Did anyone just see the new episode featuring the Blue Angels? It was great. I was very surprized that the sonic booms can'treally break glass.

I'm not convinced...

The episode hasn't aired here yet, but there's been lots of reports of lots of broken windows, after the wall's been broken.

5 passes, 200 feet...

Then the only thing to break is a single pane of glass from flexing too much. Odd, but it was still pretty entertaining.

Hagar wrote on Jun 11^th, 2009 at 1:31pm:


You beat me to it Hagar. Although I have not seem the a for mentioned episode, I would have thought that a big factor in whether glass breaks is how it is mounted. In modern plastic window frames, the glass is able to vibrate and to a certain extent move. In the old steel frame and putty windows a pain of glass was very limited in it's ability to move. Also, as Mythbusters is a California based series, I would bet that the wall used to hold the glass was wood. Again a flexible material. Bricks and concrete and a metal frame with putty (old English way) would give another result I would have thought. However I am looking forward to seeing this episode.

Matt

Edit Just seem a brief preview on youtube, as I thought, all wooden frames, and as for the car, mounted in rubber.

Yeah me the pain in the ..Butt

I haven't seen that episode but when this was a free country we Bough twenty ones F-16, I was in 6 grade ,the whole country were celebrating  that as a party ,the country have few issues with another one a neighbour country a very long time ago
  ,the airplanes where pilot By Americans Pilots ,they pass too close and very fast there was a Building with Business in the lower floor when One of those F-16 pass we just hear an explosion Louder than the engines, similar as if it were and earthquake but with a blast,everything moves and shake  ,I still remember very clear and brake Many glasses including Glass tables in My school ,I was there ,I was a Kid ,I was withness ,YES IT BRAKE GLASSES..  

expat wrote on Jun 13^th, 2009 at 1:05pm:

As I recall a lot of the complaints were from smallholders with greenhouses. Add to that the fact that most aircraft at the time were only supersonic in a dive. The test pilots at the Farnborough displays deliberately aimed the boom at the airfield.

I can't remember where I read it now but Eric 'Winkle' Brown* told a story about when he flew the F-86 in the US. The other test pilots persuaded him to try a sonic boom over the base & gave him the exact course to fly. He was summoned to the Station Commander's office next morning & given a good talking to by the man himself. Apparently he'd shattered the glass in his greenhouse. The CO then invited him home for dinner. I don't know how true this is but it makes a good story.

*Captain Eric Brown has flown more types of aircraft than any other pilot. 487 basic types not including variants. This record is unlikely ever to be beaten. http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/AS-Interview-Captain-Eric-Brown.htm...

Travis wrote on Jun 14^th, 2009 at 7:57pm:


The myth was that any sonic boom will break any glass.

That was the only window they were able to break.


edited for so many typos...

charlesed wrote on Jun 14^th, 2009 at 10:05pm:


Yes, thanks. I was about to say that. That means planes, bullets, anything going supersonic. It didn't work. They had tables full of all kinds of glass stuff set up, a car, and a small "house" set up. That one pane of glass is the only thing that they were able to break.

ShaneG wrote on Jun 15^th, 2009 at 5:44pm:


It did brake.

Quote:

I haven't watched the video but I suspect Matt is correct. It all depends on the type of glass & how it's framed. Most of the complaints around here in the 50s & 60s were from smallholders & market gardeners with greenhouses. These were large areas of low grade glass loosely mounted in wooden frames. The vibration from a sonic boom caused by an aircraft would have a good chance of breaking at least some of the panes. I don't know for certain but I imagine even the greenhouse glass manufactured today is superior to what was used 60 years ago.

Travis wrote on Jun 16^th, 2009 at 2:09am:



Just this once maybe.


And only because I knew you would understand.