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

Go electric

In terms of cabin noise, by far the quietest SEP I fly is the P210 with a 4-blade-prop. Not only is it quite, but also very smooth, more so than other 6-cylinder-planes.

tmo wrote:

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?

Oops, sorry, I am actually not sure, I wrote “Echelon” off the top of my head. All I remember for sure that it was the top model in their lineup.

Marcpa wrote:

I would say any rotax driven airplane would be better as they make so much less sound, and that is only one of the advantages.

I disagree on the sound equals ‘noise’ setting. A Rotax engine may produce less straight forward measured sound pressure, but ‘noise’ is a psychological phenomenon with sound pressure only one of several parameters. I agree the higher frequencies generated by a Rotax are measured as less sound pressure and that is really fine for neighborhood discussions.

But surprisingly, complaints at airfields get more with the increase of Rotax and vanishing of Lyco-Saurus and Conti-Rexes, maybe only coincidently but maybe root caused. Btw, the same is currently observed with local noisehood watch initiatives at larger airports, the more Neo airliners arrive the more locals complaints while sound pressure levels decrease.

There is much more complexity to ‘noise’ than usually anticipated.

I would say any rotax driven airplane would be better as they make so much less sound, and that is only one of the advantages.

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?

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.

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.

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.