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Residents urge action on low‑altitude flight‑school 'touch‑and‑go' traffic and noise at Morristown Airport
Summary
Multiple Hanover residents pressed the township June 11 to act after repeated early‑morning low‑altitude flight‑school touch‑and‑goes. Town liaison Ron and officials said FAA rules limit municipal control but promised to consolidate complaints and work with the airport to identify offending aircraft.
Residents from neighborhoods beneath Morristown Airport’s traffic pattern filled the podium at the June 11 Hanover Township meeting with complaints about frequent low‑altitude flight‑school operations and early‑morning noise.
Several speakers, including Scott Reed, described repeated “touch‑and‑go” training flights over residential areas, said a petition garnered more than 120 signatures, and urged enforcement of the airport’s voluntary noise‑abatement procedures and limits on hours of pattern work. Reed told the committee that Morristown Airport “routinely allows the flight schools … to perform repeated touch‑and‑gos” and described frequent passes as both a nuisance and a safety concern.
Town liaison Ron, who the committee identified as a pilot and airport liaison, apologized for residents’ disturbances but stressed the limits of municipal authority over airspace: “The FAA controls the skies over every airport. Airports operate 24/7, 365 days a year. We cannot limit their hours.” He described ongoing, multi‑municipal coordination with airport management and flight schools, explained how aircraft and pilot identity can be traced from airport logs, and urged residents to report times and (when safe) the aircraft registration so the airport can follow up.
Committee leaders said they will consolidate calls and reports submitted to the township, funnel information through the liaison, and pursue meetings with neighboring mayors and airport management to press for better adherence to voluntary procedures. Mayor Gallagher and other officials encouraged residents to document incidents and to send reports to township staff for centralized follow‑up.
What happens next: Township officials said they will gather resident reports and coordinate with Ron and airport management; enforcement of flight operations remains under FAA authority, but the township said it will press airport management and flight schools to comply with noise‑abatement recommendations and to improve communication with affected neighborhoods.
