Search

The effect of the atmosphere on sound propagation can impact the perceived noise on the ground significantly and therefore needs to be accounted for in aircraft noise modelling. However, to be practical, propagation modelling cannot impose a limitation on calculation time. The aim is therefore to design a robust and computationally lean atmospheric propagation model for the prediction of aircraft noise. Foreseen applications are the evaluation of en-route noise, noise optimisation studies and the evaluation of noise in airport scenarios.To achieve a computationally low demanding algorithm an analytical approach is pursued. When the wave front orientation is approximated to be perpendicular to the ray path, it follows from the Eikonal equation that a ray obeys to an adapted form of Snell's law. If the atmosphere is then discretized in layers of linearly varying sound speed and wind velocity, it allows the ray path and ray properties to be expressed analytically within a layer. Cross-validation against two independently developed ray tracing routines has shown the validity of the selected modelling approach.In conclusion, a robust and computationally low demanding method has been developed for atmospheric sound propagation that can be incorporated in aircraft noise modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs related to noise and vibration. Switzerland Federal Supreme Court ruled that the remediation of Zurich Airport due to noise concerns. SilentTrack, an innovative railway track in London, England installed by British scientists lessens train noise. Winnipeg School Division staff and teachers will soon need to wear hearing devices for protection due to high levels of noise in the work environment.

Noise pollution around airports is one of the most important problems in environmental acoustics. The incessant development of modern societies is continuously increasing the demand for air transport, and airports have to grow to adapt their operational capacity to the new requirements. On the other hand, the economic activity related to airports is closely linked to the expansion of built-up areas around them. Consequently, two completely incompatible land uses are forced to coexist, causing airport capacity to remain limited while the inhabitants do not cease to be annoyed by aircraft noise.Although there are several international initiatives setting the focus on the reduction of noise at the source, people living in residential areas around airports need urgent solutions. Among others, the implementation of sound insulation programs is one of the most widely-adopted solutions worldwide, as it allows a reduction of sound levels in the interior of dwellings, while the operational capacity of the airport remains unaffected.The definition and application of a sound insulation program is a very complex process that needs to manage several opposing factors: health, annoyance, airport capacity, economic costs of insulation measures..In this paper we describe the case of Spanish airport insulation programs. We set the focus on a concise description of the full process, from the creation of noise maps, to the checking of installed soundproofing measures, as carried out by the Spanish administration. As a result of this process, thousands of dwellings and houses have been acoustically insulated to meet indoor noise comfort criteria in Madrid, Mallorca and Malaga airports, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses turbine noise which will become an increasing importance for the future turbofan engines die to the current design trends and anticipated reductions in the level of other engine noise sources. He expects that there would stricter implementation of airport noise regulations. He also discusses the turbine-noise challenges during the Turbine Noise Workshop in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 8 to 9, 2008.

As with many environmental issues, conflicts over airport noise are often grounded in the different experiences and knowledges of those who measure it and those who suffer its effects. The ways that airport neighbors challenge noise maps reflect the critical cartography literature, which does not take the truth of maps for granted but instead considers the political and other subjectivities behind their construction. At the same time, work in science and technology studies shows that conflicts between local residents and state officials and/or scientists are in part based on their different types of knowledge about a place, with state-centered scientific knowledge generally considered to override local knowledges. This paper brings together these two literatures in an analysis of conflicts over airport noise at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport to show how members of the public construct their own critical cartographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a court case filed by eight people against the noise caused by night aircraft flights taking off and landing at Heathrow Airport, London, England in early morning in the European Court of Human Rights in 2001. Details of the judgment passed by the court; Background of the case; Information on Article 8 and Article 13 of European Convention of Human Rights.

The article reports on the rise in number of complaints about airplane noise at the Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, along with statement of the Federal Aviation Administration on use of the Next/Gen satellite-based navigation system and views of congressman Stephen Lynch for the same.

The article reports that all the planes landing at Heathrow Airport will test a noise-reducing steeper landing angle which is part of its bid to reduce noise. The airport claims that a steeper angle of 3.2 degrees will reduce noise for aircraft are higher on the sky for longer time. Moreover, aircraft noise activist argue that the airport's new steeper angle would make no difference to noise for people living near the area.

The article reports on the possibility to implement a night-time curfew for flights at Melbourne Airport in Melbourne, Victoria as the state and federal governments control housing development. Topics discussed include the reduction of noise impacts on residents, environment professor Michael Buxton's completion of research regarding the growth of Melbourne and the airport, and economic asset of the airport.

The article focuses on the Buitenschot Land Art Park in Amsterdam, Netherlands, a series of ditches and hedges, which purpose is to deflect ground noise from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. It says that the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) institute conducted the study on how to control ground noise coming from the airport. It states that the park was designed by H + N + S Landscape Architects and aritst Paul De Kort using 17th-century Chladni patterns.

The article offers information on the Silent Aircraft project, funded by Cambridge-MIT Institute in England. The purpose of the project is the virtual imperceptibility of aircraft noise to people outside an airport perimeter in a typical urban environment. It shown that a significant amount of shielding can be obtained in the shadow region where there is no direct line of sight between the source and observer.

