Division 2.7.1 Aim and scope of document

Contour maps are used to indicate the extent and magnitude of aircraft noise impact around airports, that impact being indicated by values of a specified noise metric or index. A contour is a line along which the index value is constant. The index value aggregates in some way all the individual aircraft noise events that occur during some specified period of time, normally measured in days or months.

The noise at points on the ground from aircraft flying into and out of a nearby aerodrome depends on many factors. Principal among these are the types of aeroplane and their powerplant; the power, flap and airspeed management procedures used on the aeroplanes themselves; the distances from the points concerned to the various flight paths; and local topography and weather. Airport operations generally include different types of aeroplanes, various flight procedures and a range of operational weights.

Contours are generated by calculating surfaces of local noise index values mathematically. This document explains in detail how to calculate, at one observer point, the individual aircraft noise event levels, each for a specific aircraft flight or type of flight, that are subsequently averaged in some way, or accumulated, to yield index values at that point. The required surface of index values is generated merely by repeating the calculations as necessary for different aircraft movements — taking care to maximise efficiency by excluding events that are not ‘noise-significant’ (i.e. which do not contribute significantly to the total).

Where noise generating activities associated with airport operations do not contribute materially to the overall population exposure to aircraft noise and associated noise contours, they may be excluded. These activities include: helicopters, taxiing, engine testing and use of auxiliary power-units. This does not necessarily mean that their impact is insignificant and where these circumstances occur assessment of the sources can be undertaken as set out in paragraphs 2.7.21 and 2.7.22.