Supersonic Flight

      Chuck Yeager, that name sounds familiar doesn't it? Yeager was the first man to break the sound barrier in flight. Flying the Bell X-1 on October 14, 1947 after several .99 Mach runs Yeager made history by breaking the speed of sound.
      But why was the sound barrier such a difficult speed to reach? The barrier is actually a phenomenon called "Compressibility."
As the plane travels at higher speeds a pressure wave begins to form. At nearly the speed of sound air cannot escape the pressure being created. Once any part of the plane reaches the speed of sound, shock waves are formed!
      Since Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947 the technology has dramatically improved we have unmanned planes capable of traveling Mach 15. And manned planes that travel at Mach 3 and Mach 4.
      The Concorde became the first supersonic jetliner despite much controversy. It continues to fly today. The thrill of a flight on Concorde is well worth the large price tag.

       The SR-71 Blackbird which was retired by the US Air Force in 1990 cruises at just above Mach 3 in excess of 2,193 mph. A trip from Los Angeles to London which could take you more than 16 hours of flight time on a regular jetliner but would take you less than four hours in the Blackbird. But after nearly 25 years of faithful service the Air Force the SR-71 was retired.