Aircraft noise synthesis system: An introduction

An aircraft noise synthesis system has been developed to provide test stimuli for studies of community response to aircraft flyover noise. The computer‐based system generates realistic, time‐varying audio simulations of aircraft flyover noise at a specified observer location on the ground. The synthesis takes into account the time‐varying aircraft position relative to the observer; specified reference spectra consisting of broadband, narrow‐band, and pure tone components; directivity patterns; Doppler shift; atmospheric effects and ground effects. These parameters can be specified and controlled in such a way as to generate stimuli in which certain noise characteristics such as duration or tonal content are independently varied while the remaining characteristics such as broadband content are held constant. The system can also generate simulations of the predicted noise characteristics of future aircraft such as the proposed advanced turboprop. The paper includes a brief description of the overall system,...