Loudest Aircraft of All Time
March 21st, 2007Although this post is not associated with a category typical of this blog, being an aviation enthusiast (particularly the golden age of jet aircraft), I had to post it. With the Avalon Airshow approaching in Melbourne, I recently had a brief discussion with someone about loud aircraft. The loudest plane I have ever heard, which happened to be at Avalon a few years ago, would have to be the B-1B Lancer. After a little Internet research, I have compiled this rough list of some of the loudest aircraft of all time, mainly going by what people have said in forum discussions from their experiences.
Bear in mind that there are different types of ways in which a plane can be ‘loud’ and the loudness depends on what the aircraft is doing when it is heard (i.e. compare a slow flyover to a sudden thrust on takeoff). Here is the list:
- F-22 Raptor (Someone mentioned this on a forum. I was surprised by this, as I thought it would be modern-day quiet)
- EA-6 Prowler (Not the type of shaking loudness as the rest of the planes on this list; more so a very high, painful shrill)
- T-37 Dragonfly (Quite a surprise, since the plane is a ‘pipsqueak’, but it was mentioned on some forums. Another example though of a plain which is not rumbling loud. Instead, it has a high shrill)
- Harrier Jump Jet (I have heard before that this is a loud plane, especially when it is performing its hover. Some great footage of this plane flying can be seen here)
The next few planes are generally reported to be louder than the previous few
- Avro Vulcan (This is one of my favourite planes. My Dad often mentions the time he saw this plane at an airshow in the 70’s, saying it is the loudest plane he has ever heard. Some great footage of this plane flying can be seen here)
- B-1B Lancer (I mentioned above this was the loudest plane I have ever heard, and many people on forums mentioned this plane as one of the loudest they had ever heard.)
- SR-71 Blackbird (The legendary Blackbird, one of the classic planes of all time. Unfortunately I have never seen one fly, nor will I due to the fact that it retired some years ago. I did however see one parked at a museum when I was in New York. The fact that this plane was very loud does not surprise me. To download some great footage of it taking off, click here)
To this list you would probably throw in some Russian planes. Perhaps the Mig-25 and some of the big bombers. Finally, there are two experimental planes from the U.S.A. which are considered perhaps the loudest:
- XB-70 Valkyrie (Not surprising. I have always thought that this supersonic bomber was awesome and that it would be really, really loud, perhaps the loudest)
- XF-84 Thunderscreech (This is something I have just learnt and find very intriguing. I vaguely recall having seen this plane before in books, but had no idea given its size and apparent engine quantity that it would be labelled by one commentator “the loudest plane ever built”. The physical repercussions of being around this plane are reported to have been dramatic. To read about such incidents, go to http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s934718.htm
March 23rd, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Nice little line up. I personally like the Raptor, being all state of the art. But you still cant go past the Blackbird for all out brute speed.
May 21st, 2007 at 8:08 pm
[…] few weeks back I posted an entry about the loudest aircraft of all time. The discussion centered on U.S. and British planes, though I briefly alluded to their Russian […]
October 8th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I was at an airshow in Auburn, Maine USA in 1981, and part of the show included several low altitude low and high speed passes by an Avro Vulcan bomber out of Waddington AFB in England. It was the LOUDEST aircraft i have ever heard. It was so loud it gave me chills. Such a beautiful airplane. i also witnessed low passes of a B-58 Hustler bomber at 700 mph ( that’s what the announcer said ) at an airshow when i was a kid in 1965. It was so loud i was almost crying. I’d love to witness that now,so i could truly appreciate it. Unfortunately, the golden age of airshows is over.