NOISE EFFECTS OF CONCORDE OPERATIONS AT




 JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT




  NOVEMBER 1977 THROUGH NOVEMBER 1978
 OFFICE OF NOISE ABATEMENT AND CONTROL




 U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                April 1979

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Contents








Background                                                  1




Purpose of this Publication                                    2




Introduction                                                 3



Concorde Noise Levels                                        4



Concorde and Subsonic Aircraft Noise Levels                   6



Noise Exposure Due to Concorde Operations                    8



Community Response (Complaints)                            14




Applications for the JFK Noise Monitoring Data                16



Conclusions                                                 18



References                                                 20

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                                   Abstract








The  FAA measured the noise at several communities  in  the  vicinity of  JFK



International Airport due to the operations of Concorde and subsonic aircraft.  The




FAA reports are  factual and valuable but do not provide much  discussion  of  the




effects (current or potential) of Concorde noise on the public. This report presents



the results  of  an analysis by  the EPA of the FAA  noise  data which  leads  to



interpretations of  the  effects of  Concorde operations on the  public  that  are



different in significant respect  from what might be assumed from a cursory reading



of the FAA reports.                     ,                      .








The  EPA analysis of the noise levels shows that Concorde  arrival noise   was as



much as  6 dB noisier than  expected  from FAR 36 test results and that Concorde



operations alone  establish  a noise floor which under  some  projected numbers of



operations exceed EPA goals for noise exposure.  The significance of the noise



floor is that regardless of  whatever noise  control is implemented in the future in




regard to subsonic aircraft, the noise exposure will not  decrease below the limiting



levels set by Concordes. If there were 32 Concorde operations per day at JFK, for



instance,  only  7,000  people  out  of  188,000  exposed  to  Ldn 65 (NEF 30) would



receive any  relief even if the subsonic fleet were significantly silenced after 1985.








The  EPA analysis of the record of  complaints shows  that there were  about 100



times  more  complaints per Concorde operation  than there  were  per subsonic




operation.

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Background








Route - proving flights of Concorde supersonic transports (SSTs)   between London




and Paris and New York  City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) were




conducted in October  1977 by  British Airways (3A) and Air France (AF).  Com-




mercial operations  were initiated  in November  1977.    The  Federal  Aviation




Administration (FAA) set-up  a noise monitoring system in the  vicinity of JFK in




time to record and report the  results of the route-proving flights (Ref. 1).








The FAA continued monitoring the commercial operations  and issued a report each




month  for November 1977 through October 1978 (Ref.  2).  The reports contained



listings of the types of aircraft and number  of operations conducted  at  JFK,  the




noise levels at various sites in terms of several descriptors for all Concorde and a



few  subsonic aircraft  operations, and a record of  complaints  of  Concorde  and




subsonic aircraft noise levels.  Also included in the monthly reports are information



on separate monitoring programs for structural vibrations and sonic booms.








A summary report of the monitoring was issued by the FAA in January 1979 (Ref.



3) which included the results  of additional noise monitoring conducted in November




1978.

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Purpose of this Publication








The FAA monthly reports contain a great deal  of data which is presented  with




little  discussion or analysis.  The Environmental  Protection  Agency  (EPA),  be-




lieving that  the FAA  reports are a valuable source of information for determining




the noise effects of Concordes, examined the reports in detail.  The purpose of this




document, therefore,  is to present the results of the EPA analysis with emphasis on



the following questions:



     (1)   What are the average single  event noise levels that  have been produced




          at  specific communities in  the  vicinity of JFK due  to Concorde  and



          subsonic aircraft operations?



     (2)  What  are  the differences  in  single  event  noise  levels   between




          Concordes  operated  by British Airways and  Air France,  and between



          Concordes and subsonic aircraft?



     (3)  What  are  the noise  exposure (multiple event)  levels at  the  specific



          communities  due  to  Concorde  operations alone?  What would  be  the



          exposure levels due to various projected  operational  rates?



     (4)  How  do the complaints of Concorde  and subsonic  aircraft operations




          compare?



     (5)  Can the JFK noise monitoring data be  applied to predict noise levels



          due to Concorde operations at other airports?

