Airplane Noise Annoying to Players at US Open?

[gmlasam]

Just watching the usopen this morning, moya vs. baker, and it seems like there are more planes flying over flushing meadows this time around. I wonder if such load noise can be big distraction to any of the players? Its pretty distracting to me just watching the match on TV.

[lenosucks]

lol do you really have to ask this question? Go try and serve facing a break point, in the biggest tournament in the world, while having a plane fly very low right over the stadium. lol most pros complain about crowd noise or somebody moving to their seat during a point, so of course a plane that produces 20 times more noise is going to be 20 times more frustrating and annoying.

[PJVA]

I've never heard that many planes during matches before. Maybe this is because of the Rep convention?

I just wonder if there will be less planes at night? That would help Roddick and Agassi who will be featured in the the night matches.

[Chanchai]

I think it's a normal part of the Open. Especially given its location in Queens and very close to La Guardia.

However, I wonder if there was a problem with the mic calibration. Either the on-court mics were aimed upwards or set louder than usual? The airplane noises have always bugged me, but indeed, when it's drowning out the commentary, it can get annoying (though to some people, they would say thats sort of a good thing--drowning out the american commentary that is). I think it was just the configuration of the audio in the broadcast.

But doesn't it give you a bit more appreciation to what these pros deal with at the open? You almost wonder if the tournament was intended to be along the way towards commercial jet landings.

-Chanchai

[Ben42]

Wasn't that part of the deal the USTA had with New York when they decided to keep the Open there?

They were going to move it to another location, and the plane noise was one of the reasons.

New York promised to re-route planes during the Open and the USTA built Ashe stadium. It was during the Dinkins administration, I think.

[Dedans Penthouse]

As I understand it, there is some sort of a "no-fly zone" over Manhattan that is related to the G.O.P. convention at Madison Square Garden.
As I was walking out of the Open this past Monday, I did notice that the jets taking off from nearby LaGuardia Airport were banking very sharply right after take-off, i.e. it looked as though they were on some sort of restricted flight path, given the fact that I saw a number of jets (one after the other) performing that same sharp-banked maneuver.

[Rickson]

I grew up in Flushing and I got used to LGA. The players will get used to it too.

[MattNowicki]

Runway 31 is the one that aircraft approach when they pass over the USTA Center. Usually, the planes line up with the runway a bit further out on Long Island- I think the air traffic controllers try to throw the aircraft on the Instrument Landing System path so they narrowly miss the Center to the north side. However, I have noticed that the planes have been landing via the Visual path (as opposed to the Instrument path) and that brings them right over Ashe stadium on their final approach. I'm coming home for Labor Day to La Guardia from Atlanta (I love when college gives us days off, go Emory!), so I'll wave down to all of ya at the center at around 4:30 PM...I hope I don't tick y'all off