Post by Michigan Swamp Buck on Feb 15, 2016 5:56:17 GMT -6
The thing I remember about the sonic booms I heard as a kid in the 70s was that the jets were completely silent until you heard the sonic boom, after that you could hear the engines. In this case, all we heard was the boom and no engines. Both of us were inside the house at the time, and if the jets were way up in the atmosphere, we probably wouldn't have heard them unless we were outside.
However, the sonic boom was way louder than what I remember indicating to me they were flying much lower. If people noticed the jets just before hearing the sonic boom, they were probably flying pretty low to be noticed. The one report claims the low temperatures would amplify the sonic boom from a great distance, but wouldn't those conditions amplify the jet engines as well? Someone who witnessed the jets might be able to add some details to confirm a sonic boom.
ETA: At least one of the reports described the boom as a rumbling that shook the house they were in. That sounds more like jets passing low overhead at sub sonic speeds.
However, the sonic boom was way louder than what I remember indicating to me they were flying much lower. If people noticed the jets just before hearing the sonic boom, they were probably flying pretty low to be noticed. The one report claims the low temperatures would amplify the sonic boom from a great distance, but wouldn't those conditions amplify the jet engines as well? Someone who witnessed the jets might be able to add some details to confirm a sonic boom.
ETA: At least one of the reports described the boom as a rumbling that shook the house they were in. That sounds more like jets passing low overhead at sub sonic speeds.