The silent aircraft

The Silent Aircraft Initiative is a new programme funded initially by CMI (Cambridge MIT Institute), to examine and define the cost to society of aircraft noise. At present noisy aircraft are required to pay higher landing charges and are restricted to the times when they can fly. As well as the direct economic costs of aircraft noise brought about by increased landing charges and reduced operating hours, substantial indirect costs are incurred by noisy aircraft such as the sound insulation of homes near airports and reduced property values in those areas. Large noisy aircraft are also often required to follow longer flight paths to reduce the impact of noise at ground level. This has obvious effects on fuel usage and operating costs.

The term 'Silent Aircraft' refers to an aircraft sufficiently quiet that outside the airport perimeter the aircraft noise is less than the background noise in a typical well populated environment. Professor Ann Dowling explains: "The noise associated with aircraft and airports is one of the major factors limiting the wider use of air travel. We are conducting the initial survey to establish the true cost to society of this problem. If there is a strong economic as well as environmental justification for this project then we can develop the technology to deal with it."

For more information, visit the project's web site.

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