NASA will fly its supersonic F/A-18 jet over the Gulf of Mexico while researchers measure public response to the aircraft’s noise in and around the coastal city of Galveston, Texas.
The F/A-18 pilot will fly a unique diving maneuver over the Gulf of Mexico that will result in the possibility of Galveston area residents hearing a quiet sonic “thump” instead of the loud and sometimes disruptive sonic booms historically associated with supersonic flight.
NASA is recruiting via mail some 500 residents to participate in the two-week-long research activity. Participants will be asked to fill out a brief online survey several times each day about their impressions of any noise they hear from the F/A-18 jet. Residents who participate for the full duration will be paid $50.
The city of Galveston was selected because its coastal location enables the F/A-18 to fly a supersonic maneuver that sends a quieter sonic “thump” toward Galveston and confines louder sonic booms to the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. NASA’s nearby facilities at Ellington Field also will enable more efficient aircraft operations.
NASA researchers will place sound-measuring equipment in and around Galveston to supplement the public response data. Locations will be selected based on research needs and approval from local authorities.
To ensure public safety and awareness, NASA is cooperating with local, state and federal authorities and conducting an extensive public outreach initiative in support of this research.
Results from this activity in Galveston will inform research methods for future community response surveys that will use NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology aircraft.
NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstration, which includes QSF18, is a comprehensive, scientifically-driven effort to provide U.S. and international regulators with statistically valid data that could result in new rules that allow commercial supersonic flight over land.