breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

#juan

#1Nov 29th, 2011

--

I would have thought the transonic buffeting might have caused injury but he was in a virtual vacuum
while he was supersonic. Still, it was quite a trick

Quote: Originally Posted by #juan

--

I would have thought the transonic buffeting might have caused injury but he was in a virtual vacuum
while he was supersonic. Still, it was quite a trick

Two things I find amazing are that this feat was achieved in 1960, and that this man went faster
than Chuck Yeager did in his rocket plane on his first supersonic flight, and he did it with no airplane.

Last edited by #juan; Nov 29th, 2011 at 09:59 AM..

karrie

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Nov 29th, 2011

That's incredible

#juan

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Nov 29th, 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

That's incredible

Back in the days when some used to think there was some sort of barrier that would prevent traveling

faster than the speed of sound in an airplane, Joe Kittinger did it without an airplane.

Niflmir

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Dec 12th, 2011

Well, we are travelling around the sun at roughly 100,000 km/hr. That's almost 90 times the speed of sound. Which you are travelling at. By sitting in front of your computer.

The point is actually a relativistic one. Hydrodynamics can actually be formulated as a metric theory, the important quantity is actually not the speed of sound at sea level but the local speed of sound. Of course, in a sufficiently rarified gas, sound does not exist.

#juan

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Dec 12th, 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by Niflmir

Well, we are travelling around the sun at roughly 100,000 km/hr. That's almost 90 times the speed of sound. Which you are travelling at. By sitting in front of your computer.

The point is actually a relativistic one. Hydrodynamics can actually be formulated as a metric theory, the important quantity is actually not the speed of sound at sea level but the local speed of sound. Of course, in a sufficiently rarified gas, sound does not exist.

Exactly. Back in the olden days the RCAF was flying Canadian built F-86s which could, fly faster than the speed of sound
in a shallow dive at about 20,000ft where the speed of sound was about a hundred MPH slower.

ironsides

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Dec 12th, 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by #juan

Exactly. Back in the olden days the RCAF was flying Canadian built F-86s which could, fly faster than the speed of sound
in a shallow dive at about 20,000ft where the speed of sound was about a hundred MPH slower.

It was an amazing feat, I remember when it happened, but do not think anyone made any comments about traveling faster than sound, just a record breaking parachute jump. Thanks for the memory boost.

gerryh

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Dec 12th, 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by #juan

Exactly. Back in the olden days the RCAF was flying Canadian built F-86s which could, fly faster than the speed of sound
in a shallow dive at about 20,000ft where the speed of sound was about a hundred MPH slower.

Except, the 86`s airframe wasn`t really designed to handle that stress.

Kreskin

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Dec 12th, 2011

Just before I jumped I said "Jesus Lord don't let me hit a goddam seagull". Aside from that it was a blast.

#juan

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Dec 12th, 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by gerryh

Except, the 86`s airframe wasn`t really designed to handle that stress.

The F-86 was the first really successful jet fighter out there. Canada alone built close to 2000 of them. We
even sold fifty of them to the USAF.

I don't think it was so much about it not designed to handle the stress as it was about the parasite drag of the
airframe itself.

#juan

#10

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by #juan

The F-86 was the first really successful jet fighter out there. Canada alone built close to 2000 of them. We
even sold fifty of them to the USAF.

I don't think it was so much about it not designed to handle the stress as it was about the parasite drag of the
airframe itself.

I've just read a book by Chuck Yeager about his supsonic exploits. Yeager's handlers gradually let him
increase the speed of his X-1 until he was supersonic. It was a big, anticlimax. The speed of sound
was no big deal, in fact, it was no deal at all except for the shock wave that resulted from supersonic
flight that could do damage to all sorts of things.

spaminator

#11

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

That's incredible

there are other ways of breaking the sound barrier without an airplane. eg. eat very spicey food, tell your boyfriend that you love him and or want to marry him, tell your husband that your mom is comming over for a visit and or is staying overnight/a few days, etc.

#juan

#12

Re: breaking the sound barrier without an airplane

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by #juan

--

I would have thought the transonic buffeting might have caused injury but he was in a virtual vacuum
while he was "supersonic". Still, it was quite a trick

Two things I find amazing are that this feat was achieved in 1960, and that this man went faster
than Chuck Yeager did in his rocket plane on his first supersonic flight, and he did it with no airplane.

He also did it in a rarified atmosphere where the local speed of sound was irrelevant.

Last edited by #juan; Jan 25th, 2012 at 02:16 PM..

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