It's the sound of freedom...

[HAL Pilot]

In a hummer, you can approach the speed of smell. It's when the combined rotational velocity of the props and the forward speed of the plane approach stuporsonic.

So if you were able to exceed the speed of smell, you could fart and not worry about the stink?

 

[KBayDog]

So if you were able to exceed the speed of smell, you could fart and not worry about the stink?

 

[NavAir42]

So if you were able to exceed the speed of smell, you could fart and not worry about the stink?

Only if you were to fart outside the plane. Smell is still governed by relativity.

 

[Alpha_Echo_606]

Holy crap, he's gone plaid!

 

[Sapper!]

man this thread is awesome! I got a kick out of reading the comments from the original article linked to Drudge, before the Navy did the press realease. They kind of left me thinking about how far removed people are from where were were 15-20 years ago. About that time you'd probably still be able to hear the occasional -71 rumble and at that point I'm sure plenty of people knew what it was (and freaking loved it I might add). I"m a youngin but still, I've read the stories about the -71 breaking glass for miles and miles, knocking down a grain tower even and killing a worker, and being able to hear the boom from coast to coast on the record setting runs before it was mothballed.

So what do you guys think of the FAA lifting the sonic boom ban? I mean it would be a way to "edumacate" people at the air shows right? Sounds like a good a time as any!

 

[KBayDog]

So what do you guys think of the FAA lifting the sonic boom ban? I mean it would be a way to "edumacate" people at the air shows right? Sounds like a good a time as any!

As someone who routinely had to autorotate from the troposphere above I-15 to get down to NKX's pattern altitude flew Miramar's noise abatement-driven helicopter course rules:

 

[BusyBee604]

Wow, KBay has unmasked the proverbial myth 'the light at the end of the tunnel' being an oncoming train. Nothing to fear, it always backs down...
BzB

 

[blackbart22]

An instructor at Kingsville would tell NROTC middies that came down for orientation flights, that the Cougar could go faster than the speed of sound and approach the speed of heat. During their flight, he would pour the coal to the old bird and as he was talking, slowly turn the volume down on the hot mike until it was off. Then he'd increase the heat until the cockpit was like an oven. He'd then pull the power back, bring up the A/C and while still talking bring the volume of the hot mike back up. I always pictured those meed sheeps back home telling their physics prof how they'd gone faster than the speed of sound and even approached the speed of heat.