a system and method for determining a characteristic of a noise source . a first array of microphones is mounted on a platform moveable from a starting position to an ending position along a line parallel to a central axis of the noise source . a second array of microphones includes sound sensors mounted in a spaced apart fixed position with respect to the noise source . a processing system processes first information from the first array of microphones and second information from the second array of microphones . the processing system collects and stores the first and second information at each discrete step of the first array , spatially filters the first information , processes and calibrates the filtered first information based on the second information , and further processes the calibrated first information to obtain a characteristic at a selected location . for flyover testing , the first array is instead held in a fixed position .