EDITORIAL NOISE RELIEF PROTECTING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL OF BURBANK'S RESIDENTS.

AT long last, some relief for Burbank, Sun Valley and North Hollywood's apartment-dwellers.

The Burbank Airport Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to grant the area's apartment and duplex residents the same protection extended to those living in single-family homes:

Insulation from the noisy sound of airplanes roaring overhead.

The need for several functioning airports in the Greater Los Angeles Area is crucial, but those living near them shouldn't have to suffer for it. Part of making the quality of life tolerable for airport neighbors is reducing sound pollution.

For years, the Burbank Airport Authority has paid for soundproofing, which includes installing double-paned windows, acoustical insulation and central air conditioning - in single-family homes only.

But apartment-dwellers deserve peace and quiet as much as their wealthier neighbors who can afford to buy their own homes.

Finally, they'll get it.

The authority is expected to begin soundproofing some 2,300 units in the area in three years.

That's a long time to wait for relief that was already overdue. But it's a step in the right direction - toward making Burbank Airport a valued part of the community, and not just a nuisance.