Sonic Boom over Napa?

[Plane Nuts]

I was outside about 3:25 PM today, heard what sounded like a sonic boom, then could hear a jet. Looked around hazy skies, to the west saw contrails heading NNW. Anyone else? Last boomer I heard was many years ago at Reno when an F-16 oopsed.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

I didn't hear a thing. I'm usually outside as well. Its been a long time since I've heard a sonic boom, to be exact, the last time was Oct 9, 1999 at Edwards, and it was a double sonic boom. Sadly that was the last time anyone heard one like it. It happened to be the last flight of NASA #844 aka 17980




I remember as a kid listening to the double sonic booms of the SR71s flying out of Beale headed north after refueling after take off.

Will

[V1670]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

ahhh...kindred spirits. I was @ Reno when the '16 "oopsed" and I did a 5 yr stretch in Yuba City and used to here the occasional "boom" from the Beale departees. Any speculation on what made those Napa booms?

[N22252]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

Any speculation on what made those Napa booms?

Mr. Whiteside setting another record?

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

I didn't hear a thing. I'm usually outside as well. Its been a long time since I've heard a sonic boom, to be exact, the last time was Oct 9, 1999 at Edwards, and it was a double sonic boom. Sadly that was the last time anyone heard one like it.

Will

The Space Shuttle produced such a "boom-boom" audible over portions of the west coast during re-entries all the way up to retirement. Dunno how it compared to the Blackbird's dual shockwaves though.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

The Space Shuttle produced such a "boom-boom" audible over portions of the west coast during re-entries all the way up to retirement. Dunno how it compared to the Blackbird's dual shockwaves though.

Good point. I've never lived anywhere near the recovery track for the Space shuttle so I can't say I've heard it. I'd guess the two sound similar however. I grew up in Modoc County, so when the SR71s would fly a northerly route, they would exit Beale, swing east over the Sierras, over Susanville where they would begin refuling, and then up toward Alturas where they would start their acceleration and climb to where ever they were going. When we moved to Alturas in '86 we heard them for the first time. The dishes would rattle and it drove my mother crazy. She thought someone was blowing things up. In late '89 suddenly the sonic booms stopped. Shortly there after I heard on the news that the SR71 program had ended. I put two and two together and came to the conclusion that it was the SR71s that were rattling the windows. After doing some research, I found a map of the flight tracks that put them right over Modoc county.

Will

[Bob]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

Maybe the sounds you heard were from the super secret mini shuttle that isnt being flown and dosnt exist..... There has been one in orbit for a while now. So just like the shuttle when it landed at Edwards, it made a nice sonic boom for norcal peoples to hear, maybe this mini shuttle re-entering is what you heard?.

[Leo]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

Last double one I heard was a couple days after 9/11. The two alert fighters took off out of Travis (I lived in Vacaville at the time), roared over our house at burner gaining altitude and went supersonic about 5 miles away over the Vaca Mountains.
Sound of Freedom!

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

Mr. Whiteside setting another record?

[Plane Nuts]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

Checked the local newspaper website, no boom reported. Used to live in Mendocino county late 70's NW of Beal, heard lots of booms. My parents took us to air shows in the 50's, I remember the Blue Angels sonic booms. I have programs from the air shows, newspaper clippings on complaints of broken windows from booms. If I can find them I will post them.

[Leo]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

When I was real little we lived slightly off of the extended centerline of Ontario airport. Northrop and Lockheed were there and we got boomed regularly. I remember several times having the big front window replaced!
They also had a GE test stand out there so we could constantly hear the jet engines being tested.
My first real airshow memory was of a Thunderbird F-100 literally knocking me over passing over the crowd (or dam close to it) supersonic.
Don't remember where it was though.

[IcePaq]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

I formed my first sentence because of a sonic boom.

My sister and I were at the playground about 100 yards from our house in Lemoore in the 1960s and a particularily loud sonic boom scared my sister into running home crying with me running behind.

Mom saw me chasing my little sister and her crying which caused her expression to go from concern to "ok, what did you do?".

I quickly said "feffer fraid to dee sonic boom" (translated: jennifer was scared by the sonic boom)........to explain the reason for her crying.

I got a hug from a proud mom.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

On a related topic, both Lockheed and Boeing in association with NASA are working on business-size jets with very low sonic boom signatures.

Artist's renders of the designs tell me they are reducing ground impact of the booms partially via an approximately flat-bottomed airframe and a VERY long, pointy nose that I assumes pushes the air out of the way more gently than shorter, more rounded noses or radomes, resulting in a weaker primary shockwave. The straight profile on the bottom should result in most of the shockwave energy going up and to the sides. See for yourself via the link below I provided.


Perhaps someday, during our lifetimes, we will once again get the pleasure of hearing sonic booms, even if they be modern, wimpy ones...



Here's a site with images of these low-boom aircraft, and more: http://www.uasvision.com/2012/04/04/...-without-boom/

[IcePaq]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

The only reason to go supersonic with business jets that I can see would be in the cases of extremely long flights where the shorter total trip time would not require a second crew because of regulations.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Sonic Boom over Napa?

The only reason to go supersonic with business jets that I can see would be in the cases of extremely long flights where the shorter total trip time would not require a second crew because of regulations.

I don't know about that. NY to London in an hour and 55 minutes could be pretty nice. Or SF to Tokyo in a little over 4 hours would make travelers a whole lot more happy.

Will