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Supersonic aircraft
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Supersonic aircraft
A supersonic aircraft is an aircraft capable of supersonic flight, that is, flying faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1). Supersonic aircraft were developed in the second half of the twentieth century. Supersonic aircraft have been used for research and military purposes; however, to date, only two supersonic aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-144 (first flown on December 31, 1968) and the Concorde (first flown on March 2, 1969), have ever entered civilian service, both commercially used as supersonic passenger airliners. Fighter jets are the most common example of supersonic aircraft.
The aerodynamics of supersonic flight is called compressible flow because of the compression associated with the shock waves or "sonic boom" created by any object traveling faster than the speed of sound.
Aircraft flying at speeds above Mach 5 are called hypersonic aircraft. Supersonic speed is defined relative to air speed; higher speeds can be achieved in terms of ground speed when flying in the same direction as fast-moving winds such as the jet stream.
The first aircraft to achieve supersonic speed during its flight was the American Bell X-1 experimental plane, which was powered by a 6,000-pound (2,700 kg) thrust rocket powered by liquid oxygen and ethyl alcohol. Most supersonic aircraft have been military or experimental aircraft.
Aviation research during World War II led to the creation of the first rocket- and jet-powered aircraft. Several claims of breaking the sound barrier during the war subsequently emerged. However, the first recognized flight exceeding the speed of sound by a manned aircraft in controlled level flight was performed on October 14, 1947 by the experimental Bell X-1 research rocket plane piloted by Chuck Yeager. Moreover, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier with a female pilot was an F-86 Canadair Sabre with Jacqueline Cochran at the controls. According to David Masters, the DFS 346 prototype captured in Germany by the Soviets, after being released from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber at 32800 ft (10000 m), reached 683 mph (1100 km/h) late in 1951, which would have exceeded Mach 1 at that height. The pilot in these flights was the German Wolfgang Ziese.
On August 21, 1961, a Douglas DC-8-43 (registration N9604Z) exceeded Mach 1 in a controlled dive during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base. The crew was composed of the following members: William Magruder (pilot), Paul Patten (copilot), Joseph Tomich (flight engineer), and Richard H. Edwards (flight test engineer). This was the first intentional supersonic flight by a civilian airliner, and the only one ever performed by a civilian airliner other than the Concorde or Tu-144.
In the 1960s and 1970s, multiple design studies for supersonic airliners were conducted and eventually two types entered service, the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 (1968) and Anglo-French Concorde (1969). However, political, environmental, and economic obstacles, alongside one fatal Concorde crash, eventually prevented them from being utilized to their full commercial potential.
Supersonic flight has always presented substantial technical challenges to engineers, as the aerodynamics of supersonic flight are dramatically different from those of subsonic flight (i.e., flight at speeds slower than that of sound). In particular, aerodynamic drag rises sharply as the aircraft passes the transonic regime, requiring much greater engine power and more streamlined airframes.
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Supersonic aircraft
A supersonic aircraft is an aircraft capable of supersonic flight, that is, flying faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1). Supersonic aircraft were developed in the second half of the twentieth century. Supersonic aircraft have been used for research and military purposes; however, to date, only two supersonic aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-144 (first flown on December 31, 1968) and the Concorde (first flown on March 2, 1969), have ever entered civilian service, both commercially used as supersonic passenger airliners. Fighter jets are the most common example of supersonic aircraft.
The aerodynamics of supersonic flight is called compressible flow because of the compression associated with the shock waves or "sonic boom" created by any object traveling faster than the speed of sound.
Aircraft flying at speeds above Mach 5 are called hypersonic aircraft. Supersonic speed is defined relative to air speed; higher speeds can be achieved in terms of ground speed when flying in the same direction as fast-moving winds such as the jet stream.
The first aircraft to achieve supersonic speed during its flight was the American Bell X-1 experimental plane, which was powered by a 6,000-pound (2,700 kg) thrust rocket powered by liquid oxygen and ethyl alcohol. Most supersonic aircraft have been military or experimental aircraft.
Aviation research during World War II led to the creation of the first rocket- and jet-powered aircraft. Several claims of breaking the sound barrier during the war subsequently emerged. However, the first recognized flight exceeding the speed of sound by a manned aircraft in controlled level flight was performed on October 14, 1947 by the experimental Bell X-1 research rocket plane piloted by Chuck Yeager. Moreover, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier with a female pilot was an F-86 Canadair Sabre with Jacqueline Cochran at the controls. According to David Masters, the DFS 346 prototype captured in Germany by the Soviets, after being released from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber at 32800 ft (10000 m), reached 683 mph (1100 km/h) late in 1951, which would have exceeded Mach 1 at that height. The pilot in these flights was the German Wolfgang Ziese.
On August 21, 1961, a Douglas DC-8-43 (registration N9604Z) exceeded Mach 1 in a controlled dive during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base. The crew was composed of the following members: William Magruder (pilot), Paul Patten (copilot), Joseph Tomich (flight engineer), and Richard H. Edwards (flight test engineer). This was the first intentional supersonic flight by a civilian airliner, and the only one ever performed by a civilian airliner other than the Concorde or Tu-144.
In the 1960s and 1970s, multiple design studies for supersonic airliners were conducted and eventually two types entered service, the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 (1968) and Anglo-French Concorde (1969). However, political, environmental, and economic obstacles, alongside one fatal Concorde crash, eventually prevented them from being utilized to their full commercial potential.
Supersonic flight has always presented substantial technical challenges to engineers, as the aerodynamics of supersonic flight are dramatically different from those of subsonic flight (i.e., flight at speeds slower than that of sound). In particular, aerodynamic drag rises sharply as the aircraft passes the transonic regime, requiring much greater engine power and more streamlined airframes.
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