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Most distinctive and charismatic engine sound?

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Most distinctive and charismatic engine sound?

Old 3rd Feb 2021, 00:03
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As a former ramp rat, I’m biased toward aircraft you could identify before seen. Based on that criteria, I have to nominate the TPE331. “Don’t let that MU-2 sneak up on you” said no one ever.

Regarding the RR Dart, I did have the misfortune to connect/disconnect the start cart for the start-up of a chartered Viscount. Truly the British answer to Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound.”
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 00:04
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Merlin is the fairly obvious answer.

I am however very surprised Rolls Royce Olympus haven’t been mentioned? Four of them in/under a delta wing are simply a primeval force of nature!
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 00:51
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Distinctive means instantly recognisable. "A sound like no other, is instantly recognisable and has an interesting and varied repertoire of sounds like no other?"

I challenge anyone to identify between a Merlin, a Griffon, a DB601 or Allison so I'd hardly call any of those instantly recognisable no matter how charismatic, and if you can identify between an Avon, Olympus, Conway, Sapphire, JT3 or Spey I reckon you're some kind of audio-signature computer! Ditto most turboprops.
None have a "varied repertoire of sounds" as far as I can tell.


Argus qualifies. motorbike to silence. Rather like my old BSA...
As might the Goblin, whine to howl to unique whistle.
Astazou is quite distinctive but hardly has a repertoire.
Dart too is distinctive-ish but some of the Soviet turboprops sounded just the same, and again has little in the way of repertoire.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 00:56
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Originally Posted by 4468
Merlin is the fairly obvious answer.

I am however very surprised Rolls Royce Olympus haven’t been mentioned? Four of them in/under a delta wing are simply a primeval force of nature!
OK I'll go, engines and aeroplanes that I have never flown and almost certainly never will..

4 Rolls Royce Olympus (Concorde)
4 Rolls Royce Conways (Model as fitted to the Super VC-10 for the added "crackle")
4 Rolls Royce Merlins (Avro Lancaster)
4 Rolls Royce Griffons (Avro Shackelton)
Almost any large radial engine, but in particular the Bristol Centaurus

Of the aeroplanes that I have flown and still hear almost daily..

The Continental GTSIO 520 M/L (GITSO) as fitted to the Cessna 404. Sounds like a pair of Ferrari engines on each wing
The Continental IO 520 as fitted to the Beech Baron, I love the harsh bark of these engines

Can't say the sound of any modern high bypass jet engines do it for me, although I doff my cap at the designers for their incredible reliability


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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 00:57
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Sound I most love is the pop and crackle of a Merlin when the throttle is closed on landing. The airframe an engine is installed in contributes to the sound as well, the P-51 Merlin in flight sounds better than a Spitfire, R-1820 in a T-28 or S-2 sounds far better than a DC-3 or B-17, but all radials sound great. Turbines don't do it for me, save the growl of some heavies on take off.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 02:10
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Originally Posted by Capt Chambo
OK I'll go, engines and aeroplanes that I have never flown and almost certainly never will..

4 Rolls Royce Olympus (Concorde)
About 30 years ago, I was on a business trip to the UK. After landing at Heathrow, I was standing at a 'remote' rental car counter near the end of a runway. Suddenly there was this horrendous, overwhelming noise - yet nobody else seemed to even notice . I turned around and there was a Concorde a few hundred yards away beginning it's takeoff run in full afterburner/reheat.
I don't know that there was anything that I particularly liked or enjoyed about the noise, but it certainly was memorable - and quite possibly the noisiest aircraft I've ever heard.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 03:19
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Thread drift alert!

The noise and vibration from Concorde on take off was enough to set off car alarms. I fortunately parked in the central area, but I'm sure it must have affected battery life for cars park Northside ( a staff car park north of Runway 09L/27R).

I recall on a number of occasions waiting in the holding area of 27R whilst Concorde took off, I usually made a passenger PA to advise/warn them that the noise and vibration we were about to experience was not the end of the world, just Concorde on taking off.

The only rejected take off I witnessed at Heathrow was one day lining up behind Concorde on 09R. Whilst we waited our 2 mins, all we could see down the runway was a brown smoke haze from the departing Concorde. Next thing we heard the Concorde pilot advising they were rejecting the take off due an engine problem.

Ah memories!
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 05:00
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full afterburner/reheat.
Brian Trubshaw explained to me that Concorde didn't have afterburner / reheat, Concorde had overdrive.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 05:39
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As a kid I could always pick the sound of a pair of R1830s on a DC3 coming into or taking off from Mascot.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 05:39
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Vulcan low level burble. Unforgettable.
And the Speys on a 1-11 starting up.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 06:50
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For those of us with long memories: Britannia

Brought up on a diet of Darts and Tynes, I couldn't understand why they called it the "Whispering Giant" - until the first time that I (barely) heard one taxy and take off.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 07:02
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Merlin, the more the better so far 11, 2 Lancasters + 2 Spitfires + Mustang
2nd choice big radials like a Thunderbolt
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 07:17
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The engines on a Beech Duchess........ sounds like a bag of spanners every time I hear them fly over.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 07:46
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RR Avon / Hunter 'blue note' at high speed. I claim that intake / bleed duct noise should be considered as part of the engine.

Something similar with the Javelin, but that was often just before the engine failed.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 07:48
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all unmistakeable

The RR Dart of course - 10 years with BMA lol

!-11 RR Spey start up

JT8's on 737-200, 727 or a DC-9 screaming down the taxy ways

JT3B on a 707 spooling up on APP

RB211 Tristar start up rumble

In more recent times -

RR RB211 535E4's on a 757

A320/321 NEO's CFM LEAP (and 737 MAX too)



Tridents/Comets/ RR Conway 707's and VC-10's were all just noise, crackle and pain lol

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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 08:02
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Originally Posted by Hydromet
As a kid I could always pick the sound of a pair of R1830s on a DC3 coming into or taking off from Mascot.
Yes that is/was a distinctive sound and quite unlike the sound of the pair of R1830s in a PBY Catalina.
Must be to do with the location of the fuselage.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 08:21
  #37 (permalink)  
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Merlin... or better still, Griffon.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 08:27
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I am not that experienced on engine noises but I thought that the Pegasus on the Sea Harrier had a very distinctive noise on shut down. I went all the way to Yeovilton on their last day just to hear it. Actually, I was expecting a lot, lot more as well but was very disappointed.
I also miss the sound of a single Spey on a 1-11 using methanol injection and the curvature of the earth to gain height. And what about the distinctive whistle of the Goblin on the Vampire. Nothing like a couple of those doing engine tests to ruin one's hearing for good.
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 08:39
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Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
For those of us with long memories: Britannia

Brought up on a diet of Darts and Tynes, I couldn't understand why they called it the "Whispering Giant" - until the first time that I (barely) heard one taxy and take off.

The mighty Nimbus. Especially surging after a mishandled acceleration or autorotation. Not sure about whispering giant. The lads called it the whistling sh@thouse !
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Old 3rd Feb 2021, 08:58
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Distinctive? Definately the Piaggo Avanti.

Not sure I would call the sound charismatic though.
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