Waveform and Sonicboom Perception and Response (WSPR) program: Low-amplitude sonic booms over small and large communities

Abstract

The Waveform and Sonicboom Perception and Response (WSPR) Program conducted in California in November 2011 was designed to test and demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of techniques to gather data relating human subjective response to multiple low-amplitude sonic booms. It was a practice session for future wider scale testing of communities, eventually using a purpose built low-boom demonstrator aircraft. The WSPR program addressed the following: design and development of an experimental design to expose people to low-amplitude sonic booms; development and implementation of methods for collecting acoustical measures of the sonic booms in the neighborhoods where people live; design and administration of social surveys to measure people's reactions to sonic booms; and assessment of the effectiveness of various elements of the experimental design and execution to inform future, wider-scale testing. Sonic Boom data was measured during the WSPR experiment. Sonic booms were created by planned NASA F-18 flights and by unplanned Edwards AFB operations. A power interpolation technique was developed to predict loudness metrics at the participant households. An assessment of the suitability of using PCBoom in conjunction with the low-boom dive maneuver, for the purposes of designing future sonic boom testing over large communities, is described.