Aircraft noise can make passengers feel irritable. The sound of planes taking off and landing has a major impact on airports and the people who live near them. The noise level of an aircraft has important bearings on its comfort, environmental impact and market competitiveness.
Xu Kangle, a researcher at Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute, the research center for the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, has been working hard to tackle the problem of aircraft noise.
Xu majored in noise engineering and has been focused on keeping noise levels as low as possible for the C919 aircraft.
Becoming a noise engineer requires strong mathematics and physics skills, as well as specialized knowledge.
“The first task that I did was write code for the related programs of the external noise of aircraft. I came across some difficulties and I read a lot of technical documents and literature. I learned from overseas experts and solved the problems,” he says.
Research, development and the manufacture of the C919 involves the hard work of many staff, including Ma Sai, chief inspector for production at Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co Ltd, the assembly center for COMAC.
Born in the 1960s, he has been working at the manufacturing site for more than 30 years. The thing he feels most uncomfortable with is sitting in his office. He prefers to be on site, helping to solve problems.
“I think the key to solving problems is that the director has to be at the site every day. Only that way can we help deal with issues and ensure production tasks are finished in accordance with the plan,” Ma says.