Noise Abatement Procedures

Find out what noise abatement procedures are used at SMF.

While safety is always the highest priority, the Sacramento County Department of Airports encourages and expects aircraft operators to fly as quietly as possible. To assist aircraft operators in achieving this goal, the Sacramento County Department of Airports has established noise abatement procedures designed to minimize aircraft noise exposure in the community. A primary emphasis of these procedures is to minimize aircraft noise during the nighttime hours (21:45 to 07:45) when people are more sensitive to aircraft noise exposure. The Sacramento County Department of Airports also has letters of agreement with several units of the United States military designed to limit repetitive training activity to the daytime hours and up to one hour per aircraft.

Because the Sacramento County Department of Airports has no jurisdiction over aircraft in flight, these procedures are voluntary. As a result, the Sacramento County Department of Airports relies on the aircraft operators and air traffic controllers to be aware of and follow these procedures when it is safe to do so.

During the time period between 21:45 and 07:45 local time daily, turbojet IFR/VFR training operations shall be conducted in an east traffic pattern for Runway 17L, and assigned a heading of 010 and an altitude of 3,000 feet.

SMF’s nighttime preferential runway use system calls for use of Runways 35L/R between 21:45 and 07:45 local time daily as operating conditions permit. There are times when weather or air traffic operations dictate Runway 17L/R be used during these hours.