Noise Footprint Assessment at a Vertiport for Different Approach and Departure Procedures of a Tilt-Wing Air-Taxi

Community noise at vertiports is one of the most important questions related to upcoming urban air mobility (UAM) operations. While fixed-wing and/or fixed-rotor aircraft can mainly be treated by their changing operational parameters, such as rotor or propeller rpm, tilt-wing or tilt-engine configurations are more difficult to simulate because of their constantly changing noise emission and spatial radiation characteristics. The work presented in this paper is providing an overview of the noise situation at a virtual vertiport which is being approached and departed by a tilt-wing air-taxi in different ways. Several different departure procedures are simulated with the same generic air-taxi. For the noise emission semi-empiric methods were used. During the air-taxi’s descent and climb, different tilt configurations are included, mainly defined by the time dependent engine’s tilt-angle, but also related to different approach paths. Each approach or departure procedure is generating individually time dependent changing noise emission characteristics which are used for noise footprint mapping around the touch-down or lift-off point. Different noise metrics are computed, including some which are representative to indicate noise annoyance among the vertiport’s neighborhood. It is expected that each procedure will generate its own specific community noise situation in the vicinity of the vertiport, and thus may provide an early recommenddation for later operations. The results are compared towards each other. Additionally, a simulated certification flyover according to ICAO Chapter 13 - which is about the noise certification of tilt-rotor aircraft - is set into relation to the vertiport’s community noise.