Aerial noise measurement methods may be well suited to the determination of spatially averaged traffic noise exposure levels, and could possibly be used as a means of assessing the long‐term effectiveness of motor vehicle noise regulations. In this study two theoretical models are developed for some specific aerial measurement situations. Several characteristics of the models are examined. Limited experimental measurements agree well with theoretically predicted results; elevated measured noise levels are nearly proportional to the density of the traffic (in vehicles per unit area) on the city streets.