Sonic Boom Thread

Every so often, like about five minutes ago, I hear a sonic boom in rural northern Missouri. They literally shake the windows in the house they are so loud! I live about 100 miles north of Whiteman Airforce base, and usually within 12 hours of hearing the sonic boom, it is reported in the news that the B2 Stealth Bombers based at Whiteman have arrived somewhere or bombed somewhere.
For example, a few days ago there was a loud sonic boom, and the next morning it was reported that three B2 bombers arrived in the UK.

ETA that I failed to mention that I realize that the B2’s are reported to be sub-sonic...heck maybe they really are. Maybe they travel in tandem or close proximity to other planes which actually make the sonic boom. Whatever the explanation, I can set my Clock by a sonic boom and the reporting of Stealth B2 movement. Odd? Yep!

Three USAF B2 Stealth Bombers arrive at RAF Fairford for secret mission

This isn’t the first time that I have noticed the sonic boom activity followed by news that the B2’s were on the move...in both Gulf Wars it happened the same way.

I have always wondered why they seem to fly north before heading off to wherever they go, but I suspect I know why. For years, through the 70s there was an active AF base outside of our sleepy little town in rural Missouri. Supposedly, it was shut down, yet the big radar that resembles a giant white golf ball has been maintained ever since, even though the AF base has been abandoned/shut down for decades. I always suspected the radar has remained functional, because for years when I drove past it, the electrical system on my vehicle would go haywire...the speedometer and all gages would swing all the way to the right and back to the left several times in a windshield wiper motion, all the dashboard warning lights would flash on and off, then it would all go back to normal in a few seconds.
Two summers ago, we had lots of construction workers in town for several large construction jobs (a new Menards, Marshalls, and two hotels) and lots of the construction guys came into the fireworks store that my sons ran for a few summers. One group of workers came in and I asked if they were working on the Menards and other buildings going up. At first, they were tight lipped other than saying no. Finally, on their final trip into the store, they bought about 5k in fireworks to take back to the East coast with them, because they said they were done with their work and headed home. One of the workers, as we helped him load up all of the fireworks into their large trailer said, “oh, and we aren’t supposed to tell anyone because we would have to kill them (haha he laughed but was still somewhat serious), but we have been completely updating the USAF radar north of town”. He winked, and they got in their trucks and left.
For a bit if basic knowledge, here is a link to info about the supposedly defunct base and a picture of the radar:

Wiki info about radar

So, I have always wondered if that radar tower is the reason the B2’s or whatever aircraft is accompanying them possibly, seem to hit Mach speed right over our town, regardless of where they are headed, be it the Middle East or the UK.

The latest sonic boom, now about half an hour ago, as I have been slow getting this written made me think it might be fun to have a running thread to add to whenever someone hears a sonic boom.

Mods...I rarely make new threads, so if this isn’t in the right spot, please move it wherever it needs to be!

a reply to: xtradimensions

The B-2 is a subsonic aircraft.

originally posted by: mightmight
a reply to: xtradimensions

The B-2 is a subsonic aircraft.

I know...that is what they say. Yet, every time they take off and go somewhere we have a sonic boom. It makes me question whether it really is. Or maybe they travel in tandem with planes that do travel at Mach.

a reply to: xtradimensions

Not every deployment of B-2s gets reported in the news. The UK/Iceland trip did because it was unusal. Most of their flights aren't.
You're probably living next to an high altitude supersonic corridor, the aircraft producing the supersonic booms could come from anywhere really.

a reply to: mightmight
Good point! Yes, we have speculated due to the proximity of reporting about the B2’s that the sonic booms are related somehow to them, but it could be any planes with the capability. Obviously, we don’t “see” the planes that make the sonic boom.

I usually try to watch the news about 10-12 hours after a sonic boom to see if anything pops up. Often times it does.

a reply to: xtradimensions

Flying wings don't do supersonic well. They tend to try to tuck and flip nose over tail when they get close to supersonic.

There are high speed corridors located throughout the US. They're used for testing purposes mostly. Aircraft in the corridor are allowed to go supersonic over populated areas.

The B-2s go north because they're following the great circle route. To get to the UK, they leave Whiteman, head up to the northeast, where they meet up with tankers off New Jersey and refuel before going across. The current deployment is a standard bomber task force. They happen a couple times a year. They fly out of the UK and meet up with European allies and train with them. One of the first days they were at Fairford, one of the three made their first landing in Iceland. It spent 5 hours doing hot refueling training.