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Introduction








The FAA recorded noise levels during the monitoring program at many sites which




are identified by  the town or village  in  which  the  measuring  and recording




equipment were located.  However, only five of the sites were used consistently to




acquire enough  data  for  satisfactory  analysis;  Belle  Harbor,  Howard  Beach,




Rockaway Park, Cedarhurst, and Laurelton.  The FAA reports identify the aircraft




noise  levels at each monitoring site  in terms  of:  runway identification  number;



departures or arrivals;  Concordes BA or AF; and subsonic aircraft by several types




such as B707, DC-8, B747, 8727, DC-9, etc.








This report has organized the FAA noise data into the following categories:



     (1)   Departures  at Belle Harbor, Howard Beach and Rockaway Park.



     (2)  Arrivals at Cedarhurst,  Howard Beach, Rockaway Park and Laurelton.



     (3)  SST aircraft as Concordes (BA), Concordes (AF), and Concordes (All).



     (4)  Subsonic aircraft (B707/DC-8 only).








The FAA reported the  single event noise levels  in terms of several descriptors but



the only one presented here is the A-weighted level designated in the following as




dBA.  However, estimates are also provided  here of multiple event  noise exposure



levels  in terms of the  day-night average sound level designated in the following as



Ldn.   Detailed discussions of  the above two  single  and multiple  event noise



descriptors are given in the EPA "Levels Document" (Ref. 4).








In the  following, the noise  levels  represent  the average  of all commercial



operations where the averaging is done on  a logarithmic basis, which is  common



when the quantities to  be averaged are in decibel or decibel-like units.

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Concorde Noise Levels








The average single event noise levels at the five monitored sites due to Concorde



operations are shown in the bar charts  of Figure 1.  Concordes operated by British



Airways (BA) and Air France (AF) are  identified separately.  The levels represent



the average dBA resulting from Concorde operations for the thirteen months   from



November 1977 through  November 1978.  The purpose of showing the BA and AF



levels separately is to determine if one operator  produces significantly lower levels



than the other which might be attributed to more effective noise abatement flight



procedures.








For the three departure  sites, Figure 1 shows that BA was lower at Belle Harbor by



1.9 dB and AF was lower at Howard Beach  and  Rockaway Park by 0.8  dB.  Since



each  operator  was  lower  than  the other by  less than  three  decibels, neither



operator has a significantlly more effective noise abatement  departure procedure



than the other.








For the four  arrival sites, Figure 1 shows that BA  was lower  at Howard Beach by



2.1 dB and AF was lower at Cedarhurst, Rockaway Park,  and Laurelton  by 1.4, 0.3,



3.8 dB respectively.   Since each operator was lower than other by less than 3 dB at



Howard Beach, Cedarhurst, and Rockaway Park,  neither operator has demonstrated



a significantly more effective noise abatement arrival procedure than the other at



those sites.  However, at Laurelton, AF averaged nearly  four decibels  lower  than



BA which cannot be dismissed as  an insignificant difference.

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In summary, comparing the noise levels produced by BA and AF Concordes, there is



no evidence  that  one operator has more effective  noise  abatement  departure



procedures than the other.  However, there is some indication that the AF arrival



procedures are  capable of producing nearly four decibels less noise than those of



BA  which  is a difference important enough to merit more investigation.   Both



operators should  be requested to  evaluate and compare  arrival  procedures to



determine if  those of  AF are superior for noise abatement.  If the results show that



AF's arrival procedures are  capable of being quieter than those of BA, then both



airlines should be requested to  implement those procedures consistently.

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Concorde and Subsonic Aircraft Noise Levels








The noise levels due to Concorde and B707/DC-8 subsonic aircraft operations for




the five  monitored  sites are shown in Figure 2.  In this case, the Concorde levels




are identified as Concorde (All), which is the average of the Concorde (BA) and the




Concorde (AF)  levels.  Just as for Figure 1, the levels shown in the bar-charts  of




Figure 2  represent  the  average  single event  noise  levels of  all Concorde and



B707/DC-8  operations  for  the  thirteen  months  from  November 1977  through




November 1978.








The levels for B707 and DC~8 subsonic aircraft were combined and  identified as



B707/DC-8 because they are very similar aircraft  powered by  the same  type  of



engines.   Those  two  aircraft  were  chosen for comparison with Concordes in



preference to other  subsonic-types because they constitute nearly half of all of the



subsonic  aircraft measured by the FAA during the course of the  monitoring period.



