How many times have you cursed whenever an aircraft flew passed your house with that ear-shattering boom?
Well, in a few years all that noise would be a thing of the past, thanks to an initiative involving Britain's Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a 'silent plane'.
The Cambridge-MIT Institute's 'Silent' Aircraft Initiative was launched in November 2003 with a bold aim: to discover ways to reduce aircraft noise dramatically, to the point where it would be virtually unnoticeable to people outside the airport perimeter.
The work carried out at both institutions has included measuring and recording the noise levels produced by different parts of conventional aircraft, and comparing with models of potential aircraft designs, including the blended wing-body aircraft.
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Engines being the largest sources of noise from aircraft a team of researchers from Cambridge University are working with engineers at Rolls-Royce in Derby to produce a completely new design. This needs to balance the reduced jet speed required for noise reduction against the level of thrust required for take-off.
The £2.3 million, three-year project will finish next year.While it could take another 20 years of development and testing for the silent aircraft to enter service, there could be benefits much sooner for those living beneath flight paths.
"We're not just looking to reduce the noise an aircraft makes, but also to change the way it's flown to produce significant noise savings," says Tom Reynolds, a member of the research team.
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