Hi. I'd be grateful for any information/advice anyone can give me. We live in an older house in a flight path and are looking to replace our windows to aid in noise reduction. I have been doing some research and have a few questions. It looks as though the best measure of sound-blocking performance with regard to aircraft noice would be the OITC (as opposed to the STC). What is a significant (ie noticeable) difference in OITC (1, 5, 10?)? Is there a simple rule of thumb to how much of a decibel reduction is provided by a certain OITC? Finally, any idea what the OITC of old-school single pane aluminum frame windows would be? Thanks in advance. I'd also appreciate any comments from anyone who has dealt with similar issues.

Tube, thanks for the suggestion. I contacted a local glass place and they are making me 3 laminated glass storm panels that they will install in the next 2 weeks! I can't wait! Anyone know what type of reduction I might be able to notice in regards to traffic noises?

Thanks, judithn, annz, Fun2BHere, and nosoccermom, for all the suggestions. Ironically, it just occurred to my friend that she might become a victim of Sandy, in a way. If the owner needs cash (and all his children also live out on LI) to finance any repairs, he may decide to sell the unit, given that real estate in this area has really chirked up the past few months. (I have several neighbors here who really live in Breezy Point/Rockaway Beach and just come down for a few weeks in the winter, and very few of them have all the insurance they need to rebuild without massive out of pocket, so I can see this being a very possible, maybe even likely, scenario.) So she's just going to wait and see for the time being. Just a set of heavy blackout curtains on that wall for now, till she knows whether she's going to be able to stay more than a year.

Oberon, thank you for responding. I really appreciate your input. FYI - The Andersen rep and customer service both tell me that the thickness of their lites is proprietary information. Laminated windows are a strain on the budget with a price almost twice that of standard windows, but it appears that I have no choice if I want to reduce noise. Would a triple pane window, with EVEN panes, take the place or even come close to the noise reduction of a double pane anealed/laminated window? I am wondering if it is possible to make an educated guess as to the STC/OITC that I need. Here is my story: My house, built in early 1050s, is 200-300 feet from a local 4-lane highway. The hwy has a posted speed limit of 40 MPH (plenty of cars go 50 MPH) and has lights which slow traffic down. There are bushes between us, and a neighbor's house partially blocks the hwy side. My windows are the originals and they do a minimally acceptable job of blocking the traffic noise from my sensitive ears. Most of the windows are wood, double hung, single pane, covered by storm windows that are closed all year. The den, which is the most exposed room, has a wall of single pane casement windows in steel frames. Each sash is a steel frame/grill that divides the glass into individual rectangles of approx 10" x 12". The den casements are painted shut and covered by storm windows all year. In the winter, there is a draft coming through and they are often wet from condensation. As part of a major home renovation, I am replacing all the original windows with casements and would like to reduce the noise more. Can you take an educated guess as to a minimum STC/OITC rating that I should look for? I am considering Anderson 400 Series or A series casements, and using the laminated windows in the more sensitive rooms - den and master bedroom. I am leaning strongly toward the A Series for two reasons: 1) The STC/OITC ratings of the A Series standard IGU are 27/23 vs the 400 Series 26/22. The ratings of the A Series .060 lami is 33/29 vs the 400 Series 31/27. 2) I visited my neighbor’s house and stood in front of his standard 400 Series casements to get a “feel” for the noise reduction and, while I did not pick up individual car noise, there was a non-stop whirring sound. I visited a friend who lives further down the same highway to get a feel for his 400 Series casements. The same whirring sound. There was once a discussion in this forum about an increase of sound in windows with equal lites. See http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2586644/noisy-andersen-windows. I suspect that my friends are having exactly this problem. I am hoping that the A Series, with a different construction and a higher STC/OITC rating, will provide better noise reduction and no whirring. Oberon, other readers, please share your thoughts and experiences. Thank you.