Helicopters will fly at higher altitudes and flight paths over Northern Virginia will soon be altered to reduce helicopter noise, US Representative Don Beyer announced Tuesday alongside representatives from the federal government, the aeronautics industry, and elected officials from Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, and Fairfax Tuesday.
There are about 30,000 helicopter flights in the D.C. area every year, the trade publication Vertical reported in 2021. Local police, medical personnel, the US military, the President of the United States—they all get around here via rotary-wing aircraft! A report that year by the US Government Accountability Office found that security restrictions in the region were among the reasons helicopter operators here fly lower and slower than elsewhere.
As a result, Beyer said at a news conference Tuesday, “helicopter noise has been a constant source of complaints from constituents across Northern Virginia.” Last year Beyer and other local officials announced a system that makes it easy to complain about helicopter noise online. Continued funding for that system was among the helicopter-focused improvements the officials announced Tuesday.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
