NOISE IN THE COCKPIT OF THE AT-3 R100 TRAINING AIRCRAFT IN STEADY FLIGHT – MEASUREMENTS, ACOUSTIC MAPPING AND HEARING PROTECTIONRECOMMENDATIONS

<ns3:p>This paper reports results of an in-flight noise measurement campaign in the cockpit of the Aero AT 3 R100 (VLA) training aircraft under steady state cruise conditions. The aim was to assess the pilot/instructor noise exposure using L_Aeq,T, sound exposure level L_AE (SEL) and daily exposure level L_EX,8h (L_EP,d) at three cabin locations (floor, seat, and head region) at 85 kt (≈44 m/s), 3500 ft AMSL (≈1067 m) and 4200–4350 rpm. Mean L_Aeq values of 96.88 dB (floor), 91.59 dB (seat) and 92.81 dB (head region) indicate a substantial risk of exceeding occupational action values and exposure limits. Acoustic maps of the cockpit were developed, showing SEL maxima of up to 124.1 dB and L_Aeqofo of about 99.5 dB near the firewall. Implications for radio communication and cognitive workload during pilot training are discussed and practical hearing protection measures are recommended, including mandatory aviation headsets (~20 dB attenuation), selected passive treatments and future work (third octave analysis, measurements in key flight phases and a multi sensor network).</ns3:p>