Is it illegal to break the sound barrier over the US?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets regulations relating to United States airspace. Current rules prohibit commercial airplanes from flying at supersonic speeds over land because of the noise levels associated with sonic booms and the negative impacts to humans and animals. Short answer, No.



People Also Ask

In 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration banned supersonic commercial flights over land because of sonic booms — a prohibition that remains in effect today.

MORE DETAILS

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets regulations relating to United States airspace. Current rules prohibit commercial airplanes from flying at supersonic speeds over land because of the noise levels associated with sonic booms and the negative impacts to humans and animals.

MORE DETAILS

Currently, U.S. law prohibits flight in excess of Mach 1 over land unless specifically authorized by the FAA for purposes stated in the regulations. The two supersonic rulemaking activities would not rescind the prohibition of flight in excess of Mach 1 over land.

MORE DETAILS

What does Mach 1 mean? A Mach number is the ratio of an object's speed in a given medium to the speed of sound in that medium. Mach 1, then, is the speed of sound, around 761 mph at sea level on a standard day. The term is also used as a metaphor for high speeds more generally.

MORE DETAILS

And the jet pilots don't feel a sonic boom from the cockpit, just as passengers on a boat don't feel the effects of the wake behind them, she added.

MORE DETAILS

Spike Aerospace, founded in 2013 Max Kachoria of NASA, built an 18-passenger supersonic jet with low-sonic boom, fuel efficiency, speeds up to 1,100 mph, and flight times slashed in half. Their current model is the S-512 which can get passengers to cities in a moment's notice: NYC to London: 3 hours.

MORE DETAILS

The F/A-18 can reach speeds just under Mach 2, almost twice the speed of sound or about 1,400 mph.

MORE DETAILS