Which aircraft has the noisiest cockpit?

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DMD3.

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DMD3.
Barring open-cockpit aircraft or aircraft without doors/windows, which airplanes are the loudest when it comes to cockpit noise? The 85 hp Luscombe 8E I used to ride in would make your eyes water if you didn't have headsets. It was definitely louder than a Cessna 152. Someone mentioned that the Carbon Cub is loud.
 
Skymasters (non-pressurized ones, at least) are pretty damned loud.
 
Older Cirrus have terribly loud cockpit. This is coming from someone who flew a 337. (which wasn't that bad...)

Edit: LOL! ^^^
 
Super Viking isn't quite on takeoff, prop spins 2850 and not all that much sound insulation.
 
There is a free app for that, I measured a Mooney to be 91-93dB at 2400 rpm cruise, its much louder at max rpm of 2700.
 
When I was instructing in the early '70s, we never wore headsets -- except in the McCulloch J-2 Gyroplane. Even with headsets it would leave your head ringing for the rest of the day and half of tomorrow.

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Among fixed-wing airplanes, the early American Yankees seemed very loud. We had s/n 7 on our line, and it was noticeably louder than later ones.
 
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In the Skycatcher ATC can never understand my radio transmissions whenever I'm at full throttle.
 
The TU-95 Bear is purported to be one of the noisiest airplanes, due to the counter-rotating supersonic twin propellers.
 
DMD3. said:
Barring open-cockpit aircraft or aircraft without doors/windows, which airplanes are the loudest when it comes to cockpit noise? The 85 hp Luscombe 8E I used to ride in would make your eyes water if you didn't have headsets. It was definitely louder than a Cessna 152. Someone mentioned that the Carbon Cub is loud.
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Possibly they left out the sound proofing in the luscombe. Under the panel on firewall and around to the doors. Mine, an F model was not so bad. Great airplane. Much more fun than a cub.
 
Sac Arrow said:
The TU-95 Bear is purported to be one of the noisiest airplanes, due to the counter-rotating supersonic twin propellers.
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I don't know what truth there is to this, but supposedly there were submarines that could pick up the propeller noise coming from the Bear as it was in cruise.
 
My Stinson is hands down the loudest light airplane I've flown. It will make your ears ring, even when you're wearing ear plugs and a set of ear muffs over the top of the plugs.

I found out after I bought it that there is absolutely no sound deadening material in the plane. The fact that it has a bigger engine with no mufflers on it doesn't help matters either.
 
tecprotb said:
The ones on TV are the quietest ones they never need headsets.
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How about The Aviator, the Leonardo diCaprio flick about Howard Hughes? Over the Hollywood Hills Leo and Cate whisper and coo to each other in the cockpit of a Sikorsky S-38 (Hughes’ real airplane was an S-43) as “Moonglow” plays softly in the background. That would have been kinda tough with the din from the unmuffled R-1340’s and prop tips mere inches from the cabin roof.
 
mondtster said:
My Stinson is hands down the loudest light airplane I've flown. It will make your ears ring, even when you're wearing ear plugs and a set of ear muffs over the top of the plugs.

I found out after I bought it that there is absolutely no sound deadening material in the plane. The fact that it has a bigger engine with no mufflers on it doesn't help matters either.
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I was at a fly-in last year, and talked to a guy with a Stinson, as I was considering buying one once I sold my C150...the guy offered me a ride, and when we were up I could not believe how loud that thing was, so I agree with you.
 
Skywagon spinning a long prop at 2850 with Fluidyne 3600s in the retracted position. The skis reflect the prop tip noise back into the plane. Do it at full rpm on a cold day? Wow!
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
The XF-84H was quite possibly the loudest aircraft ever built
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Love some of the quotes in that Wiki article:

"It was unsuited to combat due to the engine's 30 minute warm up time"

"[Test pilot] Hendrix also told the formidable Republic project engineer, 'You aren't big enough and there aren't enough of you to get me in that thing again.'"

"Test pilot Hank Beaird took the XF-84H up 11 times, with 10 of these flights ending in forced landings."

"The shock wave was actually powerful enough to knock a man down; an unfortunate crew chief who was inside a nearby C-47 was severely incapacitated during a 30-minute ground run. Coupled with the already considerable noise from the subsonic aspect of the propeller and the dual turbines, the aircraft was notorious for inducing severe nausea and headaches among ground crews. In one report, a Republic engineer suffered a seizure after close range exposure to the shock waves emanating from a powered-up XF-84H."

( ... and they never even used the afterburner that was installed in it!) :eek:
 
Stewartb said:
Skywagon spinning a long prop at 2850 with Fluidyne 3600s in the retracted position. The skis reflect the prop tip noise back into the plane. Do it at full rpm on a cold day? Wow!
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Yes the long prop is noisy, same as a C-180/185/206 on water. I was fortunate enough to live near Beluga Lake in Homer last year and got to hear each one take off individually starting at 0430 every morning. :mad2: :lol:
 
The T310 is pretty noisy on takeoff, but that goes for most HP twins. A good ANR headset is a must!
 
B-25. Without a good intercom communication was solely by hand signals as you could not make yourself heard yelling as loudly as possible more than 12" away. Crazy loud.
 
My old 540 powered Christen Eagle was the loudest airplane around. The airport manager used to complain each time I flew it. 6 into 1 open exhaust, 11:1 pistons, 3000 rpm and a big prop that went supersonic! A 15 minute flight would cause my ears to ring for 3 days... Really. None of the ANR stuff helped. The only headset that worked was the good ole Clarity Aloft.
 
I definitely would say either a Cubcrafters SportCub or CarbonCub. With a ~$900 ANR headset ON, it sounded like a Cessna without a headset. Mind blowingly loud airplane.
 
GlennAB1 said:
Uh, the noisiest cockpit... Gulfstream 1
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That's surprising. Phoenix Air flies a couple of them from my home airport and I'm always surprised at how quiet they are (as a bystander).

Now, the local MU-2? Brutal.

Again, my perspective is from watching 'em taxi by my hangar and depart.
 
I used to tow gliders in 180HP Super Cubs with seaplane props. They were noisy buggers especially when you towed all day long.
 
IPhone app...B767 in cruise is a constant 80 to 85 decibels. MD11 is around 80. 747 Classic (never measured it) is very high also. These are due to high wind speed. Quietest was the MD80.

Ditto on the G 1.
 
I agree with the others, the B-25 especially with the short exhaust stacks is incredibly loud. Even with good headsets a couple of hours will make you deaf. A P-51 at take off power is right up there also. Don
 
Learfan. Idea scrapped after Lear's death due to noise.
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TA-4J. I quickly learned to wear foam plugs under my helmet.

Nauga,
who says, "WHAT?!"
 
A Paris Jet without a working intercom and airconditioning. Miserable!
 
I posted this on the supercub site a few years ago. FWIW my Cessna with 86" 3-blade is 3-4 decibels quieter at idle, take-off, and cruise.

FYI, I took my noise meter out in the plane tonight to identify my own noise levels. PA-12, 160hp w/8242 prop, and a Hot Rod muffler. 1200 rpm warm-up 85db. 2450 rpm cruise 98db. Full throttle 2700 rpm cruise 102db. Driving home in my Duramax pickup, 65db at neighborhood speeds. Turn on the amplified Alpine and turn it up to comfortably loud volume, 95db with peaks to 99db. My ANR Gallet helmet is supposed to have about 30db of total noise reduction. My stereo? no hearing protection there. I think I know why my ears ring.
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