Getting this note out of the way first: No, we didn’t go to The Stuart Airshow — that photo of the F-16 Fighting Falcon was taken 10 feet from our photographer’s front door, which is more than 2 miles away from Witham Field aka Martin County Airport. We may be hypocrites about some things, but not in the way that we would help manage this website and then go to the air show. 😉

Back to Our Story . . .

Since the obnoxiousness that is flight school noise invaded our peace and quiet in January 2017, we’ve held the belief that there are many days that the number of flight school planes flying over our homes in western Stuart rivaled what we refer to as “airshow weekend” here in Stuart. While we agree that it’s a great fundraiser, those of us who live in Martin County and aren’t plane enthusiasts aren’t fans of the 3-day flyovers of everything from those old, loud, buzzing planes to the deafening and even painful F-16s The Stuart Airshow brings into our homes. Yes, the engineering feats responsible for these machines are incredible — we agree — but we don’t want them flying over our heads. We suffer it, knowing it’s for the short term.

So were we exaggerating when we said “every day is worse than ‘air show weekend'” or were we right? What do you think?

The Numbers Are In . . .

Comparatively, we actually had a fairly peaceful October: We averaged 52 flyovers per day from October 1 through October 26. (Note that by “comparatively,” we’re comparing the time frame to other months in 2017; in 2016 and the 15 years prior, no one would’ve even known there was an airport in Stuart from our vantage point. #TrueStory)

Then, on October 27, our world exploded:

Weekday	Friday, October 27, 2017	128 flyovers
Weekend	Saturday, October 28, 2017	32 flyovers
Weekend	Sunday, October 29, 2017	34 flyovers
Weekday	Monday, October 30, 2017	128 flyovers
Weekday	Tuesday, October 31, 2017	86 flyovers*
Weekday	Wednesday, November 1, 2017	152 flyovers
Weekday	Thursday, November 2, 2017	111 flyovers
Weekday + Airshow Evening	Friday, November 3, 2017	151 flyovers
		105 attributed to Airshow
Weekend + Airshow Day	Saturday, November 4, 2017	133 flyovers
		93 attributed to Airshow
Weekend + Airshow Day	Sunday, November 5, 2017	141 flyovers
		80 attributed to Airshow
Weekday	Monday, November 6, 2017	151 flyovers
Weekday	Tuesday, November 7, 2017	166 flyovers

*Includes 3.5-hour gap in data, so recorded flyovers are lower than actual flyovers.

Are We Airshow Fans Now?

No. We’ve never been and never will be fans of inviting something to fly over our homes which has the potential to burst ear drums — and we don’t jest when we say that. There were several reports of physical pain during the time the F-16 Fighting Falcon was doing maneuvers over Stuart this past weekend.

And we’re not fans of those numbers either. Yes, there were fewer flights over our homes during “airshow days” and fewer flight school planes, as well, but only because they couldn’t share the air space.

Our point is that anyone paying attention can look at these numbers and see that something is wrong here. There are fewer flyovers on days when an AIR SHOW is in town than there are on a ‘typical’ weekday.

No one, in any neighborhood in America who didn’t purchase a home next to an airport, should be suffering this number of flyovers on a regular basis. These planes are doing “touch and go” practice flights which means they’re flying low. They’re flying those little planes which make an obnoxious buzzing sound for a minute or more at a time. And just as one departs the range of hearing, another enters the neighborhood’s air space. All day. Every day. For 10 full months.

How is it That This is Permitted?

We still don’t know. We can’t get any straight answers from anyone, and the FAA — allegedly the responsible party — doesn’t even bother to respond to our inquires.

We Need Your Help!

Please take action against flight school noise impacts in our community and over our homes. As the numbers evidence, it’s only going to get worse, if we don’t speak up now.

Are You Available to Volunteer?

We’re seeking volunteers to record times of flights over our homes on Palm City Road and western Stuart. If you’re available and would like to participate, contact us here.