Interior Noise of Airline Aircraft

Abstract

Data gathered with an octave band analyzer is reported for many of the currently operated propeller, turboprop, and jet airline aircraft. The investigation dealt primarily with noise associated with the cockpit environment, however, a number of noise profiles in the passenger cabin are presented. Two criteria are the basis for evaluating the environment: damage risk criteria and speech interference level. Almost all airline cockpits rely on the unaided voice to communicate commands and therefore interference with speech is critical. Even recent models of jet aircraft cause cockpit communications, in some regimes of flight, to be carried out at a near shout. Many of the relatively new turboprop aircraft exceed the damage risk criteria in the cockpit.