Furthermore the  B707/DC-8  aircraft are in widespread use  and are among  the



noisiest of the subsonic air carrier fleet.








The  purpose of  comparing Concorde  (All) and  B707/DC-8  noise  levrls  is  to



determine if the  differences are as expected  from a knowledge of the  Federal



Aviation  Regulations  Part  36  (FAR 36) noise certification  tests (Ref.  5).  Those



tests are  made to certify noise levels of aircraft and are conducted under specified



operating conditions'that are not  necessarily  duplicated in commercial  service.



The differences expected from FAR 36 are that Concordes, would be about 8 dB



noisier than B707/DC-8 aircraft  for departures, while for arrivals, the noise levels

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for Concordes would be about the same or slightly less than for B707/DC-8 aircraft




(Ref. 6  and 7).








For the three departure sites,  Figure 2 shows that Concorde (All) was noisier than




B707/DC-8 by 8.0 dB at Belle Harbor, by 6.0 dB at Howard Beach, and by 2.9 dB at




Rockaway Park.  All of the exceedances are as expected or less which indicates




that  departure flight procedures  may  be  accomplishing some noise reduction,




perhaps as much as five decibels at Rockaway Park.








For the four arrival sites, Figure 2 shows that Concorde  (All) was noisier than



B707/DC-8 by 0.9 dB at Cedarhurst, by 3.9 dB  at Howard Beach, by 0.1 dB at




Rockaway Park, and by 6.1 dB at Laurelton.  Therefore, at three  of the four arrival




sites, Concorde noise was greater than expected from FAR 36 tests.








In summary,  comparing the noise levels produced by Concordes and B707/DC-8



aircraft, the monitored results  indicate that:



     (1)    On departure,  Concordes  can be as  noisy as  expected (about  8  dB



           greater  than  B707/DC-8)  but can be quieter by as much  as  5  dB,



           possibly  as a result  of conducting noise abatement flight procedures.




     (2)   On arrival, Concordes can be as noisy as expected (about  the same as



           B707/DC-8) but as much as 6 dB noisier, possibly  as a result  of  not



           conducting noise abatement flight procedures.

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Noise Exposure Due To Concorde Operations








The  average noise levels  of Concordes  operating singly  are  discussed  in  the



foregoing  and shown  in  Figures 1 and  2.   However, the  daily cumulative noise



exposure due  to  multiple events of Concordes is  a meaningful measure  of the



effect of  Concorde noise on the population of the monitored communities.   The



measure of noise exposure chosen for this analysis is the day-night average sound



level, Ldn and the projected numbers of daily operations chosen are as follows:



      (1)    4 (current),



      (2)   14 (British/French  market estimate, Refs. 6 and 8),



      (3)   32 (FAA lower limit, Ref. 6), and



      (4)   50 (FAA upper limit, Ref. 6).








The predicted noise exposure  levels due to Concordes operating at the five selected



sites are shown in Figure 3 and Table 1.  The noise exposure levels are based upon



the average single event levels for Concorde (All) shown in Figure 2.  Each site is



assumed to be exposed to the noise of Concordes  operating with the summer-time



percent runway  use indicated  in Figure  3, taken  from the FAA August report



(Ref.l). Also included for each site is the special case of 50 operations per day and



100 percent runway use.  The  bar-charts of Figure  3, therefore, represent envelopes



where the lower bar at each site represents the noise exposure due to  the current



number of  operations of Concordes and summer-time runway use, and the  upper bar



represents  the noise exposure due to the maximum number  of Concorde operations



projected by the FAA operating from one runway exclusively.

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Since 50 operations per day may seem unreasonable in view of the promulgation of




the SST rule (Ref.5), the following  explanation for including them is presented.




The FAA points out in the Environmental Impactment Statement (EIS) (Ref.6) that




their  projections of 32 to 50 operations per day are based upon an assumed first




generation fleet of 30 to 40 Concordes operating at 13 airports within the United




States even though the SST rule limits the U.S. Concorde fleet to only 16.  Although




32 operations  per  day can be  conducted at JFK by 16 Concordes, and 50 per day




may  be conducted under the  most  favorable conditions, it is unlikely  that the



number of daily operations will exceed the British and French market estimate of




14, providing the U.S.  Concorde fleet remains limited to the original 16.