The article reports on the warning received by the St Albans district council in England in an officer's report that the initiative of Luton Airport to relax its noise limits during its expansion would result in significant disturbance to the residents in the area.

The article presents a study, conducted by environmental campaigners, on the failure of airport noise action plans to handle impacts on local communities in 2010. Campaigners state that the plans written by airports primarily just iterate what they already have to do to abide with local planning requirements. The Aviation Environment Federation has examined all the airports draft noise action plans and stated that not one copes all the requirements of the European Commission law.

The article offers information on the new standard International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 20906-2009 entitled "Acoustics - Unattended monitoring of aircraft sound in the vicinity of airports," which aims to help professionals, researchers and regulators in their effort to lessen noise in the vicinity of airports in Great Britain in 2010.

The article reports on the new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 2006:2009 that provides requirements for reliable measurement of aircraft sound. The new standard is aimed to monitor the aircraft sound in the vicinity of airports. The standard also requires international regulators to agree with the standard measuring tools and reference documents to help them reduce noise in the environment with multiple aircraft and other sound sources.

The article reports on the plan of the South African Department of Transport (DoT) to spend 11.1 rands to reduce noise and air pollution at the La Mercy Airport in Durban.

The article that the Civil Aviation Authority in Israel has introduced more rigid noise limits on aircraft taking off from Ben-Gurion Airport.

The article reports on the importance for residents who live in the vicinity of Barnes Municipal Airport to participate in the noise mitigation program in Virginia. It states that residents who do not participate in the program will be required to sign an easement that will be attached to the deed of their home. According to the Jane Verbeck, Noise Mitigation Program manager, the programs are voluntary and that residents will have to sign an easement saying that they will not sue the airport.

The article reports on the commitment made by Glasgow Airport to reduce its noise levels in Scotland. It states that measures for noise reduction have been implemented at Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport. The Civil Aviation Authority of Great Britain said that noise pollution levels have reduced in recent years.

The article presents an honest approach took by the Canberra Airport to tackle community concerns about noise pollution in Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The airport plans to forbid all overnight aircraft operations in the parts of Canberra, called as noise abatement areas. The airport has also an online interactive tool in the website for residents to discover the effect of aircraft noise in residents.

Information about the symposium on airport noise and air quality held at the University of California in 2009 is presented. Topics being discussed during the event include aircraft noise measurement, the impact of noise on the community, and noise-abatement initiatives. The symposium also featured East Hampton Airport, New York manager James Brundige and operations supervisor and noise abatement officer Matthew O'Brien.

The article reports on the financial aid extended by BAA Airports Ltd. to Churchmead School in England to help minimize noise pollution. It states that the £350,000 is given to the school under the Community Buildings Noise Insulation Scheme for the installation of new windows to reduce noise from the airport. Furthermore, the scheme was initiated in 2006 through the effort of the government to expand the acoustic insulation in public facilities.

The article reports on the acquisition of Lochard Ltd. by Brüel & Kjær in Australia. It reveals that the move will enable Brüel & Kjær to market Environment Management Solutions (EMS) which will be utilized in measuring noise and environmental impact by airports. The company stresses that the acquisition will play essential role in enhancing its competitiveness in the provision of noise management and services to customers.

The article reports on the disapproval expressed by residents concerning the plan of the George Best Belfast City Airport to extend its runway in Northern Ireland. They argue that the runway construction will contribute to increased noise in the area brought by the departure and arrival of several airplanes as early as six in the morning until 11 in the evening. However, the airport states that the move will help in attracting tourists to visit the country and will promote economic development.

The article reports on the contract signed by Era Systems Corp. with the City of Phoenix for the installation of its AirScene.com Noise and Operations Management System (NOMS) at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona. The system will enable the airport to monitor the noise levels of aircrafts by integrating identification data with flight tracks. NOMS has been found as an efficient tool in measuring noise and environmental impact of operations carried out in airports.

The article reports on the feedback posted by Amsterdam transport minister Camiel Eurlings on the city's current noise assessment system. Eurlings stresses that the system for measuring noise nuisance around the city's Schiphol airport is only understood by a handful of experts and needs to be simplified. Eurlings also hopes that the Dutch member of parliaments will have a decision over a new system before the end of the current cabinet period in 2011.

The article reports on the proposal of the airport and county officials to set up an agreement for future property owners near the Hilton Head Island Airport in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Under, the proposal the owner and potential buyer acknowledge the possibility for noise and overhead flights across the area. It is stated that the officials want the owners to sign a disclosure agreement relevant to the subject matter.

The article reports that there are more than five aircraft a day that are breaking the early-morning curfew at Sydney Airport in Sydney, new South Wales reigniting calls for an independent airport noise ombudsman. Parliamentary figures have revealed that 25 flights a week were breaching the curfew between 5-6 am. Current legislation permits planes to land outside the curfew for reasons, such as adverse weather or if the planes arrive marginally early.

The article reports that the Denver International Airport (DIA) in Denver, Colorado has recorded one noise violation in 2006 for which it may owe Adams County and some of its cities $500.000 in noise mitigation payments. It has been the second year in a row that DIA incurred only one serious noise violation, each of which is eligible for the $500,000 payment. DIA has reported 24 noise violations for the year that ended February 28, 2001, resulting to a $12 million liability.