§ 62. Mr. Skeffingtonasked the Minister of Aviation what discussions he has had with the local authorities round London Airport about the problems of noise annoyance which will arise as a result of night flying by jet aircraft; and if he will receive a deputation from local residents' associations.
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§ Mr. SandysMy hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and I have already had discussions with the residents' associations and local authorities concerned. In addition, a deputation visited me early last Saturday.
§ 63. Mr. Skeffingtonasked the Minister of Aviation the nature of the noise tests which have shown that the Comet 4B can operate on take-off and landing from London Airport at a noise level not exceeding, that of piston-engined aircraft.
§ 68. Mr. R. Harrisasked the Minister of Aviation if he will publish the detailed results of the noise tests which he made before granting permission to British European Airways Corporation to fly Comets at night from London Airport; and if he will state, in particular, what type of noise-recording machine was used.
§ Mr. SandysThe noise trials were conducted in two stages. In the first place, a number of practical tests were made to establish the technique which would be most effective for reducing the noise of Comet 4B aircraft to a minimum. Four different procedures were tried out by B.E.A., in consultation with the Ministry of Aviation, and the most satisfactory was selected.
In the next stage, aircraft took off with varying loads, and the noise was measured by technical officers of my Department. The measurements were taken at points under the flight path where the noise of piston-engined aircraft had previously been recorded.
The sound pressure levels were recorded on magnetic tape and subsequently analysed in the laboratory.
The tests showed that under comparable conditions the average pressure level of the Comet 4B was 90 decibels, a figure which is exceeded by several of the piston-engined airliners which regularly operate at night.