Nevertheless,  the EIS identifies  a specific number of Concorde operations at each



of the 13  U.S. airports, and 50 is the upper  limit  number assigned to JFK.   The



"Probable Noise Impact"  for  JFK is determined in the EIS for 50 operations per




day (25 departures and arrivals each) in terms of the increase  in population within



specific noise  exposure contours. Furthermore, the FAA has stated that it would




not be necessary to prepare another EIS relative to Concorde operations  at any of



the 13 airports provided the number of operations does not exceed those assigned in



the EIS.








In view of the above,  it is reasonable to  predict the  noise exposure  at the



monitored sites for the maximum number of operations considered by the FAA. In



the event that the market demand for Concordes increases, renewed pressure from



the Concorde operators  and  developers to  relax  the  16  aircraft limit may be



expected.  The  full range of predicted  community noise exposures at  each site



shown in Figure  3,  based  upon the  FAA noise  monitoring  program, provides

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additional insight on the probable noise impact beyond that contained in  the EIS.




The results of the JFK monitoring program, as well as the EIS, furnish  background




for determining  whether amendments to the SST rule should be permitted, in the




event that they are requested.








The maximum noise exposure (top bar) for each site shown in Figure 3 assumes that




all Concorde operations at JFK occur on a single runway which, of course, is not




likely on a  permanent basis due  to  weather  variations,  runway  maintenance,



accidents, etc.  However, it is possible that 100 percent runway  utilization may



occur for a significant length of  time (from several days to several  weeks) which



may be enough to cause a noticeable degradation  in community noise environment



during that period.








Also, it must be emphasized that the noise exposure levels of Figure  3 represent




noise floors due  to the predicted  number of Concorde operations and runway use.



Regardless of whatever noise control  is implemented in the  future in regard to



subsonic  aircraft (such as retrofit or design  of the source, noise abatement  flight



procedures, and  operational restrictions) the  noise exposure will not decrease below




the noise floors set by Concordes.








The implications of the Concorde  floor can be illustrated in terms of land areas and



people by analyzing the two  examples of Concorde operatons at JFK given in the



EIS (Ref. 6).  The  first  example considers  8  Concorde operations per day mixed



with the  1978 subsonic air carrier fleet, many of which do not comply with the FAR



36 noise  level requirements.  The  second example  considers 32 Concorde operations



per day mixed with an assumed 1978 subsonic air carrier fleet, all of which comply




with at least the 1969  requirements of FAR 36.
                                      10

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In the first case, 185 square miles and 487,000 people are exposed to Ldn 65 dB or




greater  due to  the  combined  operations  of subsonics  and Concordes.   If only




subsonics  were operating, the land area and population would be 175 square miles




and 485,000 people, respectively.  And, if only Concordes were operating, about 29




square miles and 85,000 people would be exposed which is  the noise floor in terms




of area and people due to 8 Concorde operations per day alone.








In the second case, 90 square miles and 188,000 people are  exposed  to Ldn 65 dB or



greater  due to  the  combined  operatons of  subsonics and  Concordes.   If only



subsonics  were operating, the land  area  and  population would be 45.5 square miles



and 164,000 people, respectively.  And, if only Concordes were operating, about 64



square miles and 181,000 people would be exposed which is  the noise floor in terms



of area and people due to 32 Concorde operations per day alone.








For the first  example,  the addition of  only  8 Concorde operations per day to a



relatively noisy subsonic fleet adds 10 square miles and 2,000 people to  the  Ldn 65



dB exposure.   Although that increase may appear modest,  the relatively few daily



Concorde  operations would insure that at least 29 square miles and 85,000 people



would  be  exposed to Ldn 65 dB or  greater, even if  the subsonic  fleet  was




substantially silenced or rerouted.








The second example shows that the addition of 32 Concorde operations per day to



relatively quiet subsonic fleet adds 44.5  square miles  and 24,000 people to the  Ldn



65 dB exposure.  What is more significant, however, is that regardless of how much



noise  abatement is applied in the  future to the subsonics, at most only 7,000 out of



188,000, people would be relieved  from the Ldn 65 dB or greater noise exposure.
                                      11

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There are three values of Ldn that are significant to  the EPA  as national goals




(Ref. 9):




     (1)  . "Reduce environmental noise exposure of the population to an Ldn value



          no more than 75 dB immediately, utilizing all available tools, except in




          those isolated cases where this would impose severe hardship."




