It’s a common refrain of both long-time Alexandrians and new residents: Why is there so much helicopter noise?
With the Pentagon, the White House and multiple military installations in the region – plus police and medical helicopters – it’s no surprise that helicopters are around.
In late July, however, the Army revealed that this year’s increase in noise is related to a “secret Army mission that has Black Hawk helicopters flying missions over the Washington, D.C., area backed by active-duty and reserve soldiers,” Bloomberg reported. Part of that mission is based at Fort Belvoir.
The Army has asked Congress for permission to shift $1.55 million in funds to support the mission, which started in October 2018, indicating that the mission cannot continue without this transfer. It is not clear how long the secret mission will last, but the transfer request was to cover four months of maintenance and other needs.
Enough residents have complained about excessive and increasing noise that Rep. Don Beyer and other local members of Congress announced this summer that the Government Accounting Office is now studying the issue.
The group of politicians, which included Beyer (D-8), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-10), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Anthony Brown (D-MD) and David Trone (D-MD), made their study request in January.
The GAO is studying the types of helicopters used in the area (and which ones are the most noisy), flight paths, altitude and time of day to seek viable options to minimize noise over residential neighborhoods – especially at night.
There is no timeline for the study to be completed and it is not clear what actions could be taken at the end of it.
