Altitude-based flight regulations exist to shield wilderness from plane noise

Evidence

Noise impact falls off dramatically the higher a plane goes, which is why flight charts are full of markings requiring pilots to stay 2,000 feet above sensitive bird-nesting areas, 4,000 feet above wilderness hiking or canoeing areas, 14,500 feet above the most scenic parts of the Grand Canyon—so high that pilots are required to use oxygen masks there. (So why is the Grand Canyon still noisy? Because commercial tour operators are allowed to fly lower.) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1637 (#complicates, via linked claim)

The song of a winter wren falls above 4,000 Hz, as does the music of many songbirds. Yosemite Falls, Rialto Beach, and Mississippi Valley thunder resound well below 2,000 Hz. Appreciation of these sounds, which fall outside the range of human speech, remain unvalued and unprotected. No wonder many Americans are becoming deaf to Nature. — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1095 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Aircraft noise dissipates with altitude but regulatory floors fail where tours fly low — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1637; Noise regulations protect only speech frequencies, leaving nature sounds unprotected — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1095; Preserving pilot lives at altitude undermined accuracy and civilian protection

Related

• Aircraft noise dissipates with altitude but regulatory floors fail where tours fly low (similarity 0.93)
• Noise regulations protect only speech frequencies, leaving nature sounds unprotected (similarity 0.86)

Broader Connections

• Aircraft noise dissipates with altitude but regulatory floors fail where tours fly low #complicates (0.85) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1637
• Noise regulations protect only speech frequencies, leaving nature sounds unprotected #complicates (0.75) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1095