Loudest Noise that You Have Ever Heard
 

At 59 yrs my hearing is slowly but surely failing. I have tinnitus and hearing loss. I have never listened to loud music but have worked using power tools, compressors, jackhammers and the usual electric tools since I was a kid and I am not surprised with my condition.

The loudest noise that I have been exposed to happened many years ago. We had a job at JFK airport working on the Int'l Arrivals Building back in the late '80's early '90's. I would make deliveries for the shop to the jobsite and had to enter the tarmac under escort from the PA police. They would escort us on service roads through the airport and had to cross runways to get to the terminal.

One day I arrived at the airport about 1:00pm. The Concorde was fully operating back then and had a scheduled departure time of 1 pm. We got to a runway crossing and there it was awaiting to take off....the loudest thing I have ever heard in my life, the SST.

Oh my GOD!!!! Upon take off the sound was beyond deafening, every molecule in my body was vibrating that I thought I would explode. It literally made me sick it was so loud. The PA cop had on a headset and all I could do was cover my ears with my hands. It was truly deafening, so much so I lost temporarily lost some hearing and it felt like I was getting brain zaps. Horrible experience.

How about you?

Vince Neil opening for Van Halen in the 7th row at Merriweather in 1992 or 1993. Ears rung for 2 days.

2nd was a band that opened for the White Stripes, they only had a bass guitar and drums, no guitar. It was so loud my eyes shook.

I've been to some car races and get earplugs and can take a few minutes without, but those shows stand out.

What?

We were cleaning out a building that I moved my biz into , and found a stash of train horns. I said, " lets push some air through it with a blow gun and see what it sounds like "

I was in a bar/club with a live band about 2' from the speakers. That was too loud. I knew it was too loud and wanted to move, but I was with a large group. I'm pretty sure the bulk of the tinnitis that I have today is from that night.

Some power tool stuff that I've dealt with has been piercing despite covering your ears. I started wearing my shooting ear muffs when I worked with power tools in the garage.

Guns are pretty loud too.

I saw the shuttle launch once. I know it's REALLY loud, but I was about 11-12 miles away, so it was mostly just a low rumble from my vantage point.

ive been next to top fuel dragsters at full song.

Many years ago there was a large airshow at Brown Field just south of San Diego and they had a SST that was giving 1 hour rides out to sea and back again. I remember seeing it take off and when it was about even with the edge of the Pacific Ocean it went to full power which the sound was, as you said huge. It seemed to go on for 5 minutes or so until it disappeared. That was a long and loud sound.

A short and tremendously loud sound was a US Navy A5 Vigilante doing a flight deck level full speed (1300 + knots) fly by for an air show when I was on the CVA(N) 65. The sonic boom and shock wave actually made some flight deck viewers fall over! I was in the #1 engine room and the machinery actually shook!

Did you see this one today? I bet :25 is pretty loud.

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Super modified pulling tractor with 4 supercharged 600 ci Rodeck big blocks, screaming for about 30 seconds at 10,000 RPMs, and standing near the sidelines.

Standing behind the bleach box when 2 funny cars launched. Shook me right to the quick, you can feel the concussion in your chest.

MK38 Naval Gun Fire Control system 16", 50 caliber guns from inside turret 1. Sounded like Thor hit the side of the ship with his hammer. It was the first time the guns were fired in over 30 years. Wasn't sure if it was a normal sound or something went wrong. Then I saw guys cheering and realized all was well. Except for my ears. We only had on sound-powered phones, which is basically nothing. Then later, we'd go topside with hearing protection to watch from Spot 3. It was surreal. The sound was deafening. And the blast was amazing.

My wife, when I brought home my 62 Mercury without telling her...

1981 while stationed at Alconbury RAF, UK, I was working in the phase dock about mid-runway when the SR-71 Blackbird took off. It was late at night and dead quiet before he hit those afterburners. It rattled the hanger like an earthquake.

1982 Joan Jett live at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara. Ears rang for days.

Space Shuttle launch. Even from ~3 miles away, my shirt sleeves were vibrating from the sound.

Also, when I worked for McDonnell Douglas a long time ago, a pilot in an F4 Phantom decided to do a low pass over our facility. I literally thought the world was coming to an end. At least I knew the Shuttle was launching!!

Top Fuel dragster. It sucks the air out of your chest.

Explosions Rock Texas Chemical Plant, Killing 3 - NYTimes.com
I was there that day. Bunch of people had eardrums burst from the shock wave.

+1 Those F4's where heavy and loud. I worked in a F4C Phantom squadron for two years. When they shipped out and the F5E's moved in it felt quiet as a library.

One rocket next to the hooch ..

Steam blow-off valve at Southern Company power plant. Access at all times to double hearing protection was required while working on the roof(plugs and muffs), and you had to immeadiately evacuate the roof when it went--regardless of distance from the valve. Sounded like a jet in a tunnel.