How loud is it inside an airplane?

Question

does anyone know how many decibels it is inside a regular sized airplane during flight? also, is it more the noise that gives you ear trouble or the pressure changes? what do u do for the pressure changes? thanks in advance...

Answer 1

It depends on the type of airplane, the relationship of the cabin to the engines, and where you sit. At takeoff in a jet such as a Boeing 737, on average it's about 95 decibels if you're sitting mid-cabin. In cruise flight it's about 77 decibels. In a turboprop like a Metroliner, at takeoff it is about 110 decibels in the cabin and in cruise flight around 90 db. As a comparison, a typical food blender is about 87 decibels, a vacuum cleaner is about 76 decibels, and a lawnmower about 96 decibels when you're standing next to them.

Answer 2

It is pretty loud inside an airplane because of the jet engines.  

According to Atlas Aviation, cabin volumes range from 60-88 dB... In my experience, I'd estimate that most are operating in the low 70's.  This would be not unlike a noisy office, or a street with low to moderate traffic.

After a long flight (6 or more hours), your hearing will be temporarily affected - everything outside of the plane will seem muffled... don't worry, this goes away in a few hours.

If you use an mp3 player to drown out the engine noise, I recommend using either noise canceling headphones, or noise isolating headphones... noise canceling headphones have a circuit that actually cancels the sound... noise isolating headphones are like earplugs that play music.  I've used both, and I prefer noise isolating headphones.

As for the pressure changes, you really only have that when the plane is gaining altitude and when it is coming back down... yawning is usually enough to equalize the pressure... chewing gum, or swallowing a beverage can also help.   The pressure change thing causes infants to cry because they don't know how to equalize the pressure... a baby can easily get the cabin noise up to 90 dB...

Answer 3

During the daytime, I would say the inside of an airplane with turbine engines is comparable to the noise level of a mall.  If you're in a small airplane with propellers, it's about twice as loud.  At night on long flights, most people fall asleep, so as long as you're not sitting right next to a baby, you'll probably be able to sleep too.  I recommend a window seat so you have something to rest your head against.  Headphones as mentioned above make a huge difference as well.