Boeing’s Vice President of Marketing came under a lot of flak for a post on his blog a few months back:
… some “white noise” can be desirable on an airplane, and even soothing (the difference, say, between the sound of a power saw in the background, or of a babbling brook).
That might seem innocuous, but the push for quieter airplanes, along with fuel efficiency, has been a centrepiece of aerospace design for Boeing and its European rival Airbus for the past few years. Environmental appeal has of course become a major focus point for the two companies’ major customers — the airlines.
Now we read with amusement that it seems airplanes can be too quiet — in this case Airbus’s new superjumbo, the A380, which cost more than $10bn to develop. From Flight Global:
Airbus to help Emirates pilots sleep after crews find A380 ‘too quiet’
The pilots say that the lack of engine noise in the A380′s cabin compared with other long-haul airliners means they are constantly disturbed by sounds created by passengers, such as crying babies, flushing vacuum toilets and call bells. Passengers also mistake the rest area for a lavatory, and pull the door handle.
Well at least they don’t make it all the way in. (HT Saj at FleetBuzz)
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