating the Effects of Military Aircraft Overflights on Recreational Users of Parks
Abstract
This study was initiated as part of the cooperative US Air Force/National Park Service efforts to understand and effectively manage the potential adverse effects military air crew training can have on the National Parks. Through simultaneous sound data acquisition and Park user interviews, data were collected that provided a basis for determining how military jet overflights can affect visitor experience at a site in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Several useful findings resulted from the analysis. First, visitors can distinguish between the concepts of "annoyance" and "interference" produced by aircraft sound. Annoyance is an emotional reaction, while interference is more of an objective judgment. Visitors can find that the sound of aircraft interferes with the natural soundscape, but are not necessarily annoyed. Visitors believe annoyance results if the interference is often or severe enough. Second, visitors tend to be less annoyed by aircraft noise if they remember learning that they could hear or see aircraft while in the Park. This finding shows the importance of informing visitors about possible aircraft overflights - i.e., managing visitor expectations. Finally, aircraft noise is likely to produce less annoyance if aircraft fly over in close succession, rather than widely spaced, one at a time.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA379467
Entities
People
- Grant S. Anderson
- Nicholas P. Miller
- Richard D. Horonjeff
- Richard H. Thompson
- Robert M. Baumgartner