... excessive noise from takeoff and from sonic booms that occurred when the plane would break the sound barrier. It also meant keeping flights over water in order to not terrify people...
Not so much that sonic booms scared people. It was one of the many sounds of freedom. What P.O’ed people was when sonic booms from lower flying aircraft broke windows in homes, which they frequently did.
People living near old cold war SAC bases also used to complain when those big multi engine propeller pusher engined B36’s used to shake houses to their foundation from the subsonic shock wave from those mighty engines when they flew overhead even at altitude.
I remember seeing those Convair B-36’s flying when I was a 3 year old kid in San Diego in the late 1950’s. Quite the sight!