Qualification of an aircraft ground run‐up enclosure using a novel sound monitoring and analysis approach.

Abstract

This paper describes a sound monitoring and analysis program developed to determine if a ground run‐up enclosure (GRE) installed at the Portland International Airport was effective in reducing aircraft engine run‐up noise radiated to residential neighborhoods during nighttime hours. A noise monitoring and analysis program was developed to fulfill conditions of approval imposed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) prior to the construction of the facility. A novel approach was developed whereby unattended sound level meters were used to collect one‐second Leq and hourly statistical noise level data near the GRE and at community locations of interest. This data, combined with GRE usage data and weather data, was then subjected to a multistep analysis procedure. The process was found to be very effective at determining when ground run‐up events caused community noise levels exceeding DEQ limits. By the end of the project, the procedure was being used to assess 99 percent of the run‐ups occurring within the GRE. The sound monitoring and analysis procedure became a very reliable tool in demonstrating that the GRE complied with its conditions of approval.