Comparison of the ICAO ANNEX 16 Chapter 10 and Chapter 6 Noise Certification Procedures on the Basis of Flight Noise Measurements of Ten "Light Propeller-driven Aeroplanes".

Abstract

Noise certification procedures have been developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO for "light propeller-driven aeroplanes" (with a take-off mass not exceeding 9000 kg). The established procedure following ICAO ANNEX 16 Chapter 6 requires the aeroplane to conduct four level flyovers at a height of 300 m above a microphone with a "maximum continous power" setting.This procedure is now replaced by a new procedure documented in ANNEX 16 as Chapter 10 where the aircraft must conduct six take-offs with maximum continuous power and fly over a microphone positioned 2.5 km past the point of brake release. In both procedures, the maximum A-weighted flyover noise level is to be compared to an (aircraft-mass dependent) noise limit; both procedures have different noise limits, though. A study has been conducted where 10 propeller-driven aeroplanes were measured according to both Chapter 6 and Chapter 10 in order to evaluate the relative practicability and noise-stringency of both procedures.