Scottsdale Airport tracks aircraft noise complaints to assist in land use planning as well as to help identify concerns and facilitate communication between pilots and community members. Noise complaints do not directly influence aircraft flight paths and do not result in "warnings" or "violations" against specific pilots or aircraft in most cases.

Aircraft noise complaints will be limited to callers within the Scottsdale Airport Influence Area, which is bounded by 40th Street to the west, 112th Street to the east, Jomax Road to the north and Mockingbird Lane to the south.

To submit an aircraft noise complaint, please click the link below or call the Airport Noise Complaint HotLine at 480-312-FLYS(3597).

All aircraft noise complaints submitted online or by phone are compiled and cumulatively reported in the Quarterly Noise Report. Note: Information provided on the noise website may be subject to a public records request.

Submit Noise Complaint

To effectively utilize staff resources, complainants located within the airport influence area can expect a callback regarding their complaint only if they specifically request one. Airport staff will make every attempt to respond to callback requests within three business days.

FAA - Noise Complaints

A complaint may also be filed directly with the FAA. The FAA will not respond to the same general complaint or inquiry from the same individual more than once. The same general complaint or inquiry is one that does not differ in general principal from a previous complaint, and that would generate the same FAA response.

Review FAA's noise complaint and inquiry policy
Submit Noise Complaint to FAA

Low-Flying Aircraft Complaints

Aircraft can legally fly at altitudes that some residents find annoying or believe to be unsafe. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that all aircraft maintain a minimum altitude of 500-feet above ground-level aside from takeoffs and landings. With an exception for helicopters which may operate at a lower altitudes.

The Federal Aviation Administration has regulatory authority over aircraft in flight. Airport operators have no legal authority over aircraft in flight. Concerns about low flying aircraft should be directed to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for investigating low-flying or unsafe flight incidents with a written complaint.

Further information on the minimum legal altitudes contained in FAR Part 91 and how to log a low-flying aircraft complaint can be found at Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office - General Information. To report a low flying aircraft that are not approaching or departing Scottsdale Airport, please call the Flight Standards District Office at 480-284-4450.

However the Flight Standards District Office is not responsible for addressing aircraft noise concerns. The most efficient way to reach the FAA with your noise concern is to send an email to the Flight Standards District Office with your full name, address, email address, and a brief description of your concern. Or you may call the FAA’s Western-Pacific Regional Office’s noise information line at (424) 405-8020.

Aircraft Identification/Recognition

When submitting aircraft noise complaints to the airport or low-flying aircraft complaints to the FAA, it is important to identify the offending aircraft as accurately as possible. When identifying aircraft, the observer should try to identify several items:

  • Aircraft Type - Jet or Propeller engines
  • Number of engines - Single engine or multiple engines
  • Engine locations - On the wings or body of the plane (fuselage), at the tail or at the front.
  • Type of wing - Straight wing or swept back
  • Wing mounting - High Wing (on top of the fuselage) or Low Wing (on the bottom of the fuselage)
  • Landing Gear - Retractable Gear (typically only visible during takeoff or landing) or Fixed Gear (visible at all times)
  • Color and Paint Scheme
  • Registration Number - can sometimes be visible on the tail

Aircraft Registration Number Research

Most aircraft display the aircraft registration or "N number" ("N" for North America)on the aircraft tail. The FAA maintains an Aircraft Inquiry Website to research the aircraft owners by aircraft registration number to assist aircraft observers. Additionally, aircraft registered in foreign countries have different numbering schemes and start with letters other than "N".
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