The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has released ENCODE — the EASA Noise Compliance Demonstration Evaluator — a new tool designed to calculate noise levels and confidence intervals from noise testing data for light propeller-driven aeroplanes.
What ENCODE Does
ENCODE is a Microsoft Excel-based tool that processes data measured during noise tests conducted under Chapter 10 of ICAO Annex 16, Volume I. It validates each individual test run against environmental and performance limitations, then standardizes how the resulting noise levels are determined and reported.
Why EASA Built It
According to EASA, the tool is meant to:
- Harmonize noise reporting for light propeller-driven aeroplanes, as required under EASA’s Environmental Requirements
- Reduce the workload for applicants and noise experts carrying out compliance demonstrations
- Ensure a consistent methodology is applied across noise assessments industry-wide
Where to Find It
ENCODE and its accompanying User Guide are available on EASA’s website, under the “Light propeller-driven aeroplanes” section of the Environment domain (Technology / Aircraft Noise and Emissions Data).
The release is part of EASA’s broader environmental protection framework for general aviation, aimed at making noise compliance demonstrations more consistent and less burdensome for manufacturers and testing organizations alike.
Source: EASA Newsroom