Late Night Air Traffic - Downtown/East Hamilton
 

Hi everyone,

I live under the escarpment between Delaware and Main and just east of Sherman. About two nights every week I am awoken by the sound of a real low-flying plane and/or helicopter. Sometimes it sounds like more than one. It's always after 11pm and last night it was about 11:45pm. I am not a light sleeper and the sound of the rudder/propeller (whatever it's called) is so loud and rough that it wakes me clear right out of a deep sleep. Having lived for 20 years (my childhood) 10 minutes from Pearson and my school being right underneath the flight path while growing up, I am surprised at how loud and rough whatever it is is flying over our neighbourhood and me waking to it. I am accustomed to sleeping through these things!

Does anyone know if it could be the helicopters from Juravinski or something similar? Also, why would they be flying so low to our neighbourhood off of the escarpment? Last week it sounded like two small aircraft flying close together. I have mature trees in my neighbourhood and couldn't see to confirm if it was one or more. Can someone enlighten me as to what flight path I've bought a house under this time? I thought I finally got away from that, lol. :haha:

Hamilton General has a helipad on its roof and quite a few air ambulance arrivals from the GTHA.

Thanks Block.

I haven't noticed this air traffic before. I can recall instances in the past where I've heard similar, but it was always more off in the distance, and much rarer. This latest development is relatively new. I wonder why they'd fly so low over a residential area - especially considering how close to the escarpment we are. We're quite a distance from Hamilton General. That's why I thought it might be from Juravinski. We're almost directly under them.

The Juravinski does not have a helipad.

You can inquire from the airport and they will look at their radar replay computer: 905-679-3690. The winds can force aircraft in certain directions and temperature inversions in the spring (especially in the Hamilton area) can cause aircraft to sound lower than normal.

I thought this forum was about development topics by the way, not noise complaints.

McMaster and HGH are the only two hospital helipads in Hamilton.

West jet inbound
 

There is a West jet flight that arrives from Calgary that arrives at 2356 hrs. If I remember correctly depending on the wind direction I recall turning out over the lake and flying in coming in over the Center Mall. That was a day flight I saw East Hamilton. And we were low enough to recognize the streets. I see the occasional passenger jet over the east end during the day.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. In light of your responses, I think it just may be the helicopters from the hospital. It's the sound of the rotor I believe that is waking some of us up. A neighbour commented about it yesterday evening and he too thought it was helicopters from either McMaster or HGH. Bornagainbiking, I've also seen the occasional plane during the day.

NortheastWind, if you thought my inquiry too petty, you did have the option to ignore it. I purposely posted in the General Discussions forum, so unless the actual moderators of this board would like to remove my inquiry as being too off-topic for the designated off-topic board, there's really no harm in it, is there?

air space....
 

i can verify planes heading into Hamilton would be over you.
Coming in from Freeport in 74' the plane headed north past the CHCH transmitter, then turned and flew over Hamilton directly over Gage/Main/King area because i was able to recognize the street layout especially the Delta intersection. I can't imagine however it would be constant each day.... i lived not far from your area all my life until 2001 and the only thing that woke me up was the shunting of train cars from the Kinnear Yard by Gage Park.

Ornge air

You would hear flights handing as lots have mentions coming in from over le lake then over the gage park then over limeridge mall over stone church and wentworth are then over.

They are landing on Rwy 24 typically you would have this when the winds are out of the southwest. Having said that after 11PM then dont use this runway unless winds are out the the south west at very high speeds.

Or they are taking off and arriving on runway 06 when winds are strong from the northeast. Courier traffic (larger jets) depart around 11:30 to 1 a.m and arrive in the wee hours of the morning. They normally depart to the west on runway 30. If winds are light the aircraft depart to the east on runway 12, so to give the folks to the west a break from aircraft noise.