I have never heard a true sonic boom.
I have awoken to the thump of explosions.
I have heard some big booms.
I also hear the occasional painful high-frequency with no obvious source.
I do seem to be near deaf to the voice of someone complaining about some trivial matter.
Ears are very interesting sensory organs.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Thanks for the info! I am by no means (obviously!) a expert on b2’s or super-sonic planes. We do have a pretty high occurrence of sonic booms—often clustered- out here in rural northern Mo. I have lived and worked in several other states and towns and never heard sonic booms like we do here. It is interesting! Whatever is making them...I would love to have an ongoing thread for people to post when they experience one. I will try to remember to do so next time I hear one. Sometimes they happen when I am at work where I am not allowed to have my smartphone and where the internet is highly restricted so I can’t log into abovesecret while there.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: xtradimensions

Flying wings don't do supersonic well. They tend to try to tuck and flip nose over tail when they get close to supersonic.

and The wing chord is typically way to thick for any sort of supersonic flight.

a reply to: Homefree
You can’t miss it when you hear one! The windows on our house literally rattle/shake and the air shudders. You not only hear it, but you feel it vibrate through your entire body. It’s pretty cool actually!

a reply to: FredT
This is why I love ATS...I learn so much here!
Thanks for sharing to everyone who knows waaaaay more than I do about this topic!

a reply to: xtradimensions

Look at it this way - the subsonic B-2 wouldn't be able to keep up with a secret supersonic ""Companion"", hence they either a) wouldn't deploy at the same time or b) would both cruise subsonic.
It's just a coincidence, there's no connection.

But just for #s and giggles, there's like a 0.001% chance you stumpled across the deep black high speed version of AARS that was allegedly on the boards at one point during the 80s. Or the equally famous GIUK interceptor of the same era. Or whatever came afer that.
#iwantobelieve

a reply to: xtradimensions

The F-15, F-18, and now the T-X trainer are assembled in St Louis, as well as the Boeing secret projects. Part of their testing as each is built includes high speed flight.

originally posted by: mightmight
a reply to: xtradimensions

Look at it this way - the subsonic B-2 wouldn't be able to keep up with a secret supersonic ""Companion"", hence they either a) wouldn't deploy at the same time or b) would both cruise subsonic.
It's just a coincidence, there's no connection.

But just for #s and giggles, there's like a 0.001% chance you stumpled across the deep black high speed version of AARS that was allegedly on the boards at one point during the 80s. Or the equally famous GIUK interceptor of the same era. Or whatever came afer that.
#iwantobelieve

Yeah, I realized they wouldn’t be able to “keep up”...it would be like me trying to run with my 20 year old son who is in kick-@ss shape. I wondered if maybe there was some super-sonic plane that would lead the pack, or something like that. Probably not—again, I am showing my extreme lack of knowledge re the planes. Likely just a coincidence, but I guess anything is possible—except a plane incapable of doing Mach speed, doing so. 🤣 I am laughing at myself here, not you so no offense intended.
Whatever the planes creating the sonic booms, I am always excited when it happens because it fascinates me. I usually go outside and look to the sky, even though I know the plane (s) will be long gone! Ha!
I will try to post when it happens again..just for fun and to keep track.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Well, now that is cool and interesting info! Maybe that is a likelier explanation. I used to live in St Louis...which is totally unimportant info for the thread, but don’t ever remember hearing a sonic boom while there. We are pretty rural and do have that nifty, newly refurbished USAF radar “giant golf ball”, as the locals call it...so maybe planes are routed over it for whatever reason.

a reply to: xtradimensions

A subsonic plane, under rare conditions can go supersonic. They did it with a DC-8 once. They went to 53,000 feet, and while diving through 41,000 feet they reached mach 1.012. They almost couldn't recover afterwards.

mentalfloss.com...

a reply to: xtradimensions
I know the feeling, i still remember the 80s and 90s, hell of a lot very low flying aircraft in my neck of the woods. These days - maybe the odd chopper.

a reply to: xtradimensions

I can't remember exactly which airport it is, but there's a county airport on the outskirts of St Louis that has a radar range. What makes it interesting as hell is there are remains of Russian aircraft there laying around the airport.

Totally off topic, but we live on a rural private lane that has an FAA Tower on one of the branches of the lane. I should post a picture of it next time I walk by it, which is several times a week. I wonder if that is legal to post a pic...hmmm. The FAA sends a white van out twice a week to service the tower (actually it is a cluster of towers). Our upstairs tv and other electrical devices such a clock radios used to occasionally pick up the transmissions from it and you could hear the controller and pilots talking. We no longer get that kind of interference but have cable tv rather than a dish receiver now, and don’t have clock radios anymore. Once, a few years ago, We tried to get the FAA to help with road maintenance and they not-so-kindly replied not to ask again or they would take possession of the entire private road and wouldn’t allow us to use it to get to our houses anymore, even though we (the small HOA) built the road and pay to keep it maintained. Lesson learned—don’t mess with the government.