Loudest military aircraft?
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Hi all,
It's a small world. I'm in bali and met "John" in the bar as you do. He's ex RAF Engineer, his vote goes to VC-10.
Where's Beagle?!
Cheers
Octane
It's a small world. I'm in bali and met "John" in the bar as you do. He's ex RAF Engineer, his vote goes to VC-10.
Where's Beagle?!
Cheers
Octane
Happy to report for those that not had the pleasure yet, the F-35B is plenty loud! Especially on take off. Have seen several quite close, takeoffs, pattern work, landing. Louder than the F-18C chase aircraft. Could not discern any special noise from the lift fan.
For those that I have personally heard/felt, it would be early KC-135's with water injection and a most impressive crackling sound, and the SR-71 in a burner pass. As others have stated, not just heard, but also felt.
Honorable mention to the last piston powered Miss Budweiser hydroplane. Late 1980's as many teams were transitioning to turbine power, the team had both. A close pass truly made you insides shake- awesome.
For those that I have personally heard/felt, it would be early KC-135's with water injection and a most impressive crackling sound, and the SR-71 in a burner pass. As others have stated, not just heard, but also felt.
Honorable mention to the last piston powered Miss Budweiser hydroplane. Late 1980's as many teams were transitioning to turbine power, the team had both. A close pass truly made you insides shake- awesome.
From my airshow experience:
The first and only time I was actually frightened by aircraft noise was an E.E. Lightning. In my defense, I was five years old at the time, and from reading these pages it appears that the Lightning scared lots of 20+ year-olds, particularly when they were sitting in the front and important bits fell off/stopped working.
Harriers are pretty loud, and persistent - most jets on full throttle move by default rather than sitting and growling in your face.
For some reason, though, it was M Dassault's products that always decided to sing you the song of their people during that once-only face-to-face interview opportunity.
The first and only time I was actually frightened by aircraft noise was an E.E. Lightning. In my defense, I was five years old at the time, and from reading these pages it appears that the Lightning scared lots of 20+ year-olds, particularly when they were sitting in the front and important bits fell off/stopped working.
Harriers are pretty loud, and persistent - most jets on full throttle move by default rather than sitting and growling in your face.
For some reason, though, it was M Dassault's products that always decided to sing you the song of their people during that once-only face-to-face interview opportunity.
My vote goes to...
Standing by the runway caravan at Coltishall (escorting a couple of friendly spotters) as two Polish Fencers took off was bone jarringly loud. That was before they even plugged the burners in. Then things got properly stupid. It felt like my internal organs were going to puree themselves from the noise and vibration.
Maybe it was the proximity to them as they went but I have never before, or since, heard noise like it.
BV
Maybe it was the proximity to them as they went but I have never before, or since, heard noise like it.
BV
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Of the limited number of aircraft I have heard, I think all have been
mentioned.
BAC 1-11
SR71
F-111 that went vertical from about a couple of hundred feet above us
and had the full after burner on. Not only loud but quite warm as well.
mentioned.
BAC 1-11
SR71
F-111 that went vertical from about a couple of hundred feet above us
and had the full after burner on. Not only loud but quite warm as well.
For mind-altering noise and the opportunity to levitate, try sitting under Phantom FGR2 in reheat on the tie-down pan. I was inveigled into helping a sootie run some checks/tests - never again.
Candidate number 2 is being up close and intimate with a full four-ship Vulcan scramble from the ORP.
Now, where did I put my hearing aids...
Candidate number 2 is being up close and intimate with a full four-ship Vulcan scramble from the ORP.
Now, where did I put my hearing aids...
langleybaston wrote:
Would that have been the 1972 TACEVAL?. I was working on No 6 BFI (over by Battle Flight) when they took off. That wall of noise seemed to go on forever.
19 and 92 squadron lightnings multi-launch Gutersloh heard from Zeppelinstrasse, memory suggests at least 30 a/c .................
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Anything with Conways or Olympus engines.
VC10, Victor, Vulcan, Concorde (although Concorde obviously doesn't fit the "mil" bit of the thread title).
Of the 4, I only ever flew in the '10, but it was strangely quiet inside!
Not so in BB544 at Brize every morning though when the first one went down the runway at 0630 or whatever it was.
Why were these engines in particular so noisy?
VC10, Victor, Vulcan, Concorde (although Concorde obviously doesn't fit the "mil" bit of the thread title).
Of the 4, I only ever flew in the '10, but it was strangely quiet inside!
Not so in BB544 at Brize every morning though when the first one went down the runway at 0630 or whatever it was.
Why were these engines in particular so noisy?
Putting aside jets for a moment, and showing my age, but I seem to remember the old Fairey Gannet as being a very noisy bit of kit. I remember seeing them a few times at the B of B displays at Gaydon in the 60s. What they must have been like on board ship, in close proximity, is unimaginable. From the jet angle, I reckon the VC10 "guzzomie" bird, departing Akrotiri on a hot day took some beating, especially if you worked anywhere near the take off end of the runway.
Smudge
Smudge
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Why loud?
It's difficult to track noise, since the energy involved is very very low - something like a millionth of the energy in heat that's coming out.
All those engines have low bypass, meaning the fast exhaust is barely sheathed from making turbulence and noise against the ambient air. They're also quite a lot more powerful than the early noisy centrifugal engines, so have the capacity to make more total noise, even if not more noise per pound of thrust.
I also believe that the Vulcan Olympus and VC10 Conway both had a set of stator blades in front of the fans, which can't have helped to quieten things down.
All those engines have low bypass, meaning the fast exhaust is barely sheathed from making turbulence and noise against the ambient air. They're also quite a lot more powerful than the early noisy centrifugal engines, so have the capacity to make more total noise, even if not more noise per pound of thrust.
I also believe that the Vulcan Olympus and VC10 Conway both had a set of stator blades in front of the fans, which can't have helped to quieten things down.
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Been at quite a few airshows but one of the noisiest I can remember was a Vulcan departing Eastwards from Leuchars in the '60s; did what looked like a 45 degree pullup and went up like a rocket. Never knew a bomber could climb that fast and it was deafening, even though it must have been over a mile away. Could still hear it rumbling away for a long time after it had levelled off and headed South.
Second was Leuchars again. I was working in Guardbridge when a Lightning squadron did what I assume was an 'emergency exit'. Must have been about 1/2 a runway length or less between them and they all went vertical like a string of beads in the sky. Could hardly breathe for the noise as my chest was vibrating so much! Magnificent sight!
Second was Leuchars again. I was working in Guardbridge when a Lightning squadron did what I assume was an 'emergency exit'. Must have been about 1/2 a runway length or less between them and they all went vertical like a string of beads in the sky. Could hardly breathe for the noise as my chest was vibrating so much! Magnificent sight!
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Neither military OR an aeroplane, the SRN4 Hoverspeed hovercraft wasn't that quiet either...
Last edited by chiglet; 23rd Jan 2014 at 22:17. Reason: syntax
For those that I have personally heard/felt, it would be early KC-135's with water injection and a most impressive crackling sound
A little more recently, I was on the flight deck of USS Constellation watching flight ops as part of a PR drill, watching A-6 Intruders takeoff from maybe 100 ft. away. Those A-6s were seriously loud - even with the (mandatory) ear protection in place