Plane Sense of Groton is a community based organization interested in reasonable ways to reduce noise caused by  flight schools,  acrobatics and individual pilots whose flights originate  at airports located 20 miles from our homes.   The noise generated by this recreational flight is intrusive and interferes, unreasonably, with the use and enjoyment of our private and public properties.  We believe that this concentration of activity represents an abuse of an American freedom.   Our group originated in Groton, Massachusetts in 2002 and has expanded to include members from other communities. 
 
Our current effort is to distribute  flight school activity more evenly to all available airspace surrounding Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire.  We support the AOPA’s ‘fly friendly’ guidelines that are also endorsed by Massport, the Hanscom Field Noise Workgroup, and Nashua's Boire Airport.  Among the AOPA's guidelines, are:

•  Vary your practice areas so that the same locale is not constantly  subjected to aircraft  operations

•  Be aware of noise sensitive areas

•  Fly at or above recommended altitude 

Our goals include:

• create an "awareness"  within the aviation community (flight schools, individual pilots, FAA, elected representatives, AOPA, Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, airport managers). 

• distribution of GA activity as illustrated by FAA Raptor data on July 13, 2003

• seek reasonable solutions which will allow us to enjoy our homes

• provide information via our website

• a long term goal  is to research and encourage the use of technologies and practices that reduce noise emission from small planes

It is not  our goal to eliminate recreational flight activity or to simply try and re-locate it; we seek distribution to all available airspace as illustrated on the RAPTOR data of July 13th.  We believe that it is reasonable to extend the same kind of courtesy and understanding to those who wish to have fun in the skies as we would hope that they would extend to the many people below them who are adversely affected by the noise they generate. To us, such an approach simply makes plain sense.