Researchers investigate how people respond to air taxi noise

New kinds of aircraft could bring unfamiliar sounds overhead, and where people hear them appears to matter. The agency studied air taxis — aircraft intended to carry people short distances for personal travel or medical treatment — to learn how communities might respond to those sounds.

From late August through September 2025, 359 participants in the Los Angeles, New York City and Dallas–Fort Worth areas took part in the Varied Advanced Air Mobility Noise and Geographic Area Response Difference (VANGARD) test. Researchers played 67 unique simulated aircraft sounds, including industry concept designs owned by the agency, and withheld manufacturer names and images to avoid bias.

Most people listened from home on their own devices and provided zip codes so locations could be sorted into high and low background noise levels; a control group of 20 people listened in person at Langley in June using tablets and headphones with fixed audio settings and responded similarly.

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