Sonic Boom Basics Imagine you and your friends are at an air show. You've been waiting all day to catch a glimpse of the famous SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world. The announcer reports that it's now overhead--but you can't see it because it's flying so fast! After about a minute, you hear an enormous BOOM, louder than any thunder or fireworks you've ever heard! What do you think ...

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FORUM ON SONIC BOOM IMPACT RESEARCH For information on this full-scale schlieren image, click here, and then here. Objective: To exchange ideas and views on sonic-boom impact research, and to identify issues and topics of mutual interest to the participants. A series of talks and discussions organized by the faculty of the Dept. of Aerospace Engineering, University of ...

What is a Sonic Boom Sonic boom is an impulsive noise similar to thunder. It is caused by an object moving faster than sound, about 750 miles per hour at sea level. An aircraft traveling through the atmosphere continuously produces air-pressure waves similar to the water waves caused by a ship's bow. When the aircraft exceeds the speed of sound, these pressure waves combine and form shock waves ...