Mesa residents push back of increased air traffic noise at Falcon Field

MESA, Ariz. - If you live near an airport, you know to expect some air traffic noise. But some residents who live near Falcon Field in Mesa say the amount of noise has reached unacceptable levels in recent years.

What we know:

This movement has led to public comment at council meetings, an online petition with more than 1,600 signatures, and a very active social media discussion.

The City of Mesa says they are unable to create their own air traffic rules, since the FAA has control over the airspace. But these residents say someone needs to hear them out.

Local perspective:

"What we're experiencing just here while we're talking is outrageous," said Mesa resident Lorijane Hoover.

Hoover has lived near Falcon Field since 1997 and says it used to be a small, quieter airport.

"There wasn't a lot of traffic, air traffic then. They had their annual flying shows and it wasn't bad," Hoover said.

But in recent years, Hoover says air traffic at the airport, including the presence of more than a dozen flight schools, has created nearly constant noise.

"It's to the point that you can't sit in your backyard without being buzzed and being woken up very early in the morning," she added.

By the numbers:

Data sent to FOX 10 from the City of Mesa shows the amount of air traffic went from a range of 284,000 to 348,000 operations to more than 424,000 in 2024.

What they're saying:

Hoover is not the only resident concerned.

"Two at once, by the way, make sure we got this, two at once," said Mesa resident Gus Palmisano, gesturing toward planes overhead.

Palmisano says he is concerned about the noise, as well as the potential for leaded aviation gas, also known as avgas, which is used in some aircrafts at Falcon Field.

"They're spewing lead exhaust fumes over the area. These are residential areas, the Red Mountain Ranch area and The Summit area, there are three major schools here," Palmisano said.

Chelsea Boettcher has the same concern.

"The argument to the fuel is that it'll dissipate naturally into the currents in the wind and things like that, but with a constant pattern of overhead traffic multiple hours of the day, you know 5:30 until 11 at night, the fuel kind of and the emissions just kind of sits stagnant in the air," Boettcher explained.

Dig deeper:

The three residents say they love Mesa and want the city to keep growing, just not to the detriment of its taxpayers.

"We hope that the general aviation population understands that we're not trying to be bad guys or martyrs here, we're just trying to have quiet enjoyment of our homes," Boettcher said.

"The reasons we want this changed, the reasons we want this removed if possible, number one is lead, number two is noise, number three is our home values are declining on a daily basis," Palmisano said.

Both Palmisano and Boettcher are real estate agents and say they have had clients specifically avoid homes in the area due to this issue.

What's next:

This topic will be the focus of a community meeting hosted by Mesa Councilmember Alicia Goforth on Dec. 11. Part of the discussion will center around the idea of charging landing fees at the airport, and if that may help lessen traffic. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the K-8 STEM Academy at Red Mountain Ranch.