your experience with interior noise in the Cherokee line

jmhill2 · November 2021

I have a random question about aircraft noise. I am a middle age, amateur, purely for my own enjoyment- weekender pilot.

Two years ago I sustained an unexplained sensorineural hearing loss which left me mostly deaf in my right ear and hyper sensitive in my left

My AME at Mayo has been very helpful and I qualify for my third class medical without any difficulty but I continue to struggle with ambient cockpit noise despite having custom-made 25 dB ear filters and a lightspeed Zulu headset. Noise exposure is all about intensity and duration

I purchased a handheld audiometer and have flown with it in several of our club airplanes. I find that interior noise in our 172s is generally between 90 and 98 dB during routine operations and I can get it down to less than 90 if I throttle back to 2200 RPM. In the club 182s no matter what Pitch and manifold pressure combination I try I can't get it less than 90. Our club 210? forgetaboutit

I'm told that Cherokees like Warrior Archer Arrows are quieter but I don't have recent experience with any.

I learned to fly in a Warrior, and have flown both Archers and Arrows but not in some time and not since my injury.

The good news is I have a glider rating which helps feed to some of the addiction but is as you know is seasonal and unfortunately less spontaneous

My question is, are there quieter Single engine aircraft, or does anyone have a 'quiet' power setting they like? Can anyone give me objective data on noise levels at different power setting etc?

I have the competing interests of my love of flying versus my fear of further damaging my hearing.

There are a number of apps for measuring ambient sound levels - would welcome your experience!

Thanks

J

Scott Sherer · November 2021

Hi and thanks for writing. My Arrow is 80db at 75% power (33/24). I have thick rubber insulation on my ceiling, walls and floors and 1/4" windows. I currently have a small leak in my door which I'm working on and before I had the leak my Arrow was 75db. If you get a PA-28, I can help you achieve the same results.

Resq5hvy · November 2021

Do you think a 3 bladed prop helps keep the noise down?

Scott Sherer · November 2021

I don't think it affects the noise level, however, I do think that the airplane is largely vibration-free. It also accelerates (down the runway) and climbs faster. Cruise is about the same.

your experience with interior noise in the Cherokee line

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