Received via e-mail:
On rare occasion, just the right combination of conditions and events
and raw luck occur to create an unbelievable event - in this case an F-18
just passing through the sound barrier.
Not only were the water vapor, density and temperature just right,
but there just happened to be a camera tracking the plane with a shutter
speed adequate to capture the moment. The F-18 is actually passing into
transonic flight, with normal shock waves emanating from behind the
canopy and across the wings and fuselage. The condition lasts only a
fraction
of a second, and once supersonic flow exists completely around the
aircraft, sharp-angled sonic cones replace the normal shock waves.
The odds of getting a shot like this are staggering.
------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
On rare occasion, just the right combination of conditions and events
and raw luck occur to create an unbelievable event - in this case an F-18
just passing through the sound barrier.
Not only were the water vapor, density and temperature just right,
but there just happened to be a camera tracking the plane with a shutter
speed adequate to capture the moment. The F-18 is actually passing into
transonic flight, with normal shock waves emanating from behind the
canopy and across the wings and fuselage. The condition lasts only a
fraction
of a second, and once supersonic flow exists completely around the
aircraft, sharp-angled sonic cones replace the normal shock waves.
The odds of getting a shot like this are staggering.
------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
