A lot of people who live close to an air terminal are made quite angry by the airport noise they hear on a daily basis. In many of these cases, the airport was already in use when people moved into their neighborhood, but was not as busy. It is natural for airport noise to get louder and more distracting when the small commuter planes have turned into jumbo jets! Airport noise is caused not only by planes flying overhead, but by planes on the ground as well. The airplane's engine is almost as noisy when taxiing and taking off as it is when it is a few minutes away from landing. Studies have shown that airport noise is more than just highly annoying. It is also a health hazard that has proven to boost a person's blood pressure. Any loud noise will do this, but since airport noise is especially loud to those who live close by, it is all the more irritating to our nervous system. The decibel level of airport noise is higher than that of normal traffic noises, and if by chance your home is directly beneath a flight path, your health may be compromised.