     (2)   "Through vigorous regulatory and  planning  actions, reduce environ-




          mental noise exposure levels  to Ldn 65 dB or lower,  and  concurrently




          reduce noise annoyance  and related activity interference caused by



          intrusive noises."



     (3)   "In planning future programs concerned with or affecting environmental




          noise  exposure, to the extent  possible, aim for environmental noise



          levels that do  not exceed an  Ldn of 55 dB.  This will ensure protection



          of the public health and welfare from all adverse effects of noise based



          upon present knowledge."








Examining   Figure  3 and  Table 1, it  is   seen  that for the current departure  and




arrival operations (4 operations per day,  2 each departures and arrivals), the noise



exposure floor established by Concorde operations is less than Ldn 55  dB.  Thus the




EPA lower goal is not exceeded, at least not solely by Concordes. For the  British



and French   market estimate of  14  operations per  day, the  Ldn 55  dB goal is



exceeded  for departures  at Belle Harbor and  Rockaway Park, and  exceeded for



arrivals at  Cedarhurst and Howard  Beach.   For the FAA  lower  limit  of 32



operations per day, the Ldn 55 dB goal is exceeded at all sites for departures  and



exceeded for arrivals at Cedarhurst  and Howard Beach. For the FAA upper limit



of 50 operations per day and normal runway use, the Ldn 55 dB  goal is exceeded at



all  sites for departures  and exceeded  at all sites except Rockaway Park  for
                                      12

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arrivals.  For the special case of 50 operations per day and 100 percent runway use,



the Ldn 65 dB goal is  exceeded at Rockaway Park for departures and at Howard



Beach for arrivals.
In summary, Concorde operations at JFK at the current  rate of 4 per day do not



impose an environmental degradation that violates the EPA lower limit goal of Ldn



55 dB. However, increasing Concorde operations to the extent of the British and



French market estimate  of 14 per day and to the FAA lower limit  projection of 32



per day would prevent achieving  the EPA lower goal  at all  communities except



Laurelton.  In fact,  for 32 operations per day, the noise exposure at  Belle Harbor



and Rockaway Park  would exceed Ldn 60 dB.  For the FAA upper limit projection



of 50 operations per day and normal runway  use, the EPA lower goal  would be



exceeded at all communities, and Ldn 60 dB would be exceeded at all communities



except Laurelton.  For the worst case  of 50 operations  per day  and 100 percent



runway use, Ldn  60  dB would be exceeded at all communities, Ldn 65 dB would be



exceeded at Howard Beach and Rockaway Park, and Ldn 70 dB would be  exceeded



at Howard Beach.
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Community Response (Complaints)








Figure 4 shows the monthly record of complaints rceived from all communities of




Concorde and of all subsonic  aircraft operations.   The  maximum  number  of



Concorde complaints were received  in the months of May through August, and of




subsonic complaints  in the months of May through  September.  The maximum




number of complaints per month  was 657 for Concordes  in May and 1,674 for




subsonics in August  which is about  2.5  times as many complaints of subsonic



aircraft as there were of Concordes on the basis of the maximum month for each.








The  fact that complaints of subsonic aircraft exceed those of Concordes is



expected, considering that the number of operations of subsonic aircraft far exceed



those of Concordes.   The operational comparisons are  shown in  Figure 5 which



gives the monthly record of  operations of Concordes and  of all  subsonics.   The



maximum number of operations of Concordes and subsonics occurred in the months



of May through October.  The maximum number of operations per month was 155



for Concordes  in October and  31,230  for subsonics  in  July which  is about  200



subsonic operations for every Concorde operation  on the basis of the maximum



month for each.








