Why is sonic boom illegal?

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.
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Why is sonic boom prohibited?

Sonic booms due to large supersonic aircraft can be particularly loud and startling, tend to awaken people, and may cause minor damage to some structures. This led to the prohibition of routine supersonic flight overland.
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Why is supersonic flight banned in the USA?

There's no challenge in going supersonic over land. It's just not allowed because of the sonic boom it creates. That's why NASA and Lockheed Martin have partnered to create a new type of aircraft, designed to reduce the noise level of the sonic boom.
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Why is a sonic boom bad?

Sonic booms can shatter glass, but there is generally little risk for people on the ground. “Buildings in good repair should suffer no damage by pressures of less than 16 pounds per square foot,” the Air Force states. “And, typically, community exposure to sonic boom is below two pounds per square foot.”
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What would happen if a sonic boom hit you?

The good news is that in almost all instances in which sonic booms are normally heard, the sound or overpressure created—around one to two pounds—is too weak to cause physical injury to people. At two to five pounds of overpressure, some damage to structures may occur, according to NASA.
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Why are sonic booms illegal?

Do pilots hear the sonic boom?

If you're WONDERing about how pilots handle sonic booms, they actually don't hear them. They can see the pressure waves around the plane, but people on board the airplane can't hear the sonic boom. Like the wake of a ship, the boom carpet unrolls behind the airplane.
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Why don't we hear sonic booms anymore?

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.
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When was the last sonic boom in America?

In 2021, an F-16 jet corrected course while flying over central Illinois, creating a large sonic boom as it broke the sound barrier. The sound shook neighborhoods in Illinois and Oregon, where residents said they feared an earthquake had struck.
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Can sonic boom make you deaf?

Acoustic trauma happens when a person is exposed to a very loud noise that is louder than 140 dB, such as an explosion or sonic boom. This may result in hearing loss that is irreversible as well as permanent ear damage.
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Can a sonic boom shake your house?

And, typically, community exposure to sonic boom is below two pounds per square foot. Ground motion resulting from sonic boom is rare and is well below structural damage thresholds accepted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and other agencies.
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Why is Concorde illegal?

The US government cut federal funding for the Boeing 2707, its supersonic transport programme, in 1971; Boeing did not complete its two 2707 prototypes. The US, India, and Malaysia all ruled out Concorde supersonic flights over the noise concern, although some of these restrictions were later relaxed.
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Are sonic booms allowed over land?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets regulations relating to United States airspace. Current rules prohibit commercial airplanes from flying at supersonic speeds over land because of the noise levels associated with sonic booms and the negative impacts to humans and animals.
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When did sonic booms stop?

In 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration banned supersonic commercial flights over land because of sonic booms — a prohibition that remains in effect today.
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Can sonic boom be eliminated?

Sonic booms are just the shock wave produced by a body flying faster than sound. It can't be eliminated but it can be reduced to some degree.
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How fast is Mach 10?

The final flight of the small X-43A research aircraft is targeted to sustain a speed of up to Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound (about 7,000 mph), powered by a revolutionary airframe-integrated supersonic-combustion ramjet or 'scramjet' engine.
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Do bullets create a sonic boom?

Most bullets make small sonic booms when flying through the air, which to our ears sound like a loud, distinct “crack!” For the Pentagon's special forces, that makes it hard to be sneaky about what they're shooting.
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Can a sonic boom hurt you?

Sonic booms produced by aircraft flying supersonic at altitudes of less than 100 feet, creating between 20 and 144 pounds overpressure, have been experienced by humans without injury. Damage to eardrums can be expected when overpres- sures reach 720 pounds.
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What would a sonic boom do to a human?

The effects of sonic booms on humans are reviewed. The most important effects are the development of startle responses, disturbance of ongoing activities, interference with sleep and annoyance. The information available on the occurrence of these effects is reviewed with special emphasis on dose-response relationships.
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Why is sonic boom so loud?

A sonic boom doesn't just tap you on the shoulder; it roars in your ear. Why? It's because numerous pressure waves merge to form a single shock wave. This N wave boom travels faster than sound and has the energy range to disturb the air molecules, resulting in a loud, impulsive noise similar to a cracking sound.
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How far away can a sonic boom be heard?

How far can a sonic boom be heard? It can be heard around one mile for every 1,000 feet of altitude. So an aircraft flying supersonic at 30,000 feet will spread a lateral boom about 30 miles. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc.
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Can you feel a sonic boom on the ground?

Most sonic booms aren't felt on land (most supersonic training flights are out over the ocean). Atmospheric events are difficult to detect with seismographs because they usually transfer very little seismic energy into the ground.
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Is supersonic flight illegal?

Currently, all civil aircraft flights are prohibited from operating above Mach one speeds over land in the United States.
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How fast is sonic boom in mph?

A sonic boom is the loud noise that results when something breaks the sound barrier. You break the barrier by traveling faster than the speed of sound, which is 768 mph at sea level.
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Why did Concorde stop flying?

Why was the Concorde retired? The Concorde's retirement was due to a number of factors. The supersonic aircraft was noisy and extremely expensive to operate, which restricted flight availability. The operating costs required fare pricing that was prohibitively high for many consumers.
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