Jump to content

Supersonic speed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by E23~enwiki (talk | contribs) at 21:55, 7 May 2004 (+sv). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:Stamp-us-first-supersonic-flight-1947.jpg

Any speed over the speed of sound, which is 1,225 km/h at sea level, is said to be supersonic. Many modern fighter aircraft are supersonic. The Concorde was a supersonic passenger aircraft, but, since its final retirement flight on November 26th 2003, there is no supersonic passenger aircraft in service. Speeds greater than 5 times the speed of sound are sometimes referred to as hypersonic.

Charles Elwood Yeager was the first man to break the sound barrier on October 14 1947, flying the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of 45,000 feet.

Hans Guido Mutke claimed to have broken the sound barrier before Yeager, on April 9 1945 in a Messerschmitt Me 262. However, this claim is disputed by most experts and lacks a scientific foundation.

See also