Table 2 lists the 13-months total of complaints and operations of Concordes and of



all subsonics.  For the thirteen months, there were 2.35  times as many complaints



of Concordes  as  there  were  of subsonics but 234 subsonic operations for  every



Concorde operation.   The result  is a  complaint density  of 232 complaints per 100




operations for Concordes compared to 2.33 for the subsonics which translates to



about 100 times as many complaints per operation of Concordes as there were per




operation of subsonic aircraft.
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In summary, while it is true that complaints of Concordes were less than half of



those of all subsonic  aircraft, when the numbers of operations of the aircraft were



considered,  the  complaints of Concordes  exceeded  by about 100 times  the



complaints of  subsonic aircraft.  That result is unexpected  considering that  the



Concorde  complaints were  based upon about four operations per  day  (two each



departures and arrivals) which produced a noise exposure contribution less than  Ldn



55 dB.   That fact  leads to concern  for  the extent of community response  if



Concorde  operations ever reach the British and French market estimate of 14 per



day or the FAA projections of 32 or 50 per day.
                                      15

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Applications for the JFK Noise Monitoring Data








Monitoring of aircraft noise in the vicinity  of a specific airport and the subsequent



analysis should include  as objectives: (1) providing information for quantifying the




noise exposure  due to present and projected operations; (2)  determining the need




for and extent  of noise abatement; and  (3) developing operational  methods for




reducing noise  exposure.   However, in addition  to  the  site specific  information,



there is a potential for acquiring data useful for translation to aircraft operations



at other sites and other airports.  In the case of the FAA monitoring program at



JFK, it is the differences in noise levels between Concorde and B707/DC-8 aircraft



which may be  the data useful  for  application to other airports that may have



Concorde  operations in the future.








The  reason  that  the  actual  levels  of Concorde  noise measured  at  the JFK



monitoring sites have no real significance for airports other than JFK is because of



lack of supporting data (distance to  aircraft, thrust setting, aircraft  weight, engine



type, etc.).  However,  the  differences in noise levels between Concordes and




subsonic airplanes are meaningful because the JFK  results can be applied to other



airports where Concordes  and subsonic  aircraft  would use  the same  runways and



produce nearly the same flight tracks.








For example,  Concordes  departing from  JFK averaged 3  to  8 dB  noisier than



B707/DC-8 subsonics, depending  upon  the effectiveness of the Concorde  noise



abatement  procedures.   Therefore,   at  another  airport,   the  same  range  of



differences would be expected to hold.   For the case of Concordes arriving at JFK,



the measured levels indicated that the best to be expected is that Concordes would
                                      16

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be about as noisy as the B707/DC-8 subsonics.  However, at some sites, Concorde




operations  were as  much as 6 dB  noisier than  subsonic  operations,  possibly as a



result of not conducting noise abatement arrival procedures. Therefore, at another




airport, Concordes might be expected to be about as noisy as B707/DC-8 subsonics




provided rather strict arrival procedures were maintained.








All that is necessary,  therefore,  for another airport to predict  the range of




approximate  noise  levels  of Concorde operations, is a knowledge of the  noise



produced by B707/DC-8 subsonic  aircraft  at  that airport  and  the  differences



measured at JFK.  The  assumption, of course, is that the Concordes  would use the



same runways and produce approximately the same flight tracks  as the subsonic




aircraft.








The  same reasoning may not be valid in regard to  complaints.  If another airport



has  a  record  of complaint  density for subsonic   aircraft  (complaints  per 100



operations), the complaint density of Concorde operations cannot necessarily be



predicted  from a  knowledge of  the  relative density  of  complaints  at  JFK.



Nevertheless,  the results of the analysis of complaints  at JFK may be of some use




as background information.
                                      17

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Conclusions








The noise monitoring program conducted by the FAA at JFK has provided the data




necessary for  determining  the noise exposure  of  present Concorde operations at




selected  sites at  JFK and  for  estimating the  effects of  projected Concorde




operations at those sites and other airports. The data should be particularly useful



to airport operators  in  deciding  the  number of-Concorde operations they  can



tolerate or whether they want Concordes at all.








Specific conclusions are as  follows:



     (1)    Concorde  departures  can  be  about  8  dB  noisier  than  B707/DC-8



           departures, which was as expected from FAR 36 test results, but noise



           abatement  procedures possibly  can reduce the exceedance to  about 3



           dB.



    (2)     Concorde arrivals can be about as  noisy as B707/DC-8 arrivals, which



           was as  expected, but  unfortunately can  be as much as 6  dB  noisier,



           possibly  as a   result  of   not conducting  noise  abatement  flight



           procedures.



     (3)    Air France's arrival procedures  may be capable of. producing nearly four



           decibels less noise than those of British Airways.



