NASA, nose humming in air taxi noise test

Air taxis hold the promise of revolutionizing aviation. NASA is working to make this vision a reality, collaborating with industry to reduce aircraft noise in our communities.

Quiet flight is especially important when air taxis and drones take off and land at future airports, called vertiports, that can integrate into rural and urban communities. So, before applying to the Federal Aviation Administration for certification to fly in national airspace, NASA is providing industry with the tools they need to predict noise as they design their vehicles.

In the summer of 2023, researchers from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland traveled to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio to test Moog’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) taxi. NASA’s team acquired data from the eVTOL during takeoff, landing, and at an altitude of 60 feet. A Mook operator operated the aircraft remotely from a nearby ground station.

This is NASA’s second round of testing with Moog. In 2022, NASA researchers received noise data An initial round of trial testingDuring this the Moog vehicle moved in one place.

NASA will use data from both experiments to improve and validate noise prediction tools. The company will provide US industry with both tools and datasets to help design silent air taxis and drones.

The research is being conducted through NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) agency’s Advanced Air Vehicles program. RVLT supports NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility Mission, providing data to guide the industry’s development of electric air taxis and drones.