Does a sonic boom follow the plane?

As an aircraft flies at supersonic speeds it is continually generating shock waves, dropping sonic boom along its flight path, similar to someone dropping objects from a moving vehicle. From the perspective of the aircraft, the boom appears to be swept backwards as it travels away from the aircraft.



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A sonic boom is the noise created by an aircraft or some other object when it surpasses the speed of sound. Typically clocking in at 110 decibels, sonic booms are indeed about as loud as thunder or an explosion.

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No - a sonic boom is a cone-shaped compression wave that spreads out and backwards from the nose and other forward-facing surfaces of a supersonic plane. People inside the plane didn't hear a thing.

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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.

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In the early 1970s, the Anti-Concorde Project and opposition led to banning of commercial supersonic transport in Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and West Germany. This meant that Concorde routes were restricted, making it even more infamous among airlines.

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The North American X-15 may be the fastest plane in the world, with speeds at 4,520 mph and Mach 5.93. It's an experimental aircraft used and powered by NASA and USAF.

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