Hi! I’m a Class 9 student living in Bangalore, a city famous for its aerospace history and Indian Air Force (IAF) presence. Once in a while during school hours, especially on clear days, we’d hear a loud BOOM in the sky. A sonic boom caused by a fast IAF aircraft.
It was thrilling! My classmates would wonder what just flew by, and I would get goosebumps. That loud sound always fascinated me. I kept asking: How can an aircraft fly faster than sound? What causes that boom? What kind of engine makes that possible?
That curiosity led me to explore the world of sonics and aircraft engines and in this post, I’d love to share what I’ve learned so far.
What is a Sonic Boom?
When an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound (about 343 m/s), it creates pressure waves in the air that combine into one big shockwave. This is what we hear on the ground as a sonic boom like a thunder in cloud sound.
It’s like when a boat makes waves in water, but here, it’s making waves in the air!
( Courtesy to BBC for this picture)
The Engines that makes Jets go Supersonic
To go faster than sound, an aircraft needs powerful engines. Let’s look at a few amazing types: (The word Mach means standard unit of speeds for jets.)
Ramjet – Riding on Air (Mach 2–4)
A ramjet is a type of jet engine that works only when the aircraft is already moving fast. It has no moving parts .It simply uses the speed of the aircraft to compress air, mix it with fuel, and burn it.
- Speed range: Works well at Mach 2 to Mach 4
- Used in: Some missiles and experimental aircraft
- Fun fact: It can’t start on its own the plane must be already fast!
Sound: Creates a deep, roaring sound as the air rushes in and burns.
Scramjet – The Hypersonic Beast (Mach 5+)
A scramjet is like a ramjet, but it works at even higher speeds. In scramjets, the air moves so fast that it stays supersonic (faster than the speed of sound) even during combustion!
- Speed range: Mach 5 and beyond!
- Used in: Future aircraft and space planes
- Fun fact: Could let us travel from India to the USA in under 2 hours someday.
Sound: Very loud and intense, with complex noise from shockwaves and burning air.
Cookie Dough
Hearing a sonic boom during school in Bangalore wasn’t just exciting . It has ignited my curiosity. I started reading about engines like ramjets and scramjets and it opened up a whole new world of science and technology for me.
If you’re curious like me, I encourage you to read, ask questions, and explore. Who knows maybe one of us will build the next generation of supersonic aircraft!
Even though you might think that the pilots are in greater danger than us on the ground, the cockpits are engineered to withstand the extreme speed so that the pilots only feel a bump or a slight chillness.