Jet engines are known for their unique sounds, from the powerful roar of takeoff to the soothing hum of cruising altitude. For some, the distinct noise of different jet engines can evoke excitement and nostalgia. Whether it’s the distinctive buzz of an RB211 or the roar of a GE90 which sound resonates with you most? Let us know and share your thoughts!
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42 Responses
The OG JT9 on the 747. I loved the grinding fan noise as it took off.
I ❤️ all engine noise
Either the Avro Vulcan on takeoff, or the VC10 on finals
Going Back a bit, either the English Electric Lightning on takeoff or the Harrier in hover. Both awesome
Never thought much about different jet engine sounds but I loved the sound of the old Cessna 152 I used to fly.
I remember the screaming sound made by the Spey’s on the BAC 111.
The “moan” of the CF6 on a DC-10
The noise from the 4 Hercules engines!
The sweet droning of the Rolls Royce RB 211’ s Mounted on the L1011 TriStar with those smoky starts. Man I miss that beautiful bird!
The noise DC-10s used to make climbing out of Manchester Airport when I was a kid
The hawker hunter blue note
If fighter jet, I’d go with the F35s F-135 Turbofan. If airliner, I’d go with the classic GE90s
Rolls Royce Tay on a Fokker F-28. Militaire: Dutch or German F-104G, BAC Lightning, Tornado IDS, Alpha Jet.
GE-F-101. B-1B
Sorry to spoil the party but it is the wrong question: remove the word “jet” and the answer is “Merlin” . Nothing since Sir Frank Whittle comes close imho, and the added poignancy is the use to which those engines were put in the Battle of Britain and the liberation of Europe afterwards from the tyranny of Hitler and the Nazis. Thank God.
Can’t beat the raw sound of an IAE V2500 on a TOGA takeoff.
The “whine: of the engines from the DC-8-62, DC-8-63 (before the “CFM (?) conversions) and, I think also maybe the same engines on the C-141 Starlifter.
“Second place” would be the turbofan engines on the B-707-320.
maybe full power Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 turbofans on the a350-1000, or maybe a 787 dreamliner.
The roar of the A 380 when approaching landing & Take off!
F2s (Japanese F16s)
Original C-5A/B/C galaxy engines – TF39 by GE the proudest scream of man made aviation. As well as the Antonov AN-70, also having a distinct sound
I love the sound of the cessna 172 and also the cessna 210 especially in steady flight
I guess it’s not really engine noise, exactly, but it’s hard to beat the noise of Concorde’s four Olympus 593s, still in reheat, passing low overhead.
If Her Late Maj was chillaxing at Windsor of a weekday morning in the late 90s and Speedbird 001 took off from Heathrow 27L, it would be directed to pass South over Bracknell, where I worked.
It sounded like someone was trying to tear the sky in half.
The A380’s as it has a nice whirl to it!!!
The sound of their silence at 35,000 feet. Ahhhh
The RCAF Voodoo take off roll when the afterburners would kick in with a quick boom…boom. After that it was like the atmosphere being ripped apart.
The F-105 Thunderchief especially when on break for landing… gives me goose bumps even forty some years later. Or the sound of a KC-135R on the roll…heck, any jet aircraft on the roll.
The noise of the iconic HS-121 Trident 3B, the Rolls-Royce Spey 512
BAe 146, the Whispering Jet
The popping sound of the afterburners coming on. Lucky to fly on Concorde in its last year of service – so its the Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593.
The roar of DC-9-10 ( JT8D) on takeoff
The Pratt and Whitney JT3D engines on the 707. Such a classic sound especially idling..
Do I have to choose😢. F35s then. The humming at cruise of a pair of Trents is great, hearing all the fine machinery at work.
The day after a fly-in at a small airport in southern california (KSEE), I took a morning off work to watch the B-29 leave. Not a jet but just the first Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engine firing off made the ground shake. All four was deafening, and after it took off they brought it back around an did a low pass at speed over the runway. A “sold wall of sound” as it passed, with a graceful climbing right turn as they left. Will never forget the sight or sound.
a good old GE9X is hard to beat on the 777x😎
757!!
Rolls Royce Dart turboprop is my favourite.
Airliner jet engine favourite is the RR RB211 on a B747.
Military favourite has to be the Pegasus on a Harrier !
You can’t better the sound of the f104 starfighter.
Pratt & Whitney JT8D in the Boeing 727.
I love the sound of the C17 that fly over me
Tail fin DC 10
All sounds are enjoyable but I especially liked the sound of the General Electric engines that used to be part of the 747 fleet circa 2000. Not sure what type