Getting Rid of that Annoying Noise

Dean Sigler Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Despite our adoption of electric powerplants, at least at an experimental phase, one remnant of previous technologies remains.  And it threatens aviation’s future more than possibly any other aspect of flight. Charlotte Whitfield, head of the Aeroacoustics Branch at NASA Langley Research Center, quietly but effectively discussed a problem that plagues not only aircraft designers, but also the people who live near aircraft – noise.  Speaking at EAS IV, she touched on the concern that reducing aircraft noise is an increasingly important aspect of aviation, with urban zones encroaching on formerly remote airfields and a growing population likely to grow irate at having their golf game or quiet time disturbed by an unwanted aeronautical din. As she showed in her presentation, the issue is an enormously complex one technically, and requires careful research and evaluation to make progress.  Whitfield dispensed a plethora of new abbreviations and terms in her talk, and provided an insight into why the noise won’t go …