When commercial aviation first became popular, there was so little of it that people who lived close by an airport were not affected by airport noise. The planes were small, propeller driven crafts that did not even make half the noise that the jumbo jets of today can create. During the latter part of the 1960s and into the 1970s, what we now call the jet age began. More people were traveling by air, and the increase in air traffic made airport noise more apparent. In 1978, an Airline Deregulation Act made it possible for commercial airlines to become very competitive, and air travel became more efficient and affordable. Fast forward to today, and the airport and noise problem has not gone away. It is actually much worse, to the point where it is affecting the health of people in the communities around the airports. It affects their sleep, increases their blood pressure, and increases their chances for a heart attack or a stroke. The airport and noise problem is not going away anytime soon. It will continue to grow unless steps are taken to tone down this noise pollution.