5 Things Louder Than an F-35

Boise can not seem to agree on the possibility of F-35 fighter jets coming to Gowen Field, mostly because of the noise.

But are they really that loud?

Look, I'm not here to tell you whether or not these planes should be taking off or landing in Boise. Honestly, I'm not near smart enough to know what kind of positive or negative impact these machines could have on our community. Everyone on both sides is mad about it, so I'm staying out of that argument.

So, how loud are these jets? You'll hear everything from "IT'S LIKE A GUN GOING OFF!" to "It ain't that loud, it's just the sound of freedom!". Exciting, but not exactly a factual answer. Depending on who you ask, an F-35 fighter jet's engine can register as high as 121 decibels, or as low as 79db. Let's assume the answer is somewhere in the middle.

121 + 79 ÷ 2 = 100db. We'll say for the sake of argument an F-35 is 100db loud. Here's five things that are louder than an F-35:

High School Dance - 105db

Bass pounding. Kids screaming. Pretty loud, right? The average high school dance is slightly louder than an F-35, and can get as loud as 105db.

Chainsaw - 115db

Chopping down a tree with power can get pretty noisy. These things ain't no toys, as you'll notice any pro with a chainsaw is usually donning noise-reducing ear buds.

Symphony - 129db

The soothing sounds of a professional symphony can actually get really loud. Don't believe me? Watch Jurassic Park with surround sound on, and crank that sucker when they see their first dinosaur.

Stock Car Race

No surprise here. These events are loud. If you've ever sat front row at a Nascar race, you know that for the next few days your ears are anything but normal.

Gun Shot - 140db

I've been out shooting a whopping total of one times, and there's no way I would've gotten through it without ear buds. Even the smallest firearms are startlingly loud.

So, maybe that gives us a little perspective on how loud F-35s really are. Don't worry, nothing is louder than the sound of people feverishly typing away on social media about how mad they are on the planes coming and/or not coming to Boise.