I'll bet he has some tales to tell, but probably can't.
Sonic Boom
- Thread starter Mjark
- Start date
Felt it here at 1515.
B O O M
Rattled the winnderz!
B O O M
Rattled the winnderz!
DesmoDog
Tele-Afflicted
I recall hearing them back in the '60s as a kid, but can only recall two somewhat recently.
The place I was working for had rented a workshop in podunk California. It was in a little strip mall type building, We were there one night when I heard/felt a truck run into the building. Went outside to see the carnage but there was nothing there. A day or two later the Air Force fessed up. Oops, sorry...
But the best one was, the Blue Angels were doing a show over Lake Michigan. We were out on a boat watching it, listening to the commentray on the radio. At one point the announcer said the pilot was going to fly over at some speed to which I said "no he isn't, that's supersonic". Can't have sonic booms over land and we weren't THAT far off shore after all.
Holy crap was I wrong. The boom came as quite a shock, no pun intended.
But the creepiest sound I heard, aircraft-wise, was during a pre-race event. They had four Apache helicopters do a low level fly over. Hearing them approach from behind was disconcerting to say the least. The booms were startling and then a giggle. The helicopters were more of a "we need to get the fook out of here" situation...
The place I was working for had rented a workshop in podunk California. It was in a little strip mall type building, We were there one night when I heard/felt a truck run into the building. Went outside to see the carnage but there was nothing there. A day or two later the Air Force fessed up. Oops, sorry...
But the best one was, the Blue Angels were doing a show over Lake Michigan. We were out on a boat watching it, listening to the commentray on the radio. At one point the announcer said the pilot was going to fly over at some speed to which I said "no he isn't, that's supersonic". Can't have sonic booms over land and we weren't THAT far off shore after all.
Holy crap was I wrong. The boom came as quite a shock, no pun intended.
But the creepiest sound I heard, aircraft-wise, was during a pre-race event. They had four Apache helicopters do a low level fly over. Hearing them approach from behind was disconcerting to say the least. The booms were startling and then a giggle. The helicopters were more of a "we need to get the fook out of here" situation...
raysachs
Friend of Leo's
I grew up in a town with an Air Force base on the edge of it. Sonic booms were pretty close to a daily occurrence there. I always noticed them, but when they happen that often, you don’t think about them or remember them a couple minutes after they happen. Haven’t heard one in many years now, though - would probably scare the crap out of me if I did. They’re LOUD!
-Ray
-Ray
Pops_Caster
Tele-Meister
They were quite common on our farm when I was a child (booms, not crashes), usually several times per month. I recall the windows rattling like crazy. I'd run outside to catch a glimpse of the jet. Good times for kids.
We live maybe 5 minutes from the Virginia Avenue gate, and definitely heard and felt it. I was enlisted for 22 years and was an electrician warfare systems technician (T-33’s and F-101s at Tyndall) in my first job (73-77) in the USAF. I was stationed at Andrews 84 to 88, computer programmer then.
billy logan
Tele-Afflicted
When I was in maybe the 7th grade I was walking home in the dark after a seeing a movie. Lost in thought. A sonic boom surprised me and I fell right down on the ground. No shock wave that I was aware of.
Up until 2018 I worked at Andrews for eight years as a private contractor to the ANG HQ on the Navy side of the flightline. Really nice base. KILLER golf course. Hip Hop Chicken (outside the Virginia Ave gate across 5) was a frequent lunch go-to.
Sparky2
Poster Extraordinaire
Prayers to the families of those lost in that Cessna Citation.
So sad.
That aside, I'm a big fan of sonic booms, and loud noises in general.
I recall one particularly noisy time around 43 years ago.
My Air Cavalry Troop from Fort Hood had deployed to McGregor Range near Fort Bliss, Texas.
We were living in some primitive barracks, and we had a week or two of some interesting training in store out there. I was a young warrant officer, and barely 20 years old.
I don’t remember all that much about the flight training, but I do remember having the living hell scared out of me when I was walking back to the barracks from the aircraft parking area, and some ADA dudes lit off a Nike Hercules missile out onto the range there. (They were on the other side of a revetment a hundred meters away, and I didn't hear any warnings or count-downs.)
It was like the earth opened up in a fiery storm of thunder and lightning.
It was LOUD.
So sad.
That aside, I'm a big fan of sonic booms, and loud noises in general.
I recall one particularly noisy time around 43 years ago.
My Air Cavalry Troop from Fort Hood had deployed to McGregor Range near Fort Bliss, Texas.
We were living in some primitive barracks, and we had a week or two of some interesting training in store out there. I was a young warrant officer, and barely 20 years old.
I don’t remember all that much about the flight training, but I do remember having the living hell scared out of me when I was walking back to the barracks from the aircraft parking area, and some ADA dudes lit off a Nike Hercules missile out onto the range there. (They were on the other side of a revetment a hundred meters away, and I didn't hear any warnings or count-downs.)
It was like the earth opened up in a fiery storm of thunder and lightning.
It was LOUD.
Knows3Chords
Friend of Leo's
Prayers to the families of those lost in that Cessna Citation.
So sad.
That aside, I'm a big fan of sonic booms, and loud noises in general.
I recall one particularly noisy time around 43 years ago.
My Air Cavalry Troop from Fort Hood had deployed to McGregor Range near Fort Bliss, Texas.
We were living in some primitive barracks, and we had a week or two of some interesting training in store out there. I was a young warrant officer, and barely 20 years old.
I don’t remember all that much about the flight training, but I do remember having the living hell scared out of me when I was walking back to the barracks from the aircraft parking area, and some ADA dudes lit off a Nike Hercules missile out onto the range there. (They were on the other side of a revetment a hundred meters away, and I didn't hear any warnings or count-downs.)
It was like the earth opened up in a fiery storm of thunder and lightning.
It was LOUD.
This book
Is an excellent source of all information about the NIKE system
carvingcode
TDPRI Member
It looks like a lot of us grew up with sonic booms. Living not far from Wright-Patt Air Force base, we heard them often. Rattled the windows and scared the goldfish.
ficelles
Tele-Afflicted
Brian Shul's book Sled Driver is online somewhere (hardcopies are v expensive).
I think that will be the case. The sonic boom was from the military jets hauling ass to catch up to the threat.... that must have been quite the intense experience for a bit.
At the altitude that business jets fly, it doesn't take long to knock everyone on board out if anything to do with the pressurization process fails. The autopilots on newer aircraft can keep the aircraft aloft until it runs out of fuel. Some can even land by themselves. Apparently, not the one that crashed though.
Knows3Chords
Friend of Leo's
I thought these type of aircraft had some kind of alarm system that would give the pilot a small window of opportunity to get an oxygen mask on. I think one of the first stages of hypoxia is confusion. Could be the reason the pilot did not land at his original destination and just turned back to their take off point. Just guessing here.
Me trying to play drums is the big daddy of sonic booms.
Please...Think of the children!
Because it circled back blew through Nottingham VOR and vectored directly into DC area restricted airspace.
