A modern aircraft such as the Airbus A380 flies at a cruising speed of about 900 km/h. In the air, the answer is no and yes . When an aircraft exceeds 1236 kmh, it “breaks” the sound barrier and creates a sonic boom that sets dogs howling and annoys folks below.
Can a 747 break the sound barrier?
No. The Boeing 747 was not designed for supersonic flight , though during testing, it was pushed quite close to the sonic speed: Tom Cole, a spokesman at Boeing Commercial Airplane Co., said original flight tests of 747s conducted in 1969 and 1970 took 747-100 models to speeds of Mach 0.99.
Do passenger planes break the sound barrier?
Contrary to what you might imagine, a plane causes a sonic boom not just once, when it breaks the sound barrier, but continuously for the entire time that it's supersonic. The boom sweeps over everything below it—a kind of sonic broom that is about a mile wide for every thousand feet of plane altitude.
How many Mach does it take to break the sound barrier?
Baumgartner landed in eastern New Mexico after jumping from a world record 128,100 feet (39,045 m), or 24.26 miles, and broke the sound barrier as he traveled at speeds up to 833.9 mph (1342 km/h, or Mach 1.26 ).
Can the A380 fly supersonic?
A modern aircraft such as the Airbus A380 flies at a cruising speed of about 900 km/h. In the air, the answer is no and yes . When an aircraft exceeds 1236 kmh, it “breaks” the sound barrier and creates a sonic boom that sets dogs howling and annoys folks below.
Why is it illegal to break the sound barrier?
It's against the law. Within the United States, it is illegal to break the sound barrier. ... When you pass Mach 1 , the plane travels faster than the waves itself and that move across the so-called sound barrier produces a large sound, which is the sonic boom.
Can a 737 break the sound barrier?
Commercial aircraft ordinarily can't break the sound barrier , because they're not designed to handle the sudden increase in drag and other aerodynamic effects associated with those speeds.
Who broke Mach 3?
USAF Captain Milburn G. Apt became the first man to exceed Mach 3 while flying the Bell X-2 on September 27, 1956. Unfortunately the aircraft went out of control after making history and he was killed.
Who broke Mach 4?
| Chuck Yeager | Service/branch United States Army United States Air Force | Years of service 1941–1947 (Army) 1947–1975 (Air Force) | Rank Brigadier general | Battles/wars World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
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Has a car broken the sound barrier?
Thrust SSC holds the world land speed record, set on 15 October 1997, and driven by Andy Green, when it achieved a speed of 1,228 km/h (763 mph) and became the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier.
How much does it cost to fuel a A380?
In addition to demanding airport modifications for its huge passenger load and million-pound bulk, economics demand that it be flown full to pay its enormous hourly costs. These have been estimated at between $26,000 and $29,000 per hour, using roughly $17,467 of fuel , or approximately $40.19 to $44.82 per mile.
What is the cruising speed of an A380?
A380-800 is the first true double-deck passenger airliner for the long-range market, while the A380-800F cargo version is to be the first commercial freighter with three full cargo decks. Maximum cruising speed Mach 0.88 and can reach FL350 in 28 minutes as initial cruise altitude.
Do pilots hear the sonic boom?
If you're WONDERing about how pilots handle sonic booms, they actually don't hear them . They can see the pressure waves around the plane, but people on board the airplane can't hear the sonic boom. Like the wake of a ship, the boom carpet unrolls behind the airplane.
Why are sonic booms illegal?
Sonic booms due to large supersonic aircraft can be particularly loud and startling, tend to awaken people, and may cause minor damage to some structures. They led to prohibition of routine supersonic flight over land .
What is the fastest jet in the world?
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest jet aircraft in the world, reaching speeds of Mach 3.3–that's more than 3,500 kph (2,100 mph) and almost four times as fast as the average cruising speed of a commercial airliner.
