Can a passenger jet break the sound barrier?

Although Concorde and the Tu-144 were the first aircraft to carry commercial passengers at supersonic speeds, they were not the first or only commercial airliners to break the sound barrier.

Could a 747 break the sound barrier?

Key. While aircraft are put through extreme testing during their certification, these are never intended to be actually faced. The 747-100, for instance, was tested up to Mach 0.99, almost breaking the sound barrier. Other 747s, such as Air Force One, have approached the sound barrier but never crossed it.

What would happen if a plane broke the sound barrier?

If the object has sufficient acceleration, it can burst through this barrier of sound waves and move ahead of the radiated sound. The change in pressure as the object outruns all the pressure and sound waves in front of it is heard on the ground as an explosion, or sonic boom.

Can a business jet break the sound barrier?

Broke the sound barrier in test flights

The aircraft, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 chase plane, repeatedly achieved speeds in excess of Mach 1.015, a key step in enabling a maximum Mach operating speed (MMO) of M0.

Can airplanes go 700 mph?

Airplanes travel at speeds ranging anywhere from just over 100 mph up to nearly 2,200 mph. Personal aircraft typically travel between 120 - 200 mph; commercial airplanes fly between 500 - 700 mph, and military aircraft can travel at speeds around 1,200 - 2,200 mph.

Breaking the Sound Barrier Without a Plane | Earth Lab

Can commercial planes fly at Mach 1?

No aircraft company would build a jet designed to cruise right at Mach 1. In the transonic speed range (from roughly the high Mach 0.8s to around 1.1), there are many areas of mixed subsonic and supersonic air flow over the airframe, and following the localized supersonic flow there are shock waves.

What do pilots hear when they break the sound barrier?

These days, we have supersonic jets – airplanes that can travel faster than the speed of sound itself! Now, you might already know that when a plane, or in fact anything, travels faster than the speed of sound (i.e., breaks the sound barrier), a loud boom is heard, which is commonly known as a sonic boom.

Why do we not hear sonic booms anymore?

Why don't we ever hear sonic booms any more? Noise abatement regulations halted supersonic flight (by civil aircraft) over U.S. land. The Concorde could still take off and land here because it broke the sound barrier over the ocean, but it's no longer in service.

How loud is a bullet breaking the sound barrier?

For one, to keep a bullet from breaking the sound barrier – 1,100 feet per second at sea level – requires several trade-offs at higher calibers. According to the solicitation, subsonic bullets “experience significant accuracy problems due to excessive deviations in velocity.”

Can a 747 reach Mach 1?

Tom Cole, a spokesman at Boeing Commercial Airplane Co., said original flight tests of 747s conducted in 1969 and 1970 took 747-100 models to speeds of Mach 0.99. In addition, Boeing knows one case in which a 747 operated by Evergreen International made an emergency descent at speeds that exceeded Mach 1, he said.

Do Rockets break the sound barrier?

The Falcon 9 first stage only broke the sound barrier once as it decelerated; double sonic booms were generated because shock waves formed at both the vehicle's nose and tail.

How loud is a silenced gun?

Live tests by independent reviewers of numerous commercially available suppressors find that even low-power, unsuppressed . 22 LR handguns produce gunshots over 160 decibels. A recent study of various suppressors reported peak sound pressure level reductions between 17 dB and 24 dB.

Do bullets expire?

Ammunition doesn't “expire” per se, but the gunpowder looses potency over time. The largest risk to shooting old ammunition isn't a failure to fire, it's the risk that you will actually fire the shot and it doesn't have enough momentum to make it out the barrel.

Can a pellet gun break the sound barrier?

In conclusion, it is possible to break the sound barrier with an airgun. If you are just looking to try it out and see if your airgun can hit that speed, it can be a fun way to play around. Keep in mind that you will lose one of the main benefits of an airgun: they are quiet!

Can you legally break the sound barrier?

It's against the law. Within the United States, it is illegal to break the sound barrier. The Federal Aviation Administration regulations are quite clear: "No person may operate a civil aircraft in the United States at a true flight Mach number greater than 1" except in certain, very limited conditions.

Is Thunder a sonic boom?

Keep in mind these shock waves are produced when the intense heat of lightning superheats air, causing it to expand faster than the speed of sound. Thunder is essentially a sonic 'boom'.

Why is supersonic flight illegal?

In the 1950s and '60s, Americans filed some 40,000 claims against the Air Force, whose supersonic jets were making a ruckus over land. Then in 1973, the FAA banned overland supersonic commercial flights because of sonic booms—a prohibition that remains in effect today.

Can a human reach Mach 1?

The Austrian parachutist known as "Fearless Felix" reached 843.6 mph, according to the official numbers released Monday. That's equivalent to Mach 1.25, or 1.25 times the speed of sound.

Does a jet pilot hear the sonic boom?

If you're WONDERing about how pilots handle sonic booms, they actually don't hear them. They can see the pressure waves around the plane, but people on board the airplane can't hear the sonic boom. Like the wake of a ship, the boom carpet unrolls behind the airplane.

Can Sonic the Hedgehog break the sound barrier?

As his name implies, he reaches sonic speeds, meaning that he can travel as fast as a soundwave through Earth's atmosphere: roughly 767 miles (1,235 kilometers) per hour, depending on air temperature. He also becomes "Super Sonic," so it's safe to assume he exceeds the speed of sound as well. That's incredibly fast!

Can you fly a 747 upside down?

The scene, a Hollywood masterpiece of special effects, has people asking can an airliner fly upside down. The answer is yes for a “little” bit! Unlike military fighters, commercial planes do not have the engine power for sustained inverted flight and rely on lift from the wings.

Are there any supersonic passenger jets?

A supersonic transport (SST) or a supersonic airliner is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see regular service have been Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144.

Can a Boeing 787 break the sound barrier?

"Fair winds and following seas" ‒ a Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner reached a thrilling speed of 801 mph while flying over the United States. While this ground speed seemingly leaves behind the speed of sound (767 mph), the jetliner did not, in fact, magically turn supersonic.

How loud is a Glock?

As you can see from the infographic below, a 9mm pistol typically produces around 160 decibels.