UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

A friend sent me this picture of a jet smashing through the sound barrier. You can see cleraly the shock wave compressed into a cone through which the jet is emerging.

I am afraid that I do not know to which nation's air force the jet belongs.

NICE ! Shame the image isn't very clear, but that looks like the USAF (just under the pilot and wing you can nearly see the white stripes and star) Su-37 and can reach Mach 2+ in level flight, althou the wings look more like the F18 below, its real hard to say because they all look so much the same. No I'm not a plane spotter, about a week ago I was watching the history of the sound barrier and had downloaded some images of much the same:

F/A-18F Super Hornet


VFA-122


F-14


F-14A Tomcat


The tomcat, to me, looks the most impressive, even a little scary like something out of Independence Day. Very cool! More images HERE

Knight

I never expected to see images like this! Utterly amazing.

Now that you point it out I think I can see the star/stripes.

Here's another. This one, I know is a United States Navy Jet

Wow, I never knew you could actually see it, great pics!

Amarpal

Me neither. I have a very rudimentary understanding of the physics, but did not know that the shock wave was marked by moisture literally being squeexzed from the clear air to form a visible cone.

Oh, do you know how you would tell, if you were ever at a Navy Reception, if you were talking to a Harrier Pilot?

You wouldn't have to: he'd tell you! (told me by a Harrier Pilot in the Royal Navy)

Andrew

Yeah you can see the cloud of condensed vapour under most conditions, even a bunch of them all lined up, which can stay there for quite some time apparently given wind conditions. I've only heard the sonic boom once, deafening kinda cool thou... Also, the 'skin' of the plane when it lands is very hot to the touch after flying at those speeds ... so have to wear gloves if going near it ...

At the Jubilee they flew concorde from Edinburgh and over Glasgow. It passed over Inverclyde and at supersonic speed. Too cloudy to make out anything as spectacular as these pictures, but what a crack (I think this etter describes the sound than 'boom')

Shortly after that they stopped flying Concorde altogether. Probably better for the environment!

I guess the raised temperature is why they developed non-stick coverings, so that the air would just slip over the skin of the plane with minimum friction.

According to the Special Theory of Relativity, an aeroplane travelling at high speeds will be sorter than the same aeroplane at rest. (or is it longer, I never can remember)

Andrew

Take a look at this: A car that does 800 mph That is faster than the speed of sound!


Don't think they drive this one to the track, Gareth

Hehe the thought of boys and their toys comes to mind!! LOL!!

Really good pics though and we have all learnt loads as well! Even though i am a girl i am addicted to speed, hehe not the drugs kind obviously! LOL!!

Can you imagine travelling ON LAND at 800 mph? Incredible, and very scary, I guess.