Aircraft maintenance often requires high power engine runs.High power engine runs, which are typically as loud as a takeoff and have a much longer duration,are often performed at night when communities near airports are particularly sensitive to noise. As communities near airports grow larger and more sensitive to airport noise, ground runup noise has become a major source of noise complaints.
Ground runup noise is one example of airport noise that can easily be controlled.Unlike noise generated by departing or approaching aircraft, ground runup noise can be contained thanks to the development of sophisticated GREs. APS pioneered this noise mitigation technology in the 1970's. A GRE allows airports, airlines and aircraft maintenance companies to appease the local community without compromising the integrity of the engine test or delaying the return of the aircraft to revenue generating service.
The technology developed by APS consists of a noise protection walls combined with a jet blast deflector. The deflector is positioned immediately behind the aircraft and safely redirects the exhasut gas flow upwards at angles of 40° - 70°, which enables the noise protection wall to be installed directly behind the deflector. The noise protection wall should be installed as close as possible to the source of the noise (engines) in order to achieve maximum results. The height of the noise wall depends on the acoustic performance required. Facilities with 20m walls have been supplied.
In addition to designing GREs, APS also supplies and installs these facilities. Our team of experienced technicians and project managers personally oversee each installation in order to provide the client with timely deliveries and a successful project. APS has been the leading European supplier of GRE technology and continues to implement new designs for today's challenging applications.
The APS range of GREs includes simple one-sided facilities designed to protect a limited area from runup noise up to complex circular facilities that provide noise protection to a very wide area. The configuration of each project is customized depending on the following factors:
- acoustic performance required - usability required (engine runups can be affected by winds depending on the facility configuration) - available space - line of sight & obstacle-free restrictions - project budget - aircraft mix
