FAA aircraft noise impacts reserch roadmap

Improving efficiency through airspace redesign, airport capacity expansion, and other initiatives of the US Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), may be hampered without an aggressive program to address the environmental consequences of aviation. Aircraft noise remains a key environmental concern. How to reduce the impacts of aviation noise efficiently and effectively requires that we improve our understanding of the noise problem by itself as well as in relation to other environmental concerns. This paper describes efforts initiated by the FAA Office of Environment and Energy to identify and map out research needed to provide the best scientific evidence on the impacts of aircraft noise exposure in order to inform FAA policy on land use compatibility and noise impact/mitigation criteria. With greater scientific understanding, we expect to improve our noise mitigation efforts by reducing the effects of noise where and when it matters, within the context of all environmental consequences of aviation. In addition, the research is intended to help gain greater public trust in and increase the public’s understanding of how the FAA describes aircraft noise exposure and its effects.