The substitute resolution asks the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority to keep relaying residents' concerns to the Federal Aviation Administration, make aircraft and noise data available to the public, and notify affected residents about future FAA proposals involving significant changes to departure procedures.

But the measure comes with a significant caveat: neither the council nor the airport authority has the power to independently change departure headings. That authority rests solely with the FAA.

"I do want to make it clear we do not have any authority over the FAA and what their choice of flight patterns is," said Councilmember Mike Cortese, the resolution's sponsor, during the meeting. "The goal of this is to make sure the community's voice is elevated."

The resolution states that residents in portions of southern Davidson County have reported substantial increases in aircraft activity since new departure headings were implemented, including more than 150 flights over some homes on certain days and noise levels reaching as high as 90 decibels.

For Kelly Insana, president of Course Correct Nashville and a Crieve Hall resident, the issue is deeply personal. She and her husband have spent more than 15 years renovating the home where they planned to raise their family.

"We over 15 years have built on and renovated and made it in our dream home," Insana said. "And it's where we wanna stay."

But the surge in aircraft noise has left them questioning whether staying is possible.

"And that's sad when you sit here and sometimes have tears in your eyes and go, are we gonna move?" she said.

Insana said the disruption can start before dawn and stretch late into the night.

"It's five a.m. till midnight some days," she said. "I can tell you anyone that lives under these paths has said, I wake up when the plane, I don't even start an alarm anymore. I wake up at five a.m. when the planes start."

She stressed that residents are not asking the FAA to simply shift the noise to another neighborhood.

"We are absolutely not saying just move this to some other neighborhood," Insana said. "That is not what this is. That wouldn't be fair."

Instead, she said, residents want flight paths dispersed more evenly.

"What we're saying is, of course, we'll have some traffic. We expect that living in a city. But let's make sure it's dispersed fairly and appropriately," she said.

The FAA has said its proposed departure-heading changes were designed to improve lateral and vertical separation of aircraft and allow air traffic controllers to move planes more efficiently. Agency materials also described the proposed headings as intended to disperse departing aircraft.

The resolution prompted debate among council members over whether a non-binding measure can realistically accomplish anything when Metro has no authority over FAA flight paths. One member who supported the resolution acknowledged that limitation but argued the council still represents residents affected by the aircraft every day. Others expressed concern that Metro could give residents false hope about its ability to influence the FAA.

Ultimately, the resolution passed 25-2 with one abstention.

For Insana, the vote's significance lies in having another level of local government publicly support residents' concerns.

"This is us advocating for change," she said. "And that can be a long process, but it never hurts to have more support. And so any support we can get along the way is only gonna move us a little bit more forward."

The council resolution is only one front in a broader fight. Course Correct Nashville, the City of Oak Hill, the Crieve Hall Neighborhood Association and Insana are also challenging the FAA's decisions in federal court. Insana said the group has been told a judge will decide the case's future on Dec. 3.

The FAA declined to comment on the dispute in September, citing pending litigation. At the time, agency officials pointed to a virtual public workshop held March 6, 2025, with Nashville International Airport and other aviation stakeholders to explain the proposed departure-heading changes and answer community questions.

After Course Correct Nashville began organizing, Insana said she started hearing from people across the area who thought they were alone in dealing with the problem.

"We've just heard from so many citizens across this area saying, yeah, me too. I just thought I was alone," she said. "Or people will call me crying saying, I've been so upset about this and I just felt like there's nothing I could do about it."

For residents, she said, both the lawsuit and the council resolution are ultimately about making sure their concerns are heard.