The noise goal of the Silent Aircraft Initiative, a collaborative effort between the University of Cambridge andnMassachusetts Institute of Technology, demanded an airframe design with noise as a prime design variable and andesign philosophy that cut acrossmultiple disciplines. This paper discusses a novel designmethodology synthesizingnfirst-principles analysis and high-fidelity simulations, and it presents the conceptual design of an aircraft with ancalculated noise level of 62 dBA at the airport perimeter. This is near the background noise in a well-populated area,nmaking the aircraft imperceptible to the human ear on takeoff and landing. The all-lifting airframe of the conceptualnaircraft design also has the potential for improved fuel efficiency, as compared with existing commercial aircraft. Ankey enabling technology in this conceptual design is the aerodynamic shaping of the airframe centerbody. Designnrequirements and challenges are identified, and the resulting aerodynamic design is discussed in depth. The papernconcludes with suggestions for continued research on enabling technologies for quiet commercial aircraft.
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