Advanced procedure noise model validation using Seattle International Airport noise monitor networks

Advanced operational flight procedures that utilize modifications to thrust, airspeed, altitude, and configuration can be implemented to mitigate noise impacts for communities surrounding airports. Evaluating and designing such procedures requires accurate modeling of the aircraft performance, source noise, and atmospheric propagation of the source noise to the ground. Modeling frameworks to assess advanced procedures have been developed but must be validated to ensure their results are reasonable. This paper presents validation of such noise models using a network of ground noise monitoring data at Seattle-Tacoma International airport and ADS-B operational radar flight profiles from the OpenSky database. Modeled noise from operational flights of several aircraft types are shown to be consistent with noise monitor data when reasonable flap settings and atmospheric corrections for the actual weather at the time of flight are used. Discrepancies that exist between the modeled and measured noise results are identified to determine where current noise modeling methods must be improved to accurately represent all relevant noise sources.