Development of Fly Neighborly helicopter model specific operational noise abatement guidance from acoustic flight test data

Abstract

Improved helicopter noise abatement guidance has been developed based on acoustic test data acquired by NASA, FAA and Volpe in support of the Helicopter Association International (HAI)'s Fly Neighborly Program. This higher fidelity material was developed to supplement previous training programs based on pilot and operator feedback. The manner of presentation allows pilots to readily interpret the directional noise emission of their vehicle at different operating conditions. Flight path, airspeed, approach descent rate, and deceleration rate can be assessed to optimize flight patterns both during the pre-flight planning stage and in real time during flight operations in response to local conditions and events. The resultant sound directivity would be displayed as colored noise exposure contours overlaid onto a map of the area in the vicinity of the helicopter. New Fly Neighborly training modules have been developed utilizing directional operational noise plots based on Volpe's Advanced Acoustic Model (AAM) modeling with empirical sound sphere data from dedicated US Government helicopter flight tests. This paper will describe the acoustic analyses and will present the updated noise guidance for the AS350, AS365, AW139, Bell 205, Bell 206, Bell 407, R-44, R-66 and S-76D helicopters.