36 Hours After City Vows Airport Noise Crackdown, Flight School Planes Are Back at 7:15 A.M.

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH — Just 36 hours after City Manager Sarah Campbell told city commissioners that Fernandina Beach was stepping up efforts to curb aircraft noise from Jacksonville-based flight schools, two training aircraft from one of the schools residents complain about most were again circling the airport shortly after 7 a.m., conducting repeated touch-and-go landings.

Flight tracking data reviewed by the Fernandina Observer showed two Cessna 172 aircraft operated by Jacksonville-based Aerosim Academy repeatedly taking off and landing at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport beginning around 7:15 a.m. Thursday. One aircraft completed a series of looping approaches at altitudes as low as 200 feet over the airport area, while another conducted multiple touch-and-go maneuvers over roughly an hour, according to FlightAware tracking screenshots provided to the Observer.

The activity comes amid escalating frustration from neighborhoods surrounding the airport, particularly residents in Crane Island and nearby communities who say repetitive early morning training flights have disrupted quality of life.

Campbell acknowledged the growing concerns Tuesday during the City Commission meeting, saying the city has increased outreach, enforcement and monitoring efforts in response to complaints.

“Because we had the update from Mr. Coyle with the airport annual report tonight, I wanted to mention some of the activities that we have been doing in response to concerns about noise at the airport,” Campbell told commissioners.

Campbell said city officials recently met with the Crane Island Homeowners Association to hear concerns directly from residents.

“First of all, we met with the Crane Island Homeowners Association a couple of weeks ago. It was a very large turnout, about 40 to 45 people,” Campbell said.

She said Airport Manager Nathan Coyle reviewed airport operations and the city’s voluntary noise abatement guidelines during the meeting.

“Mr. Coyle gave a similar presentation about the operations at the airport and what our noise abatement guidelines are, and we had good feedback and question-and-answer session with the residents,” Campbell said.

The city has also begun direct outreach to Jacksonville-area flight schools that frequently use the airport.

“We’ve also been visiting in Jacksonville to some of the flight schools,” Campbell said, adding that she and Coyle had met with two schools in person and conducted Zoom meetings with two others “to remind them of our noise abatement guidelines” and seek suggestions to improve communication and compliance.

The city is also escalating enforcement through warning notices sent to operators.

“Mr. Sensenbauer… has been sending letters to violators,” Campbell said. “So each week, if somebody is violating the noise abatement guidelines, that flight school is receiving a notice from the city.”

She added: “We are working on that and working to rein in some of the inappropriate use that people have concerns about.”

The latest morning activity is likely to intensify questions about whether voluntary guidelines are enough.

As the Observer previously reported, airport data showed roughly 15,000 touch-and-go maneuvers annually at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport, many tied to flight schools based in Jacksonville using the airport for repetitive training exercises because of its relatively uncongested airspace. Residents have increasingly complained about low-flying aircraft repeatedly circling over homes, particularly in the early morning and evening hours.

"The city manager and airport director have recently held meetings with the flight schools about noise abatement. The position of the airport seems to be there is nothing they can do, the FAA is in charge. The flight schools ignore the noise plan. The form letter from the FAA states that noise issues are a shared responsibility between the community and airport sponsor. This is not the wild West," wrote one Parkway North homeowner.