     (4)    Concorde operations establish a noise floor which under some projected



           numbers of operations will exceed EPA goals.  Regardless  of whatever



           noise control is  implemented in  the future for subsonic aircraft (retrofit



           or  design at the source, noise  abatement  flight  procedures, etc.) the



           noise exposure will not decrease below the floor set by Concordes.
                                      18

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(5)   In terms of future expectations at JFK in reducing noise exposures due




     to the introduction of Stages 2 and 3 and even lower noise level aircraft




     as replacements for current  Stage 1 aircraft, the operation  of even  a




     small number  of  Concordes will to  a large  extent  vitiate  these



     expectations.




(6)   The EPA goal of Ldn 55 dB is not  exceeded at any monitoring  site solely




     by the present  Concorde operations of 4 per day.  However, that goal



     would be  exceeded solely by Concorde operations  at four sites by the



     British and French market estimate of 14 per day and by the FAA  lower



     projection of 32  per day, and  at all five sites  by  the FAA  upper




     projection of 50 per day.



(7)   Ldn 60 dB would be exceeded solely by Concorde operations at two sites



     by the FAA lower projection of 32 per day, at four sites by the  FAA



     upper projection or 50 per day and normal runway  use, and  at all five




     sites  by 50 operations per day and 100 percent runway  use.  In  fact for



     the latter projection, Ldn 65  dB would be exceeded  at two sites and Ldn



     70 dB exceeded at one site.



(8)   Although  the total number of Concorde complaints was less than half of



     those of subsonics, Concorde complaints per operation were about 100



     times those of  subsonics.  That result  is surprising  considering  that the



     four Concorde operations per day do not exceed the EPA lower goal of



     Ldn 55 dB.
                                 19

-------
References








1.    "Concorde Monitoring, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Route-Proving




     Flights",  U.S.     Department   of   Transportation,   Federal   Aviation




     Administration, October 1977.




2.    "Concorde   Monitoring,  John  F.  Kennedy  International  Airport",  U.S.




     Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, November



     1977 through October 1978.



3.    "Concorde   Monitoring  Summary  Report,  John  F. Kennedy  International



     Airport",    U.S.   Department   of   Transportation,    Federal   Aviation



     Administration, November 1977 - November 1978.



4.    "Information on Levels of  Environmental Noise  Requisite to Protect Public



     Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of  Safety", U.S. Environmental



     Protection Agency, 550/9-74-004, March 1974.




5.    "Noise Standards:   Aircraft Type and Airworthiness Certification", Federal



     Aviation Regulations Part 36, Amendment 36-10, "Civil Supersonic Airplanes,



     Noise and Sonic Boom Requirements", 43 FR 28406, 29 June 1978.



6.    "Final   Environmental  Impact Statement:    Noise  Regulation and  Type



     Certification Alternatives  for Civil Supersonic  Aircraft", Federal  Aviation




     Administration, June 1978.



7.    "Measured  or Estimated  (Uncertificated)  Airplane  Noise Levels",  Federal



     Aviation Administration Advisory Circular; AC No: 36-2A, 6  February 1978.




8.    "Oral Testimony by Concorde Spokesman", Hearing before the U.S. Federal



     Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C., 15 December 1977.



9.    "Toward  a   National  Strategy   for  Noise  Control",  U.S. Environmental



     Protection Agency, April 1977.
                                20

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BELLE
HARBOR
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK
CEDARHURST
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK
LAURELTON
               75
80
               75
80
                75
85
85
90
90
95
100



CONCORDE (BA) |
CONCORDE (AF)



CONCORDE (BA)
CONCORDE (AF) |





DEPAF
CONCORDE (BA) |
CONCORDE (AF)




TURES
95
80          85          90          95

    A-WEIGHTED NOISE LEVEL, dBA, dB
100




CONCORDE (BA) |
CONCORDE (AF) |





CONCORDE (BA) |
CONCORDE (AF) |



CONCORDE (BA) |
CONCORDE (AF) |



ARRr
CONCORDE (BA)
CONCORDE (AF) |




/ALS
                                   100
                FIGURE 1.  AVERAGE NOISE LEVELS  FOR CONCORDE (BA)
                              AND CONCORDE (AF).

