Annoyance caused by propeller airplane flyover noise

Two laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the annoyance response of people to the noise of propeller airplane flyovers and to assess potential method of quantifying that annoyance. In each experiment, 64 subjects judged the annoyance of recordings of propeller and jet airplane operations presented at D‐weighted sound pressure levels of 70, 80, and 90 dB in a testing room which simulates the outdoor acoustic environment. The first experiment examined 11 propeller airplanes with maximum takeoff weights greater than or equal to 5700 kg. The second experiment examined 14 propeller airplanes weighing 5700 kg or less. Five jet airplanes were included in each experiment. Perceived noise level predicted annoyance better than A‐, D‐, or E‐weighted sound pressure level. Corrections for tones greater than or equal to 500 Hz generally improved prediction ability for the heavier propeller airplanes. Tone corrections generally degraded prediction ability for the light propeller airplanes. Duration correction...