The Silent Aircraft initiative

In one knowledge exchange initiative, the students on the project team studying aircraft engine design will spend a month seconded to Rolls-Royce at Derby. Staff from Rolls-Royce will then come back to Cambridge to continue the work. They will be using some Rolls-Royce design codes as they undertake a fundamental redesign of the elements of the engine that contribute most to noise.

Dr Nigel Birch, Chief of Noise Engineering at Rolls-Royce plc, says: “This is a bold project to address what is an increasingly acute environmental problem for the civil aviation industry in the UK. Rolls-Royce is undertaking its own research in aircraft engine noise reduction, but to achieve a very large step change in the performance of aircraft requires a radical integrated approach to the design and operation of future aircraft and flight systems. This was identified by the recent UK Cabinet Office sponsored Aerospace Innovation and Growth team as key to continuing the success of the UK aerospace industry. We believe that the breadth and depth of skills and knowledge available at Cambridge and MIT will be a valuable contribution to research in this area. Crucially, CMI has succeeded in engaging in the project all parties who can actually implement the results of the research in real projects where the gains can be exploited. We are highly committed to this project and look forward to its success.”

Andy Kershaw, Manager of Environmental Affairs for British Airways, says: “We welcome continued research into quieter aircraft technology, and especially the work that aims to optimise operational procedures within capacity constraints, in the context of improving UK competitiveness. Minimising noise from flight operations is a priority for British Airways, and we look forward to the contribution the project can make towards this goal.”

Iain Young, Chief Test Pilot of Marshall of Cambridge, says: “Environmental factors play an increasingly important part in modern airport operations and noise is a key issue. A reduction in aircraft noise would make a significant contribution to the development of regional airports through reducing the noise impact on local communities. We are delighted to support this initiative and look forward to participating in an important and interesting programme.”

Immediate success

One of the project’s first triumphs was an experimental procedure that substantially reduces the noise of descending aircraft, and tangible real world technology availability for current commercial air carriers is already within sight to the efforts of a research team led by Professor John-Paul Clarke of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

In addition to improving the lives of people living and working along airport approach routes, the new procedure reduces aircraft engine emissions and fuel consumption.

In November 2004, Professor Clarke, a key member of the Silent Aircraft Initiative, visited the UK where he gave a presentation about his work to members of the Associate Parliamentary Engineering Group (APEG). Now he has unveiled the results of tests conducted at a regional US airport, which proved that so-called 'Continuous Descent Approaches' can be used successfully, and confirmed their environmental and economic benefits.

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