Live near Sebastian's airport? Who runs it, what the flight rules say, and who to call about a low plane

Sebastian has its own airport, and if your house is on the northwest side of town, you already know it. You hear small planes come and go. For many neighbors that is part of the charm. For others, a loud or low pass now and then raises a fair question: who do I call?

Here is a plain guide to Sebastian Municipal Airport for the people who live around it.

What the airport is

Sebastian Municipal Airport goes by the FAA code X26. The city describes it as a general aviation airport on the northwest side of Sebastian. It mainly serves small personal and corporate planes, not airline flights.

• Two runways: 5-23 and 10-28. The longest is 4,000 feet.
• About 620 acres today.
• Ten tenants, including the city-owned Sebastian Municipal Golf Course.
• Office: 202 Airport Drive E. Reception: 772-228-7001. Airport manager: 772-228-7013.

How Sebastian ended up with an airport

The airport started as a World War II training field. According to the city's airport history, the U.S. Navy built it in 1943 as Roseland Satellite Field, a naval flight training station, on about 1,025 acres.

On Jan. 29, 1959, the property was transferred to the City of Sebastian under the Surplus Property Act of 1944. The deed came with strings. The land has to be used "solely for aviation purposes," and if the city does not comply, the property could have to go back to the United States. The city has maintained and operated the airport ever since.

In 1981, the city built the Sebastian Municipal Golf Course on 155 acres of airport land. In the mid- to late 1980s, local flight training greatly increased activity at the field. None of the old military buildings remain.

Who controls the planes

This is the part most people do not know. The city's noise page says the airport "does not control or direct aircraft that fly in and out of the airport." The Federal Aviation Administration is the agency in charge of aviation safety and the federal flight rules.

The airport says it has told pilots that voluntary noise abatement policies are in place. Voluntary means exactly that. They are requests, not federal law.

The federal rule on how low a plane may fly is 14 CFR 91.119. The city's noise page sums it up. Except while taking off or landing:

• Over a congested area, a plane must stay at least 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within 2,000 feet around it.
• Over other areas, it must stay at least 500 feet above the ground. Over open water or sparsely populated areas, it may not come closer than 500 feet to any person, boat, vehicle or building.
• Everywhere, a pilot must fly high enough to make an emergency landing without undue danger if an engine fails.
• Helicopters may fly lower if they can do it without danger to people or property on the ground.

Keep the takeoff and landing exception in mind. A plane that seems low right near the runway may simply be landing.

What to do if a plane seems too low or too loud

1. Write it down right away: the time, your exact location and which way the plane was heading.
2. Describe the plane: military or civilian, high wing or low wing, its color, and the registration number if you can see it. U.S. numbers start with "N."
3. Estimate the altitude and say how you judged it, such as compared with a tower or a tall building. A photo helps. Note the lens you used and the height of any landmark in the picture.
4. Note any witnesses, with names and phone numbers, and whether local police know about it.
5. For a plane you believe broke the altitude rules, call the FAA's Orlando Flight Standards District Office at 407-812-7700. Keep your notes, since the FAA may ask for a written statement.
6. For ongoing noise, start with the airport at 772-228-7001. The FAA says local airport sponsors are the main contact for noise complaints.
7. You can also file a noise report through the FAA's ANCIR portal at faa.gov/ancir.

Set your expectations, though. The FAA says it uses noise reports to track trends and hot spots, and that reports usually do not lead to airspace changes. Formal action is rare because most pilots follow the rules. Your report still counts. Patterns are what get noticed.

Buying a home on the northwest side? Spend some time at the house on a weekday and on a weekend before you close. Listen at different times of day. It is the simplest way to know whether the planes are a background hum or something you would rather not live with.