This synthesis study is intended to inform airport operators, stakeholders, and policy makers of updated information about aviation noise effects. In the decades since FAA Report No. FAA-EE-85-2 "Aviation Noise Effects" was first published in 1985 much has changed in the understanding of this complex issue. Increased air travel, new and quieter aircraft, increased awareness of land use planning and aviation noise, and mitigation of previously incompatible land uses are just a few of the changes. Knowledge of the effects of aviation noise has also changed. The greatest increases in knowledge have come in the areas of health effects, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and potential effects on children's learning abilities in schools.