Sonic booms

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
MoDoug

MoDoug

Minister of Fire
Feb 3, 2018
583
NE Missouri
Sonic booms were fairly common when I was a child, nowadays they're pretty regulated, but we live in an area where fighter jets are tested or being delivered to air force bases. We usually hear about 15 or so a year, and they always catch you off guard and scare the begeebees out of you, not to mention they rattle the house. We had one earlier this week, I had ear muffs on and running my chainsaw and I stihl heard and felt it. Found this article later that day, I would be willing to bet this was the jet that broke the sound barrier. (broken link removed to https://news.yahoo.com/boeing-f-15ex-jet-makes-215526322.html)

Anyone else still hearing sonic booms?
 
I used to be stationed at Fort Bragg and every year the marines came to conduct artillery training, for an entire week. Nonstop building shakes for everyone within a few miles of the training areas!
 
I'm on an Outer Banks forum. There are frequently "did you hear that?" and "what was that?" Thought to be offshore sonic booms from Langley.
 
A couple years ago, I went out to get the rv ready for an upcoming trip, at the precise moment I flipped the furnace on to test it, a sonic boom hit. Those things ALWAYS startle you, but I had to pause for a moment to verify I was still alive on that one, I thought the propane went off. My wife even came out to make sure everything was ok. The timing couldn't have been any better! LOL
 
Actually hear them quite frequently here in Madison. We have an air force field attached to our airport called Traux Field that hosts a squadron of fighter jets, and they do monthly drills. Sometimes during the day, sometimes late evening till 10 pm. I live on the west side of Madison and hear them but I used to live on the east side much closer to the airport and I've heard sonic booms numerous times.
 
I hear them every great once in a while. Not too far NW of me is Whiteman air force base where they house b2 stealth bombers and i see them pretty often albeit way up. I'm not sure if they keep a-10 wharthog's there or not but I see them all the time. I think because of the sparsely populated area and the large conservation area that i live next too they use this area for their test flights maybe. Those a-10s are captivating when they come flying at about 200 ft above the tree tops. They fly so close and low over my place that at times i can see the pilots silhouette in the cockpit. When I'm out in the yard as they fly by i will wave like a kid lol.....hoping they will acknowledge me with a tip of the wing or maybe a burst of 30 mm bullets into the forest lol. Nothing yet though.

Also at night at least once a week i will see a convoy of army choppers coming or going to fort Leonard Wood. I cant figure why they always travel at night though unless it's for practice. I will be in the house and hear them coming for miles.
 
I on the fringe of a couple of Military Operations Areas (MOAs) in northern NH and Northwestern Maine. Its used for low altitude training by units from Vermont and Mass. They are supposed to stay sub sonic and it pretty rare to hear of a sonic boom
 
Check out the wikipedia article on sonic booms. Interesting. A bullwhip is a sonic boom, as is also the crack of a bullet.
 
I used to hear them all the time when I was a kid. Military jets flying low and always in pairs.
 
My dad used to produce them in the 60s and 70s - over the North Sea though. In an F-104.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom