Have you ever heard Concorde's sonic boom?

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I was watching a random YouTube video and the sonic boom was mentioned and the guy was saying that it couldn't possibly have been Concorde as they didn't go supersonic over land. Which is true, but they did speed up as soon as they were far enough from land for it to be a distant (and therefore quieter) boom. I used to hear it in my childhood when I was on holiday in Kerry. The video was specifically about a place in the west of Newfoundland so I think it's quite likely that they might have heard the boom there.

Anyway, it got me thinking that I'd never thought about how rare it might be to have heard a sonic boom. Where have other people heard it?

Yes - grew up in West Somerset and used to hear it late afternoon/early evening if I recall correctly. It was many moons ago though!

Hello SW neighbours. Yes heard it most days, I’ve only just realised people in other parts of the country didn’t 😮

Not heard the boom but I have been very close when it was taking off. It was so loud and you genuinely couldn't hear yourself think or move. It was pretty awesome.

I grew up in South Wales and the doors in the house used to shake as it goes over.

Yes regularly. I lived West Dorset on the coast. I think it was the Concorde to Paris. The one to London slowed down further out across the Atlantic.

Same here.

Yep, every day in Penzance 😂 plus my uncle flew RAF jets and we went to airshows so we saw and heard that a few times. Very distinctive sound.

Did you even read what she wrote?
Look at the last paragraph again.

Not Concorde, but I've heard sonic booms from military aircraft.

Yes, 1996 Cornwall. Daily occurance there.

I came to say this!

@WhisperingAutistic

Did you even read what she wrote?

Look at the last paragraph again.

Of course I did. In fact 'did you even read?' What kind of my point.

The thread is about hearing Concorde, not hearing a sonic boom. But hey.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

To answer your question - from another aircraft over the Atlantic - Concorde went over the top of us (20000 feet above, going in the opposite direction) and we heard a "tap-tap".

FWIW the guy in the youtube video is definitely wrong.

Anything supersonic generates a pressure wave (actually usually two) a bit like a bow wave on a boat which spreads out away from the line of the aircraft's ground track.

At the UK end of their flights Concorde were usually accelerating to supersonic (westbound) or decelerating (eastbound) over the south west approaches or extreme end of the Bristol Channel (i.e. over water) so there was a potential for the the wave (boom) to spread north/south as far as SW UK and the south of Ireland.

HTH.

@GoldenCupidon

" I’ve only just realised people in other parts of the country didn’t 😮"

FWIW way way back (v early 70's) before introduction into commercial service there were supersonic Concorde flights run up and down (if I remember correctly) the western side of the UK to investigate public response/public perception and the effects of the boom on the ground...

I flew on Concorde once and remember feeling the 'nudge' to my back when the plane went into supersonic mode.

Everyday on off the North coast of Cornwall during the early 90's.

Not Concorde but have heard sonic boom many times from military aircraft.

Yes, regularly, from my parents' house in Devon, many moons ago.

I remember Concord flying over my house occasionally (South London). You could always tell as it was so much louder than other aircraft, but never heard the boom.

I do remember being in central London with a friend when some RAF jets flew over with a boom though - scared several years off us!

It was always two bangs as well, like a dull thud sort of noise.

I never heard the boom but I did like it when Concorde flew over our office. It was just after take off so the plane was low and everything in the office shook with the vibrations. If you were on the phone you'd just yell "Concorde!" down the phone so the person you were talking to panic. It was quite fun.

• didn't panic

Yes we were under the flight path, Definitley heard it over land. It was in the evening as I remember it was when my mum would be ringing in the washing.

Fil lives near an air force base in the US. The jets go up twice a day and always hear the boom.

Never heard the boom but I worked right near the runway in Shannon airport and I remember it taking off and landing and we couldn't use our phones due to the noise and the whole building shook.

I didn't hear the sonic boom but I did Concorde go over each weekday evening at about 5.45 as I was standing at Vauxhall Station waiting to go home. It was such a beautiful plane.

not concorde. but lived near a military airbase for some time. lot's of sonic booms during exercises.
it's a really insettling sound.