Is supersonic flight smooth?
Is supersonic flight smooth? “Climbing to 60,000 feet was incredibly smooth. There was no turbulence. We knew we were flying supersonically, but our bodies didn't give us any signs.” In aircraft designed to fly supersonically, there are no sudden changes that indicate speed is changing.
Why is supersonic banned?
Fifty years ago, the federal government banned all civilian supersonic flights over land. The rule prohibits non-military aircraft from flying faster than sound so their resulting sonic booms won't startle the public below or concern them about potential property damage.
Do supersonic planes feel turbulence?
Expect smooth sailing In supersonic aircraft, passengers who drift off to sleep might be surprised to wake up and learn they're traveling at Mach 1.7. Imagine flying on Overture at 60,000 feet above the earth, experiencing zero turbulence.
Why is supersonic so loud?
As an aircraft flies at supersonic speeds it is continually generating shock waves, dropping sonic boom along its flight path, similar to someone dropping objects from a moving vehicle.
What is a downside to supersonic air travel?
However, supersonic flights under certain circumstances have many disadvantages. The noise produced by sonic boom is annoying and sometimes harmful for the people on the ground. Because of the high per-passenger takeoff weight it is difficult for supersonic aircrafts to obtain an efficient fuel fraction.
Can a plane drop during turbulence?
Turbulence, associated with thunderstorms, can be extremely hazardous, having the potential to cause overstressing of the aircraft or loss of control. Thunderstorm vertical currents may be strong enough to displace an aircraft up or down vertically as much as 2000 to 6000 feet.
Does turbulence ever scare pilots?
Turbulence is a sudden and sometimes violent shift in airflow. Those irregular motions in the atmosphere create air currents that can cause passengers on an airplane to experience annoying bumps during a flight, or it can be severe enough to throw an airplane out of control. (The pilots) aren't scared at all.