A CLOSER LOOK

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FLIGHT PATHS OVERHEAD
Are the Noise and Emissions a Concern?

Harbour Air seaplane taking off in Burrard Inlet (Ewan Streit photo)

by John Streit
(click images to enlarge)

East of Denman Street, you can’t really hear them.

But west of Denman as you get closer to Stanley Park and down at Coal Harbour they can most definitely be heard – and they’re loud.

We are talking about seaplanes and helicopters making regular daytime flights to and from terminals in busy Burrard Inlet, on either side of the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Whether you’re having a picnic at Third Beach, enjoying an afternoon cocktail at Cardero’s, or playing tennis by Lost Lagoon, it is a sound which is hard to ignore.

Often, people will stop what they’re doing and look up — especially at takeoff, when the greatest thrust is needed to get airborne and aircrafts are at their loudest.

When city officials in North America talk about improving livability, urban noise is not always tops in the discussion. According to a study in Portland, Oregon by Aron Faegre & Associates, seaplane (or float planes as they’re often called) noise can range from between 65 and 92 decibels (dB), depending upon the model of aircraft.

The sound of a helicopter flying at 500 feet is about 87 dB, according to the Helicopter Association International. At 1,000 feet, you’re hearing a drop in sound to around 78 dB. For comparison, a lawn mower is around 90 dB, a kitchen blender is around 80 dB and washing machine is 70 dB. 

As far as health risks, a University of Michigan study cited in a Washington Post article about noise showed an association with hypertension and heart attacks with noise above 50 decibels.

Harbour Air seaplane (Ewan Streit photo) 

Health Canada says, “scientific studies on adults have shown that short-term exposure to intense noise can cause temporary effects, including increases in heart rate and blood pressure.”  However, it adds “to date, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that aircraft noise causes heart disease. However, some studies suggest that people who live for many years in areas with intense traffic noise, may face a slight increase in the risk of developing heart disease. Health Canada will continue to assess future research on the potential health risks of aircraft noise.”

A new elementary school is being built at Coal Harbour near the float plane terminal and along the flight path of Helijet choppers headed for the heli-port east of Canada Place. Health Canada cities two studies about aircraft and children, one from Los Angeles and the other from Munich, Germany. It found that “average blood pressure levels were slightly elevated in a group of schoolchildren exposed to aircraft noise, however, neither study provides conclusive proof that aircraft noise causes chronic stress in children.” The studies found “blood pressure increase in the children exposed to aircraft noise was small when compared to normal blood pressure variations among children.” Reassuring news for parents with children going to the new school when it’s completed.

Typical float plane flights to Coal Harbour. (YVR graphic)

If you’re flying with kids on Harbour Air, “it can be a little noisy on board so you may wish to use ear protection for your child,” the company advises on its website. Harbour Air offers child-sized headsets that can be requested at check-in.

The reason seaplanes fly where they do near us is because of the location of Vancouver International Airport (YVR). YVR says “the safest transit route is directly over the airfield to avoid conflicts with aircraft that are landing and departing. If these float planes were to fly further east or west, around YVR, they would be in conflict with arriving or departing aircraft.” Most float planes are flying to or from Victoria.

Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby, with the Green Party of Vancouver, says aircraft noise may have specific consequences “for nesting herons and, for example, owls that hunt by sound. The noise of helicopters and float planes definitely has a serious negative impact on a variety of biological ecosystems in Stanley Park. I would certainly celebrate any outcome where flight paths were diverted around Stanley Park,” he said.

Shifting from auditory to emissions concerns, these aircraft also have an effect on our environment.

Tom Green is the senior climate policy advisor at the David Suzuki Foundation. Green puts Harbour Air’s latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) report in context: “They report per passenger-kilometres. So, one passenger flying Harbour Air from Vancouver harbour to Victoria harbour: 0.42 x 99 kms = 42kg CO2e. For context, burning 1L of gas = 2.3kg CO2e. So, it’s like driving your car until you use up 19 litres in your tank (e.g., someone driving a 2023 Ford F150 about 120-150 kms). But someone driving a heavy pickup or SUV alone from Vancouver to Tofino would likely emit more than by flying directly,” he said.

Tom Green with the David Suzuki Foundation (Electricity Transformation Canada photo)

Green adds taking transit and a BC Ferry would mean much lower emissions, though it would take more time. “Emissions are not the only issue, since we know that burning fossil fuels creates pollution that science is now clearly showing impacts human health.”

Green maintains the Suzuki Foundation recognizes that in many instances, float planes are the only option for remote communities, like getting to a medical appointment. “And often the emissions are relatively modest because as the crow flies it is so much more direct than by land and water,” he said.

Lauren Wilkinson is the Sales and Marketing Manager at the Harour Air Group where they transport over 500,000 passengers each year. “Our aircraft are operated in accordance with Transport Canada regulations and Nav Canada Air Traffic Control clearances and instructions. Harbour Air is the world’s first fully carbon neutral airline and we have been carbon neutral since 2007,” she said.

In December of 2019, the airline operated the first all-electric flight globally. “Together with our partners, we have since continued to lead the development, training and certification of our e-plane with the objective to convert our entire fleet of seaplanes in future,” Wilkinson said.

This is good news, according to Green. “We’re encouraged that Harbour Air is seeking to electrify its Vancouver to Victoria route. That would mean less emissions, less impact on health and also less noise compared to a conventional plane,” he said.

Suggested future arrivals from the east over Burrard Inlet indicated by white line. Blue lines show current routes. (Nav Can graphic)

The sky over the West End and Burrard Inlet may get even busier in the future. Nav Canada is proposing new arrival paths for jetliners flying to YVR. Nav Canada says the changes will “allow aircraft to line up with the runway sooner than when using a typical procedure today. As a result, aircraft will fly a shorter distance and consume less fuel and will also be operating on a Continuous Descent profile, which enables an aircraft to descend on a quieter reduced engine setting.” Community consultations are underway. Above is one map showing arrival routes (white line) from the east and the west.

Most West Enders are used to the current aircraft noise, but can it affect property values? What if you’re showing a condo and a 12-passenger Helijet Sikorsky S76 with a cruise speed of 246 kph flies past? Mike Cook is a realtor with Century 21. “Depending on the waterfront building location, the sound can vary in some instances. But most buyers over the years are aware of it and if it was a major issue, wouldn’t even bother to search for homes in that area. The one positive is the limited hours of operation. Basically, I think they are finished up by dark and or 7 p.m. in the summer,” he said.

Cook adds “some love it. Others live with it. A bit like living by a school. If you hate kids, you’re not buying there.”

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West Ender John Streit has been a BC radio, TV and online journalist for more than 20 years. You can listen to him anchor Global News on 980/CKNW in Vancouver.