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Single Engine cockpit noise level; is one airplane quieter than others?

Prop rpm will have a large impact, I find the 200hp Arrow quieter at 2200rpm than the 160hp Warrior at 2400. If you have the opportunity, try a lower rpm setting.
Blade count and profile to some extent as well. And exhaust silencer as emntioned above.
Passive headset have better noise insulation than active, but total noise level is a lot lower with ANR. Then there is ANR and ANR, the 250€ ANR headsets we have at the club do not dampen as much or as good as Bose/Lightspeed/Sennheiser, these are seamless.

ESMK, Sweden

Door seals can make a bit of a difference.

The ColuCessnaValis 400 TTX whatever had a (subjective) noise level similar to an SR22, but as soon as you inflate the door seals it gets noticeably quieter inside. There are PA28 Arrows which have them.

But in any case – we are talking about the difference between ridiculously noisy and ludicrously noisy. For the purpose of protecting one’s hearing, I would consider all typical singles equally bad.

Biggin Hill

Capitaine, got to this first ! The DR400 is one of the less noisy aircraft from a crew point of view and I’m not surprised that the combination of a wooden structure and the extensive sound proofing gives this good result.

In older DR400 aircraft the soundproofing is not as good with glass wool ( loft insulation) being used under the floor, on most older aircraft this has been lost or just fallen apart and upgrading to the more modern soundproofing that the factory now fits will pay dividends.

The DA42 is quiet, but my Bristell is quieter, almost turbine smooth. Did a difference measurement with a non-certified App on my phone.

Noise levels can be measured but the perception is highly subjective, it really is a matter of the noise spectrum that irritates some and does not bother others.

I also suffer from Tinnitus and Hyperacusis and have been following the progress on cures. There aren’t any. Have had it for so many years now that it really doesn’t bother anymore. But it is a shame that I can’t hear the crickets any more when sitting outside on a warm summer evening.

Private field, Mallorca, Spain

I can confirm capitaine and AanCs impressions of the Robin DR400 and the cd155 diesel version(DR401) so quite on th egroumd that you can talk ta normal levels with the engine running – my noise certificate says 70.7db on takeoff- it’s much quieter in the cruise of course.

TB20 IR(R) 600hrs
EGKA Shoreham, United Kingdom

I would say diesel/jetfuel engines in general result in a much quieter aircraft. Our flying club recently converted a Piper Warrior from Lycoming Avgas to a CD155 diesel engine with dedicated prop. Together with thicker windows the drop in cabin noise is dramatic.

EHRD, Netherlands

Just a quick update about my personal measurements :

- 93dB for Cessna 172
- 91dB for Piper Arrow IV Turbo with (3blade metal propeller constant speed)
- 91.5dB for TB10 @ 23in / 2400rpm ( 2blade propeller constant speed)

Measurements at level flight only from 65% to 75%.
All plane without exhaust silencer.

Measurements were done with this:

LFMD, France

A very important factor in noise level is the prop – the more blades, the quieter, and a properly designed scimitar prop is quieter than a straight-bladed one. MT-propeller is now offering scimitar blades for some of their props.

Regarding noise-cancelling headphones, it looks like the current champion in noise suppression is Telex, or so I’m told. Their top-of-the-line Echelon headset combines very good PNR with very good ANR. I haven’t tried it in aircraft, but in the ground test chamber at Friedrichshafen it sounded noticeably quieter than a few other ANR models. Very comfortable, too.

LKBU (near Prague), Czech Republic

I’ve found the Grumman AA5A/B (Cheetah/Tiger) to be probably the quietest fixed pitch piston singles to fly.

My Auster is much noisier than them and the David Clamps have to be clamping well.

Andreas IOM

Ultranomad wrote:

Their top-of-the-line Echelon headset combines very good PNR with very good ANR.

You sure the Echelon, not the Stratus? I can’t find a ANR Echelon on Telex’s web site. Can you point at a specific model?

tmo
EPKP - Kraków, Poland
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