News & Articles Facts About Flying Fears Unknown Noises - What are They? Many people are frightened of the noises they hear during flight because they don't know where they are coming from and why. All sorts of scary images can flash in the mind when something is unknown. The brain then compensates for unknown facts and fills in the spaces with memories of things we do know and remember. These could be memories of a scary film or TV program, stories passed on by others or from related books and news articles. Noises Explained! Most plane noises can be easily explained. They can come from many sources: -
Vibrations and whirring sounds during the retraction of the landing gears. -
Slamming sounds from the loose articles in the galley during take off. -
Power reduction engine noise after airborne to comply with the noise abatement procedures in certain airports. -
The air-conditioning noise may change to cater for the cooling or heating needs. -
The Tik, Tik, Tik sound you may hear five minutes prior to landing, from the operation of the landing flaps. All these noises are normal and are nothing to worry about. Any abnormal noise would be picked up by the Flight Attendants and they would in turn notify the Captain. If you sat near to the engines, the noise level is usually higher than elsewhere. Planes do rattle a little because of vibrations on loose articles in the galley or luggage not properly secured. In turbulences, the wing tips do flex a little and they are designed to do so to absorb the vibrations. During the development stages of the Boeing 777, the wings only broke down after it was stressed and bent about 24 feet at the tips in the test rig! During a trial in the development stages of the Boeing 747, the wings were stressed and bent as much as 22 feet before it gave way! The total weight of the airplane does not play any major part in the noise of the airplane, except during take off, more power is required and that may contribute to the noise level. In addition to the noise from the vibrations, you can also hear some reduction of noise if you are sitting near the engines when the power is reduced slightly as the airplane enters turbulence. Rest assured that, although turbulences are scary to some, being shaken a little is normal for air travel. You only need to be concerned when you are not fastened to you seat belts during turbulences or when you did not properly secure your luggage at the overhead bins! As a child you may have loved flying because you were not influenced or affected by the media on air accidents and terrorism. You became anxious as an adult because everyday brings news of stepped-up airline and airport security and occasionally, an air accident somewhere in the world. | Fear of Flying Help Noises Sounds from Aircraft If you have never travelled on an aircraft before, the sound clips below will give you an insight into some of the noises you may hear during your flight. Click on the wave images
to hear the sounds! | Pre-Take Off |  | Winter Ice Removal Announcement |  | Electronics Switch-Off Announcement |  | On Board Safety Announcement | | Take Off |  | Engine Warm Up
& Take Off |  | Take Off &
Landing Gear Up | | During Flight |  | Low Level
Cabin Noise |  | Seatbelt & Food Announcement | | Pre-Landing |  | Gatwick Approach Announcement | | Landing |  | Landing Gear & Landing |  | Landing & Runway Taxi Messages | | After Landing |  | After Landing Announcement | Click here for other fear of flying help
noises caused by weather |
