Overview
- Rep. Jared Huffman sent a letter to FAA Administrator Brian Bedford on Wednesday urging an immediate return to the pre‑2024 procedures and federal cooperation with county leaders and residents.
- The FAA says it temporarily relied more on the older CHARLIE EIGHT procedure during the July Bohemian Grove encampment because of higher airport traffic and then switched back to its normal parameters when that extra traffic cleared.
- In January 2024 the FAA introduced the satellite‑based RREHD1 “Redhead” departure, which concentrates departing aircraft into a narrow GPS corridor and sharply increased noise complaints from West Sonoma County.
- Sonoma County airport officials have submitted a revised plan called “Redhead Two” that raises initial turn altitudes but say a wholly new departure route would take years to design and certify, while residents say the revision won’t meaningfully cut noise.
- Airport managers report tens of thousands of noise complaints over the past year, residents say the July shift cut daily overflights from more than 20 to just a few in some neighborhoods, and advocates warn the episode highlights an equity issue in how the FAA applies route changes.