Originally Posted by
flyallnite
In light of the heretofore unknown 'noise level research' whose results were inconclusive, I propose a crowd funded test by current 737 pilots. Grab your smartphone and a Decibel measuring app and take some readings. If the results bother you, let your council reps know. ALPA Safety. Make them carry the bad news to management. In the meantime, more FCR's would help establish a perceived problem. Apparently there are solutions, like vortex generators and intercom systems.
I jumpseated on a UAL 737-800 yesterday. I knew about the noise problem here on our 737's. I was surprised how quiet theirs was. As quiet as a 75/76 (my equipment). I stood up mid flight and looked at their nose and wiper blades the best I could from the end of the center console. While they didn't have any fancy covers on their wiper blades, they did have VG's on the top of the nose, right in front of the windshield. In my opinion, their cockpit was as quiet as a 76 at 390. I was amazed. To be honest, I was thinking, what are our guys whining about...until this comment about VG's.
Must be the VG's
Edit: just re-read my post and realized that last comment might have sounded jerkish. I've been on our 737's and they are loud. The VG's seem to work and they can't cost too much.
I remember my days as a 727 engineer, I'd get to the hotel and collapse in the bed, completely exhausted. Then, after getting checked out on the MD-88, I felt much better after a day of work. The noise alone causes a ton of fatigue.