Loading Page...

Could you hear the sonic boom on the Concorde?

People inside the plane didn't hear a thing. In fact, the transition to supersonic flight was so unimpressive that they decided to install a “mach meter” inside the passenger cabin so that people would know then they passed the speed of sound.



Contrary to popular belief, passengers inside the Concorde could not hear the sonic boom as the aircraft broke the sound barrier (Mach 1). Because the plane was traveling faster than the sound waves it produced, the "boom" was left entirely in its wake, trailing behind the aircraft on the ground. Inside the cabin, the transition to supersonic flight was remarkably smooth. The only way passengers knew they had crossed the threshold was by watching the digital Mach Meter on the cabin bulkhead, which would tick up from Mach 0.99 to Mach 1.00. While they didn't hear a boom, passengers did experience a slight "shove" in their seats during the transition, and the sound of the engines would actually become quieter at supersonic speeds because the noise was being "left behind." To people on the ground, however, the Concorde produced a thunderous "double-bang" that eventually led to it being restricted to supersonic flight only over open oceans.

People Also Ask

Fifty years ago, the federal government banned all civilian supersonic flights over land. The rule prohibits non-military aircraft from flying faster than sound so their resulting sonic booms won't startle the public below or concern them about potential property damage.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Afterburning was added to Concorde for take-off to cope with weight increases that came after the initial design. It was also used to accelerate through the high-drag transonic speed range, not because the extra thrust was required, but because it was available and improved the operating economics.

MORE DETAILS

Air France Flight 4590 was the Concord's only fatal accident in its 31-year history (no other commercial aircraft has matched that record). At the time, with a record of zero accidents per km traveled before the accident, the Concorde qualified as the safest airliner in the world.

MORE DETAILS

Concorde is sadly no longer flying, but it is still possible to visit some of the remaining 18 airframes, there are others not open to the public but you can still see them.

MORE DETAILS

Such speed didn't come cheap, though: A transatlantic flight required the high-maintenance aircraft to gulp jet fuel at the rate of one ton per seat, and the average round-trip price was $12,000.

MORE DETAILS

Concorde used the most powerful pure jet engines flying commercially. The Aircraft's four engines took advantage of what is known as 'reheat' technology, adding fuel to the final stage of the engine, which produced the extra power required for take-off and the transition to supersonic flight.

MORE DETAILS

NOVA: What did a passenger feel on takeoff? Calvert: Even on the smoothest runway Concorde vibrated a lot on takeoff. If you sat in the way back of the cabin while the plane was taking off you could see that the entire 150-foot cabin was whipping up and down in the fishing-rod motion I described.

MORE DETAILS