The sky`s the limit?

Air travel is up, airports are expanding, and communities are bearing the consequences. Louie Yeldell moved into his house thirty-two years ago. Now, at the age of seventy, he is ready to sell. But there are no takers. He lives on the eastern edge of Memphis-Shelby County International Airport, the busiest cargo airport in the United States. When suburban communities like Yeldell`s Oakhaven sprang up near airport property several decades ago, operations were much smaller, so the noise and the fumes presented no problem. Then, the airport grew. In the mid-1980s, Memphis-Shelby County International became a Northwest hub, and Federal Express increased operations there dramatically. As a result, Yeldell says, the situation has become unbearable. There`s the stench of fuel that wafts through the neighborhood when the wind is right, and sometimes burns his lungs when he steps outside to pick up the morning paper. There`s the black soot that is deposited on his car. And worst of all, there`s the noise. It keeps Yeldell and his wife sealed inside behind closed windows and doors during the day, and wakes them up at night. This article details the compounded problems of increased air travel in the US and how themore » current laws do and don`t help abatement of the problems. 6 figs.« less