National program for aircraft noise reductio

Foster, C. R.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

2. INTERAGENCY AIRCRAFT NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAM 
E By Charles R. Foster Department of Transportation I would like to express my appreciation to NASA for inviting the Department of Transportation (DOT) to attend this conference, and I also appreciate the opportunity to 
discuss the Interagency Aircraft Noise Abatement Program. As you are well aware, 
noise is one of the major contributors to the environmental pollution problem which is 
plaguing our society today. In our context, it is a waste product of transportation sys- 
tems and, along with air and water waste, is rapidly deteriorating our environment. 
The need for a national program attacking aircraft noise was  first acted on by 
Dr. Hornig, the President's'Science Advisor, who established an Ad Hoc Jet Aircraft 
Noise Panel in October 1965, composed of representatives from NASA, FAA, and 
industry. The panel developed recommendations concerning the implementation of a 
coordinated noise abatement program. 
The President of the United States in his transportation message to the Congress 
on March 2, 1966, gave particular attention to aircraft noise. He directed Dr. Hornig 
to work with NASA, FAA, Department of Commerce, and Department of Housing & Urban 
Development (HUD) to frame an action program to attack this problem. Specifically, he 
asked these Departments and Agencies to develop noise standards and compatible uses 
of land near airports, to consult with local communities and industry, and to recommend 
needed legislative or administrative actions. On March 22, 1967, in a memorandum for 
Heads of Departments and Agencies, the President directed all organizations to take into 
explicit and due account aircraft noise whenever it is relevant to any program and to 
cooperate with DOT and HUD in efforts to control and reduce the problems of aircraft 
noise. Under Dr. Hornig's leadership, the Federal Aircraft Noise Abatement Program 
was subsequently organized. This program resulted in the initiation of several projects 
structured to carry out the recommendations reported by the Jet Aircraft Noise Panel. 
With the formation of the Department of Transportation the responsibility for both 
the Federal Aircraft Noise Abatement Program and the Sonic Boom Coordinating Com- 
mittee, which was initially under Dr. Hornig's direction to provide policy and technical 
direction for national studies on sonic boom, were transferred to DOT. 
As recent as March 8, 1968, the President, in his message to the Congress on con- 
servation, restated his concern with the ever-mounting volume of aircraft noise, along 
with other types of noise. Specifically, he directed all departments of government to take 
account of noise factors in choosing the location and design of buildings, highways, and 
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I other facilities whose construction is assisted by federal funds. He also urged the 
Congress to take prompt action on the pending legislation to deal with aircraft noise. 
Public Law 90-411, an act to amend the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to require 
aircraft-noise-abatement regulations, was passed by the Congress and signed into law 
by the President on July 21, 1968. I think it is important to note that the House passed 
this bill by a vote of 312 to 0 - one of the very few times that a bill has passed unani- 
mously. There were only 10 dissenting votes in the Senate. 
The FAA now has authority to prescribe and amend such rules and regulations 
as may be necessary to provide for the control and abatement of aircraft noise and sonic 
boom. The forthcoming regulations on noise abatement and the ability of our industry to 
comply will be vitally influenced by the work that NASA is doing - that is, by the work 
that you will  hear about during this conference. 
Now, with this historical background, I would like to present briefly the organiza- 
tional structure of the Interagency Aircraft Noise Abatement Program which was  devel- 
oped to discharge efficiently the overall responsibilities of the Department of Transpor- 
tation and other appropriate government agencies. 
The Advisory Committee is composed of the top officials of the government agencies 
listed. (See chart presented as fig. 1.) There is also participation from nongovernmen- 
tal interests such as the National Academy of Sciences. This group provides advice and 
guidance to the Secretary, Department of Transportation. The detailed coordination and 
review of the program is concentrated in the Coordination Committee. You will note that 
the agencies represented on the Coordination Committee a re  largely the same as those 
represented on the Advisory Committee. You will also note from the chart that we have 
established eight functional panels, chaired by the agency shown. Membership on these 
eight panels is selected based on the best individual expertise available in each functional 
area. 
The Noise Re'search Panel is primarily involved with the problems of quieting 
engines and aircraft. Here we find coordination of projects such as those that will be 
discussed at this conference. 
The Sonic Boom Research Panel, as its name implies, is primarily concerned with 
the problems of sonic-boom generation and propagation. 
The Land Use/Airports Panel is concerned primarily with the problems of noise 
exposure forecasts and their implication on communities adjacent to airports. Guidance 
concerning criteria for compatible land use is developed in this panel, and appropriate 
government programs in the areas  of land use are  coordinated to ensure that the noise 
problem is taken into consideration in the conduct of these programs. 
4 
The Operations Panel is the forum which looks at how to fly the aircraft and where 
to fly to create minimum noise exposure which must be consistent with overriding safety 
requirements. Projects such as developing optimum- noise- abatement take- off profiles, 
developing the capability to execute steeper approaches to landing, and developing, noise- 
abatement Air Traffic Control procedures are the sort  of things that a re  being evaluated 
by this panel. You will learn more about these projects from subsequent papers. 
The Human Response Panel is concerned primarily with the psychoacoustic aspects 
* 
of aircraft noise. It is the primary group working on the development of meaningful yard- 
sticks and units of measurement that will be used in rating and evaluating noise from the 
human response viewpoint. The last day of the conference will cover this area. 
The Natural Environment Panel is concerned with the impact of aircraft noise, 
including sonic booms, on our national parks, natural artifacts, and wildlife. These are 
problems about which much concern has been expressed. 
The Legislative/Legal Panel includes lawyers who a re  involved in the aircraft- 
noise problem. There has been a great deal of litigation concerning alleged damage 
incurred as a result of aircraft noise and sonic booms. This panel keeps abreast of 
current activities in the legal field of aircraft noise and develops and recommends legis- 
lative proposals as required. 
The Structures Panel is concerned, as the title implies, with impact and effects of 
noise on manmade structures. Here is where we find a concentration of effort in devel- 
oping sound-proofing materials and techniques that may be applied to existing as well as 
new structures in the vicinity of airports. Here we also find effort underway that will be 
useful in developing criteria to be incorporated in uniform building codes which can 
assist in reducing noise intrusion in homes and other structures. Papers that relate to 
this subject area will also be presented at this conference. 
In discussing aeronautical research, Secretary Boyd, just over a week ago, before 
the Subcommittee on Advanced Research and Technology of the House Committee on 
Science and Astronautics, stated that the Federal Government has to do a tremendous 
amount of research and invest a great deal of money in noise. He further stressed the 
point that we cannot buy quiet overnight. 
As this conference progresses, we will see the important role that NASA plays in 
the national noise-abatement effort. We feel that the outstanding contributions made in 
the past will be matched by even greater contributions in the future as we all endeavor 
to remove the noise albatross from around the neck of air transportation. 
5 
INTERAGENCY AIRCRAFT NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAM 
ADVISORY COMMITTEE 
DOT, FAA, OST, DOD, DOI, DOC, 
HUD, NASA, HEW, AND NON-GOVERNMENT 
- 
NOISE 
RESEARCH PANEL 
NASA CHAIRMAN 
SONIC BOOM 
RESEARCH PANEL 
NASA CHAIRMAN 
LAND USE OPERATIONS 
HUD CHAIRMAN FAA CHAIRMAN 
A I RPORTS PANEL PANEL 
RESPONSE PANEL LEGAL PANEL 
DOD CHAIRMAN DO1 CHAIRMAN DOT CHAIRMAN HUD CHAlRMAh 
DOT- OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 
OST- OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
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Figure 1 
J 


Interagency aircraft noise abatement program

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