Subjects selected from airport neighborhoods judged the acceptability of noise produced by actual aircraft flyovers and by recorded flyover signals on both a relative and absolute (category) basis. Judgments were compared with the maximum perceived‐noise level occurring during the flyovers. For a given perceived‐noise level, little difference between ratings of takeoff and approach noise or live and recorded noise signals was observed. In the relative‐judgment tests, a larger change in perceived‐noise levels (16 PNdB) was required for a doubling, or halving, of the acceptability rating than the 10 PNdB originally assumed in developing the perceived‐noise‐level scale. In making category judgments of noise acceptability, a distinct shift between outdoor and indoor judgments occurred. Comparison with previous judgments of aircraft noise, employing different category scales, suggests relatively good agreement as to the noise levels at which a significant degree of dissatisfaction with the noise environment is expressed.