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Today, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Congressman Michael Capuano and Massport Chief Executive Officer Craig Coy demonstrated Logan's new internet flight monitoring system, giving area residents direct access to information once available only to airlines and FAA air-traffic controllers. With a simple click of a mouse, airport watchers now can track the airline, aircraft type and altitude of airplanes flying in and out of Logan.

"I applaud Massport's efforts to provide the public with timely information," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "This creative technology will assist those who live within Logan's flight paths, enhancing communication between the Port Authority and its neighbors."

"Massport's new internet flight monitoring system will provide Logan's neighbors with detailed and timely information about flight activity. I thank Massport for making this important data so accessible to residents," stated Representative Capuano.

"In my first months here at Massport, I heard over and over that our neighbors want accurate and timely information about Logan and its operations, specifically over- flight information," said Craig Coy, Massport's CEO. "Now they have it. It's just the first step in a major overhaul of Massport's Noise Abatement Programs. I hope this new system will open the door for a more open and honest dialogue between Massport, the airlines, the FAA and nearby airport neighbors."

The program is called Airport Monitor and was developed for Massport by Connecticut-based Megadata. Airport Monitor, a computerized radar image with color-coded arriving, departing and over-flight planes. The information is updated about every four seconds, but because of post-September11th security measures, the site works on a 10-minute delay. Its features include:

Color-coded flight tracking of aircraft arriving/departing Logan and traveling through the region
Near real time info (10 min. delay) on aircraft type, altitude and aircraft ID number
One hour replay function that archives flight track data for 3 months (Additional information about the airline and airport of origin/destination)
Radar range from 4 miles around Logan to 90 miles

In addition to the new Airport Monitor offering on-line, Massport has also added an on-line noise complaint form as an alternative to the existing Noise Complaint Line (617-561-3333). There are other enhancements to the site including information on how Logan's airfield works and a simplified glossary of technical terminology associated with noise monitoring.

To further enhance community involvement and understanding of Airport Monitor, Massport has established a Massport Website Technical Working Group of residents who have shown a particular interest in this technology and represent a cross-section of greater Boston area neighborhoods and community groups. The working group has been created by Massport to assist in the development of additional enhancements to Airport Monitor and to gather residents' input on information sharing on noise via the web.

"I think Airport Monitor is a terrific educational tool, for concerned residents, airport watchers and for children," added Coy. "It is my hope that teachers in schools around Logan can incorporate the site in discussions about technology and how technology advances information gathering and sharing."

Airport Monitor will go live on Monday, August 19th. To try out Airport Monitor click here. . The home page ticker will also link you directly to the site. In addition, area residents who do not have web access and are interested in viewing the site should go to their local libraries. Most libraries have computers available with internet access.

Passengers seeking arrival and departure times and/or gate information for specific flights should continue to use Massport's Flight Tracker page.

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