Supersonic Speeds facts

While investigating facts about Supersonic Speeds And Shock Waves and Supersonic Speed Stick, I found out little known, but curios details like:

A crew on a plane once fought off a hijacker using techniques such as inverting the plane and flying at near-supersonic speed

how fast is the supersonic speeds?

In 1994 a FedEx flight crew fought off a potential hijacker who was also a FedEx employee trying to commit suicide. They inverted their plane pinning him to the roof, and they almost flied at supersonic speed.

What does supersonic speeds mean?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering supersonic speed meaning. Here are 24 of the best facts about Supersonic Speed Meaning and Supersonic Speeds Speed Limit I managed to collect.

what happens if you eject at supersonic speeds?

1. Exactly 53 years ago today, the USA used a drugged black bear named "Yogi" to test the first fighter pilot ejection seat at supersonic speeds.

2. In an act of rare serendipity, the longest eclipse to occur in several hundred years coincided with the development of the supersonic Concorde. So naturally, astronomers chartered the plane to "[chase] the eclipse across the Earth at twice the speed of sound."

3. The XF-84H "Thunderscreech", an experimental propeller aircraft whose rotors moved at supersonic speeds and created continuous sonic booms visible from hundreds of yards away which were powerful enough to cause severe nausea, headaches, and even knock people to the ground.

4. In 1962, a bear named Yogi became the first living creature to be ejected from a jet at supersonic speeds

5. A helicopter's classic beating sound is actually a series of mini sonic booms created by the tips of the rotor blades travelling at supersonic speeds.

6. The Concorde was 300mm longer at supersonic speeds than it was on the ground

7. Brian Udell had to eject travelling at supersonic speeds and survived such force of the air on his body that it tore his helmet off and broke every blood vessel in his head and face.

8. The United States had plans for a nuclear-powered missile that could stay aloft for months at a time, until ordered to "dash" to a target at supersonic speeds. The missile would carry multiple nuclear warheads and even fly around contaminating an area with radiation after all ordnance was gone.

9. This supersonic laser makes it possible to observe the chemical reactions that happen at these rates of speed.

10. In 1963 a B-58 Hustler crew set a world record by flying at supersonic speeds from Tokyo to London in 8 hours 35 minutes. One of the B-58 crews was later recruited to fly the SR-71, and set a new record flying an SR-71 over a distance of 15,000 miles in 10 hours 30 minutes.

Why are there no supersonic passenger jets?

You can easily fact check why were supersonic jets discontinued by examining the linked well-known sources.

Supersonic speed is Mach 1 (around 768 miles per hour at sea level), while hypersonic speed is Mach 5. The Mach number is ratio of the aircraft speed to the speed of sound.

Years before the SR-71, and even before the AQM-60, Kelly Johnson designed a hypersonic test drone that exceeded mach 4. The X-7 prototype was made of steel and boosted to supersonic speeds, where a ramjet would take over. The first of its 131 test flights was in 1951. - source

There are cruise missiles that balance range and defense evasion by flying at subsonic speeds and engaging in a supersonic "sprint" as they approach their target - source

Years before the SR-71 existed, the B-58 bomber set no less than 19 world speed records. The "Hustler" was capable of mach 2.... and still holds the record for longest supersonic flight, 8024 miles. The Mig-25 Foxbat actually began development immediately after the B-58 was revealed.

In 2012, The National Archives published schematics and details of a 1950s military venture, named Project 1794, to build a supersonic flying saucer. Declassified materials show the saucer was to reach top speed of between Mach3-to-4, a 100K+ foot ceiling and a maximum range ~1K nautical miles. - source

When was supersonic speeds invented?

At supersonic speeds, Concorde's fuselage heated & expanded by as much as 300mm, including a gap that opened on the flight deck between the engineer's console and bulkhead. During last flights, crew eternalized the moment by placing their caps in this gap, locking the cap when it shrank again.

How to fly supersonic speeds?

The first known supersonic object is crunchy food, which breaks at a speed of ~300m/s.

Brian Udell, a pilot who ejected at supersonic speed, rupturing his blood vessels, nearly losing his legs, and dislocating his elbow. He survived, but his weapon system officer didn't.

The Stanley Aviation Company and U.S. Airforce tested a fully enclosed ejection capsule at supersonic speeds with a drugged up black bear in it named Yogi because the conditions were too hostile to test on humans.

The Concorde, a joint project of the French and British governments, was the worlds first large scale SST (Supersonic Transport) aircraft. The Concorde had a cruising speed of 1,350 mph at 60,000 ft and could travel from London to New York in less than 4 hours.

On this day (September 26) in 1973, Concorde (“The Rocket”) made its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time. The French model of the supersonic airliner flew from Washington, D.C. to Orly airport in Paris in three hours 32 minutes, at an average speed of 954 mph.