Sound Barrier - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

DaveOrion · 02-21-2007, 12:32 PM

These are actual photos of aircraft breaking the sound barrier. This phenomena only happens at the instant an aircraft breaks the sound barrier and it literally appears like the aircraft goes through a wall. A naval veteran of 12 years, Gay, 38, manages a crew of eight assigned to take intelligence photographs from the high-tech belly of an F-14 Tomcat, the fastest fighter in the U.S. Navy. In July, Gay had been part of a Joint Task Force Exercise as the Constellation made its way to Japan.
Gay selected his Nikon 90 S, one of the five 35 mm cameras he owns. He set his 80-300 mm zoom lens on 300 mm, set his shutter speed at 1/1000 of a second with an aperture setting of F5.6. "I put it on full manual, focus and exposure," Gay said. "I tell young photographers who are into automatic everything, you aren't going to get that shot on auto.
The plane is too fast. The camera can't keep up."
At sea level a plane must exceed 741 mph to break the sound barrier, or the speed at which sound travels. The change in pressure as the plane outruns all of the pressure and sound waves in front of it is heard on the ground as an explosion or sonic boom. The pressure change condenses the water in the air as the jet passes these waves. Altitude, wind speed, humidity, the shape and trajectory of the plane - all of these affect the breaking of this barrier. The slightest drag or atmospheric pull on the plane shatters the vapor oval like fireworks as the plane passes through, he said everything on July 7 was perfect. "You see! this vapor flicker around the plane that gets bigger and bigger. You get this loud boom, and it's instantaneous. The vapor cloud is there, and then it's not there. It's the coolest thing you have ever seen."

BadNick · 02-21-2007, 01:37 PM

awesome pics ...very unique, at least I've not seen pics like that before, though I can understand the phenomenon since I took a few too many fluid mechanics and aerodynamics courses in engineering school - ahhh, the mammaries.

MSD · 02-22-2007, 01:52 PM

desal75 · 02-22-2007, 02:54 PM

Maybe the coolest pictures of all time.

BadNick · 02-23-2007, 07:31 AM

wow, very cool again.

I'll have to find the pic of when my car did that

02-21-2007, 12:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
DaveOrion Playing With Fire Location: Disaster Area	Sound Barrier These are actual photos of aircraft breaking the sound barrier. This phenomena only happens at the instant an aircraft breaks the sound barrier and it literally appears like the aircraft goes through a wall. A naval veteran of 12 years, Gay, 38, manages a crew of eight assigned to take intelligence photographs from the high-tech belly of an F-14 Tomcat, the fastest fighter in the U.S. Navy. In July, Gay had been part of a Joint Task Force Exercise as the Constellation made its way to Japan. Gay selected his Nikon 90 S, one of the five 35 mm cameras he owns. He set his 80-300 mm zoom lens on 300 mm, set his shutter speed at 1/1000 of a second with an aperture setting of F5.6. "I put it on full manual, focus and exposure," Gay said. "I tell young photographers who are into automatic everything, you aren't going to get that shot on auto. The plane is too fast. The camera can't keep up." At sea level a plane must exceed 741 mph to break the sound barrier, or the speed at which sound travels. The change in pressure as the plane outruns all of the pressure and sound waves in front of it is heard on the ground as an explosion or sonic boom. The pressure change condenses the water in the air as the jet passes these waves. Altitude, wind speed, humidity, the shape and trajectory of the plane - all of these affect the breaking of this barrier. The slightest drag or atmospheric pull on the plane shatters the vapor oval like fireworks as the plane passes through, he said everything on July 7 was perfect. "You see! this vapor flicker around the plane that gets bigger and bigger. You get this loud boom, and it's instantaneous. The vapor cloud is there, and then it's not there. It's the coolest thing you have ever seen." __________________ *Syriana*...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer...

02-22-2007, 02:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
desal75 Psycho Location: Western New York	Maybe the coolest pictures of all time. __________________ The Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.

02-21-2007, 01:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	awesome pics ...very unique, at least I've not seen pics like that before, though I can understand the phenomenon since I took a few too many fluid mechanics and aerodynamics courses in engineering school - ahhh, the mammaries.

02-22-2007, 01:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT

02-23-2007, 07:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	wow, very cool again. I'll have to find the pic of when my car did that