Loud bang over Coventry at 18,20 hrs

[RichC]

Everyone nearly....

As for how loud are they, they are "Very" loud depending on how high the subject is/was and how far you are away.
I used to hear Concorde everyday well over 80 miles away accelerate and decelerate out over the western end of the Bristol Channel/Celtic Sea (Merly) which was always a double boom. It was loud enough then to shake the windows, daily, twice a day.
As for the sound, it's nothing like thunder when underneath but it does boom like thunder when you're far away and to the side of it. It is an "Abrupt" bang if nearby and more a "boom" when you're far away basically.
Residents in Caliente, Nevada are still after 10 years trying to sue the DoD/USAF for continual damage to their houses from Red Flag. Window frames have been blown in with all windows shattered when the B-1Bs and so on go supersonic. The bigger the plane, the bigger the shock wave.

Example of what it sounds like from above here (Concorde in the South West approaches of England)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCw9u_glJNw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Space Shuttle sonic boom as it decelerates to land at the 1.30min mark from really far away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o6RYuUy ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SR71 booms from far away and at 36sec mark more above (notice how abrupt it is) but notice how quiet as it's very high up (like Concorde was)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQGMpyb ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

F14 low level boom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biJBRL9rjMM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

F18 over the beach but more of a transonic boom i think (like what you get at airshows with the bang)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ywUmBpVGY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look at the 5.58min mark and there on..... or watch the whole video and you'll understand how it works and how loud plus damage (windows blasting in etc and damage to a car)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtAElaD ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Think the Typhoon was medium altitude yesterday so it propagated out all over the midlands and was relatively loud due to the height. If it was at low level when going supersonic we would have seen/heard reports of multiple damage to windows and such throughout the midlands.

[an2003dy]

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... OverUk.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GOOSE]

Copied here to save you a click -

RAF Typhoons scrambled over UK

Two RAF Typhoons were launched yesterday evening to intercept an aircraft that was transmitting an emergency signal and could not be identified via radio.

The RAF jets are part of the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) force which has Typhoon fighter aircraft and crews held at continuous ground-readiness, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, and at RAF Leuchars in Fife.

The QRA force's purpose is to identify any aircraft approaching or within national airspace without prior approval or not having identified themselves and which cannot be identified by any other means, i.e. the aircraft is not talking to civilian or military Air Traffic Control, has not filed a flight plan and is not transmitting a recognisable secondary surveillance radar code.

QRA aircraft can take off within minutes to protect UK sovereign airspace.

Last night, two QRA Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Coningsby when a small civilian aircraft was transmitting inadvertently on an emergency frequency and was out of radio communication with Air Traffic Control.

Authorisation was given for one of the Typhoons to transit at supersonic speed over land, which resulted in the sonic boom heard by the public.

The Typhoons intercepted a civilian Gazelle helicopter in the vicinity of Bristol, and, after identification, the helicopter successfully re-established communications with Air Traffic Control.

The reason for the emergency signal and communications failure is yet to be determined.

The MOD will be providing all available information on the intercept to the Department for Transport who will lead on the investigation process in order to complete any follow-up action if considered appropriate, and to also try and reduce the chance of any repetition of this type of incident.

Deterrence is a key part of our Quick Reaction Alert posture. The RAF's air defence capability to detect and deter aircraft approaching UK sovereign airspace is just one aspect of a multilayered approach that the UK Government takes to protect UK and NATO-monitored airspace.

[davedubya]

I'm guessing that pilot may get a slight talking to?

[Reptile 1]

If they find him

[RichC]

The pilot was "cleared" by Blackdog (the controlling CRC) to go supersonic so he did nothing wrong but follow orders.

[SteveS]

I think he means the pilot of the helicopter?

[RichC]

Oh! well in that case........ he must be one embarrassed person

[SteveS]

Now getting the headline treatment on Central Tonight.

[SteveS]

Must be a lack of news in the Midlands today......

[RichC]

short video of it over somerset near where the Gazelle was
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-17702953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Binky Airways]

Must be a lack of news in the Midlands today......

It's to avoid scaring the sheep... sorry general public

[Red Hound]

This BBC report has a Tornado shown in the news report as well as a Typhoon!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17706221" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Flyingmonster]

The bloke on board has spoken about it - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-17713833

[XPLUMBER]

That makes interesting reading!

From the article posted above;

"He added: "The pilot said to us, 'hang on, we're going to catch this turbulence' and it was like being in a bouncing ball.

"We were all strapped in but we got thrown around the aircraft."

He said he only saw one of the Typhoon aircraft that had been scrambled but on its first pass the pilot could not have been more than 200m (650ft) away.

The plane passed by the helicopter two more times communicating with the helicopter pilot before flying away, according to Mr Knott.

He said he did not know anything about the emergency signal and had not been able to hear the communication between the two pilots.

He added: "Our pilot was just in shock. He was quite angry and when we landed he went off to find out why it had happened."




Can't have been strapped in very well then!

The Pilot landed and SUDDENLY found out he was an IDIOT who had falsely sent out a hijack alert!

Perhaps the pilot should be sent a bill to cover the cost of the interception by two Typhoons!

[WAP]

"He said if the helicopter hadn't been ex-military we would have been dead."

best bit of nonsense ive ever read!

thinking back to last year, Surrey Police were sent to make contact with a Gazelle doing exactly the same thing down near Guilford, D and D wre calling for ages. I wonder if its the same aircraft or Pilot?

[chrisfg1]

Hope the chopper pilot apologised to his passengers when he realised what he'd done. Reading the report it doesn't look that way.

[wokka]

I assume that when something like this happens its not a case of the pilot signing a sheet and getting on with his next appointment? Thats the way the passenger is making it sound. I would hope there is some form of incident review with the CAA the pilot has to respond to and therefore the incident cannot happen again.

[T_J]

The media were making good use of the Mound at RAF Coningsby!

http://www.primetimemedia.co.uk/?p=963" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[johnhowe]

If anybody wants to hear a really deafening bang I suggest a visit to Spadeadam when the Gas Site are conducting tests.
http://www.gl-nobledenton.com/en/consulting/813.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The explosions are on adhoc basis, even the small detonations shake the ground, some of the larger experiments require a Notam. The
explosions have been heard at Penrith a distance of over 30miles as the crow flies.