Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) compared to Regular Descent Procedures: Less Annoying?

Annoyance reactions to different types of landing procedures were addressed in a controlled laboratory setting using a Virtual Community Noise Simulator (VCNS) with a head mounted display. Participants, standing on a virtual countryside road, experienced four types of descent flyovers by an A330 aircraft: a regular descent flyover at 2000ft and CDAs at respectively 3000, 4000 and 5000ft. These types of landing procedures are representative of flights approaching Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AAS) in the Netherlands. Sound recordings for the VCNS were made on a countryside road and adjusted to match the indicated altitudes. After each flyover, participants were asked to rate their noise annoyance during the previous minute. Preliminary results showed that the 3000ft CDA was rated as the most annoying, followed by the ratings of the regular landing procedure and higher CDAs. These results could indicate that a CDA procedure, despite having lower LAmax and similar SEL levels, may still reach higher annoyance ratings due to longer flyover durations.