[WalterBright]

Back in the 1960s (!) the military would fly supersonic over the town I lived in. I always enjoyed the boom. I would also open the window during a thunderstorm or go sit on the porch because I enjoyed the incredible electric display and the booms.

[throwaway85825]

Military gets away with things that private industry doesn't. Supersonic passenger planes would be flying every day on a schedule, far far more than military. Commercial planes are also rated for far more flight hours.

[WalterBright]

Yes, the military ones were infrequent. I'm sure it would get annoying if it was too often.

> Military gets away with things that private industry doesn't.

For good reason. You cannot train for hedgehopping to avoid radar detection without flying low with firewalled throttles.

[throwaway85825]

Overland private supersonic travel should not happen, it would just be a massive unpriced negative externality.

The lower the plane flies the fewer people end up hearing the boom. The denser air also requires an absurd amount of fuel to fly through. Commercially uneconomical. Even the military only uses low level supersonic for a last dash to the target.

[randallsquared]

When Boom was testing last year, the sonic boom never reached the ground, as I recall. That can be arranged at higher altitudes, but doesn't work at low ones.

[throwaway85825]

That's only possible under specific climatic conditions where there's separate temperature/pressure layers. Which is why they asked to repeal the ban on supersonic flight over populated areas. If they actually thought it wouldn't make noise they wouldn't be asking for the rule to be changed.

[randallsquared]

The rule bans the supersonic flight regardless of whether it's audible or not, so they'd still be asking for the rule to be changed.

[srean]

Memories of a kid on a road trip...Interceptors taking off low, at full afterburners, in the dark of the night, screaming across the highway, for their practice sorties...

I am more anti-(manufactured)-war than most, but these sights were the stuff of goosebumps (the good kind).

[WalterBright]

The sound of freedom!

[srean]

Dunno about that, but sure is a heck of an engineering feat and an audiovisual spectacle.

[GordonS]

Back in the 80's the British air force would fly ridiculously low over the rural village I grew up in, certainly lower than they were meant to be allowed to - everyone hated it. You'd be minding your own business and then just about shit yourself out of nowhere!

[nradov]

I find it so bizarre that anyone would be upset about this instead of thankful for the protection.

[InsideOutSanta]

Yeah, I often have military flight training over my town, and I don't find the sonic booms particularly bad. I barely notice the planes unless they fly close to the ground over my house.

I'm not sure how the sonic booms of fighter jets compare to passenger planes, though.

[pkulak]

I can't stand military jets over my neighborhood. I get irrationally angry every time I'm walking somewhere with my wife and we both have to completely stop talking for two blocks because some F-14 is blasting around over our heads. They are just unbelievably loud.

[tuna74]

The last American F14 was retired 20 years ago.