-------
                  75
80
85
BELLE
HARBOR
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK
CEOARHURST
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK
LAURELTON
                  75
80
                  75
80
85
85
90
90
90
95
95
95
                               A-WEIGHTED NOISE LEVEL, dBA, dB
100




CONCORDE (ALL)
B 707/DC-8




CONCORDE (ALL)
B 707/DC-8





DEPAf
CONCORDE (ALL) |
B 707/DC-8





TURES
100




_
CONCORDE (ALL)
B 707/DC-8 |






CONCORDE (ALL) |
B 707/DC-8




CONCORDE (ALL) |
B 707/DC-8 |




CONCORDE (ALL) |
B 707/DC-8 |




ARRI
/ALS
100
               FIGURE 2.  AVERAGE NOISE LEVELS FOR  CONCORDE (ALL)
                                AND B707/DC-8.

-------
           40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
BELLE
HARBOR
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK





50 OPS/0 AY 4 1 00% R/W USE |
50497

32 4 97 |
14 4 97 |
4497

50 OPS/DAY
I




4 100% R/W USE |
50 4 57 |
32 4 57 |
14 4 57 |
4 4 57 |

50 OPS/DAY




DEPAF
4 100% R/W USE |
50 4 40 |
32 4 40 I
14440
1
4440 |
I




TURES
           40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
CEDARHURST
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK
LAURELTON





50 OPS/0 AY & 1 00 % R/W USE |
50 & 45 |
32 & 45 |
14445 |
4&4S







50 OPS/DAY & 100% R/W USE |
50&10 |
32 & 10 |
14410 |
4&10 |





50 OPS/0 AY & 1 00 % R/W USE |
50&25 |
32 & 25 |
14 425 |
4425 |





50 OPS/DAY & 100% R/W USE |
50 & 20 |
32 & 20 |
14&20 |
4&20 |





ARRI
fALS
           40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
                             DAY-NIGHT AVERAGE SOUND LEVEL, Ldn, dB

             FIGURE 3.   PREDICTED NOISE EXPOSURE DUE TO CONCORDES ONLY.

-------
1977
 1978
1977
1978
(
N
0
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
0
N
)
1
i

1








1


J

500



'

COMPLAINTS
1000 1500 2000


CONCORDES

N
D
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
0
N
                       500
                               1000
                                      1500
2000
                                                          .  ALL
                                                          SUBSONICS
                       500
                                              1500
                      1000
                   COMPLAINTS
FIGURE 4.  COMPLAINTS FROM ALL COMMUNITIES
2000

-------
1977
1978
1977
1978
N
D
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
0
N
      15,000
N
0
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
0
N
                       50
                            OPERATIONS
                                100
                   150
                 200
                                                          CONCORDES
                       50
               20,000
    100
OPERATIONS
  25,000
                                               150
30,000
                 200
35,000
                                                             ALL
                                                          SUBSONICS
      15,000           20,000          25,000          30,000
                                  OPERATIONS
                   FIGURE  5.   DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS.
                                                             35,000

-------

BELLE
HARBOR
HOWARD
BEACH
ROCKAWAY
PARK
CEDARHURST
LAUR ELTON
DAY-NIGHT AVERAGE SOUND LEVEL, Ldn, dB
OPS
4 DAY
DEP
52.1
46.8
52.3
NA
NA
ARR
NA
50.5
43.7
49.9
45.4
OPS
14 DAY
DEP
v7 y
522
©
NA
NA
ARR
NA
(56.0)
49.1
(55.4)
50.5
32
"" DAY
DEP
0
0
v'y
NA
NA
ARR
NA
(59.5)
52.7
(59.o)
54.5
en OPS
50 DAY
DEP
H33.0J
©
(63.o)
NA
NA
ARR
NA
©
54.7
(eo.gj
©

•50
OPS
DAY
DEP
©
©


67.3


NA
NA
ARR
NA

71.5

(eo.Tj
©
©
100% RUNWAY USE
N/A NOT APPLICABLE
(^ 	 ) EXCEEDS Ldn 55 dB


EXCEEDS Ldn 65 dB


TABLE 1.   PREDICTED NOISE EXPOSURE DUE TO CONCORDES ONLY

-------

TOTAL
COMPLAINTS
TOTAL
OPERATIONS
COMPLAINTS
PER 100
OPERATIONS
CONCORDES
3,620
1,560
232
ALL
SUBSONICS
8,500
365,000
2.33
RATIO
2.35
234
99.6
TABLE 2.  COMPLAINTS FROM 13-MONTHS OF OPERATIONS

-------