Loudest military aircraft?
In no particular order: the stream takeoff by some 8 or 9 EE Lightnings of 74 Squadron in full burner at Farnborough in 1962 (or thereabouts) when the crowd line was rather close to the runway.
B47 takeoff seemed a lot noisier than the B57. Especially with the RATO during display at Lakenheath sometime around 1960
The Intruder winding up on the waist cat seemed incredibly noisier than any of our F4K's, but the F4K would stop any intercom chatter when sitting off the carrier on planeguard.
The F104 on takeoff had the most piercing wail which could be heard for miles. RNAS Gannet/819 NAS at Prestwick was in a far corner of the field but the take off for air tests of CF104s (in for heavy maintenance) was enough to stop conversation anywhere indoors as they hit that 'blue note'
Having flown on the wingtip of an RNZAF Andover, you can't hear yourself think over those Darts screaming a few yards away 
B47 takeoff seemed a lot noisier than the B57. Especially with the RATO during display at Lakenheath sometime around 1960
The Intruder winding up on the waist cat seemed incredibly noisier than any of our F4K's, but the F4K would stop any intercom chatter when sitting off the carrier on planeguard.
The F104 on takeoff had the most piercing wail which could be heard for miles. RNAS Gannet/819 NAS at Prestwick was in a far corner of the field but the take off for air tests of CF104s (in for heavy maintenance) was enough to stop conversation anywhere indoors as they hit that 'blue note'
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as said a B47 on RATO or a "Bear" at full throttle - it's not just the absolute volume- it's all the additional side lobes and vibrations rattling your teeth out of your head
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The 16 Hunter display that follows the Lightnings is even more impressive in some ways, though perhaps it wouldn't have been to those who had seen 22 Hunters loop there four years earlier. The odd thing to modern eyes is the scatter of people right up to the edge of the runway during proceedings.
SV - brilliant thanks - oh, the nostalgia. A year later I was a cadet at the Towers. Thought the RN display pretty impressive, and noted the Wallis Autogyro had a military serial - was it tried out at Boscombe Down for military potential?
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Loudest jets
fully loaded B1s leaving Fairford on the way to Libya (1st time round)
Backfire departing Farnborough
Most painful to the ear in my opinion is the ALOUETTE helicopter in the hover.
fully loaded B1s leaving Fairford on the way to Libya (1st time round)
Backfire departing Farnborough
Most painful to the ear in my opinion is the ALOUETTE helicopter in the hover.
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Farnborough 1962
Quick subject change ! just got all excited, seeing on the Farnborough clip the 2 Argosies XN817 & 819 the trial aircraft, I was there with them, & yes they were B noisy, only Darts could make a noise like that outside the aircraft & inside, PH.
For me it has usually been a case of the louder the better when it comes to the chest crushing noise of things like Concorde, Vulcan or the old BAC111 using methanol injection. But the most excruciating aircraft noise I have ever heard was being in a hangar, with the doors open at both ends, and the high pitched whistle of two Vampires at each end doing engine tests. It felt like your brain was being drilled into from both sides, really painful.
Don't forget the Jet Provost with a Viper, the most efficient machine (pound of fuel per decibel) ever devised for turning fuel into noise, and not much else.
On a more serous note the Scimitar was incredibly noisy ! ( was the RN Scimitar team known as Fred's Five or was that Vixens? )
On a more serous note the Scimitar was incredibly noisy ! ( was the RN Scimitar team known as Fred's Five or was that Vixens? )
The Alouette noise is associated with the steel cables linking the blades roots, hence the rattling sound.
Fred's Five was the RN Sea Vixen team, not Scimitars. Before that was Simon's Sircus, also Vixens.
More useless information (looking at the Farnborough 1962 video opening) was the VC10 tailplane was the same span as the Scimitar wing. When we had a visit to the factory and shown the mainplane milling by tape control, a screened off area at the far end was 'secret' and spotty youths not allowed. TSR2 was being put together there, what a spotter's paradise there was to be had in those days!
Fred's Five was the RN Sea Vixen team, not Scimitars. Before that was Simon's Sircus, also Vixens.
More useless information (looking at the Farnborough 1962 video opening) was the VC10 tailplane was the same span as the Scimitar wing. When we had a visit to the factory and shown the mainplane milling by tape control, a screened off area at the far end was 'secret' and spotty youths not allowed. TSR2 was being put together there, what a spotter's paradise there was to be had in those days!
Harriers are extra loud when close up and going away from you. F-111s going up Loch Ness at zero feet render conversion impossible for some time....but the loudest one I've heard was a B-1 at a rainy Woodford airshow, having found out that the next scheduled display (a Liberator) was unable to get in due to the weather, the B-1 pilot filled the slot by going round again, doing a slow touch and go, then nailing all four burners as he passed the crowd and climbing away. So loud it was felt rather than heard!
Honorable mention for the Typhoon, which regularly sets every car alarm in Southport off at a range of over half a mile whilst displaying over the beach.....
The best loud noise though.....the BBMF with the Canadian Lancaster as well, flying right overhead us at about 500ft...ten Merlins!
Honorable mention for the Typhoon, which regularly sets every car alarm in Southport off at a range of over half a mile whilst displaying over the beach.....
The best loud noise though.....the BBMF with the Canadian Lancaster as well, flying right overhead us at about 500ft...ten Merlins!
Caspian Sea Monster. Archives - AirlineReporter : AirlineReporter
I don't know if this is considered military (or aircraft at all), but witnesses say it was bloody loudy inside as well as outside...
I don't know if this is considered military (or aircraft at all), but witnesses say it was bloody loudy inside as well as outside...
Never heard one but people I know who have reckoned that you didn't really appreciate what noise was until you were runway-side to a B-58 "Hustler" lifting off. I always thought that Harriers were loud until I heard a Typhoon at Dunsfold a couple of years ago.
The A-6 Intruder may not be the very loudest, but it could convert a little jet fuel into a lot of dB's and must have given many Marine/Navy retirees 10% or more disability for hearing loss.
