How loud are those F-35s really? We’re starting to get some numbers
Lucas Robinson | Wisconsin State Journal, Jun 20, 2023
A few excerpts:
With F-35 jets at Truax now a firm reality — the first of 20 arrived in April — those who fought the decision to station the jets with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing have turned their attention to measuring and monitoring how much noise the jets are really making.
But the military and activists don’t even agree on numbers.
Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin, which fought vociferously against the military’s decision to move F-35s to Madison, has installed noise monitors near Truax.
On June 1, Safe Skies had a reading of 116 decibels from a jet overhead at the intersection of North Fair Oaks and Home avenues, just south of East Washington Avenue.
The F-16s typically had peak decibel readings in the low 100s, said Steve Klafka, an environmental engineer and member of Safe Skies Clean Water.
“I think the physical observation is they’re definitely louder but also it’s a bigger sound,” Klafka said. “It’s definitely more obnoxious.”