All this time we thought it was the engine and all those whirling blades creating the noise problem, but NASA engineers have found that airframe parts such as landing gear and flaps are almost equally as noisy. The experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel equipped with 70 microphones that were linked to a computer. Microarray technology then enables engineers to visualize and measure sound coming from a landing gear in simulated takeoffs and landings of a test model. By moving various parts and making various other changes to the landing gear, engineers were able to reduce noise significantly.
Engineers expect it to happen within the next two years.
Newly developed detection technology and the capability to map noise via a computer will enable aircraft manufacturers to accurately evaluate the effects of design changes before the aircraft is even built. Needless to say, the proposal has generated a considerable uproar in neighboring communities. The current plan would have most planes landing from the south during normal conditions and departing straight off to the north. However, airport critics are concerned that a left-hand departure will become a routine operating procedure for larger jets to avoid terrain, and they're not very happy about the possibility since that pattern would route the noisy birds directly over their property. The equipment, from BAE Systems in Austin, Texas, is capable of identifying specific flights that violate the airport's noise abatement program.