Anyone know where/when this was?

LiveLeak.com - low flying fighter jep ! over harbour (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bd9_1253516725)

San Franciso Bay during Navy Week a couple of years back.

You see Alcatraz in the background towards the end of the clip.

Can't see the vid as my Flash is misbehaving, but there is a pretty spectacular still image of an F-14/15 eyeball-to-eyeball with some poor bloke on a balcony which I think comes from the same event. It's in a fairly popular science mag at the moment. Apparently they were cleared below 100ft. Definite pant filler if you were not expecting it.:eek:

It's an F-18.

Looks like a shockwave. Anyone know for sure?

It's not supersonic but certainly motoring fast enough for the damp air to condense around it.

Skyfan, different image (and this is a video) but I know the picture you mean!

It's not supersonic but certainly motoring fast enough for the damp air to condense around it.

Appears to be transonic.

Looks like a shockwave.

Definitely a shockwave

During transonic flight, you will have local supersonic areas on the aircraft, typically over the wing and at oddball places such as the back of the canopy. The shockwave occurs where the local supersonic flow reverts abruptly to subsonic with significant flow parameter changes .. hence the cooling and condensation.

Can only wish I had been there to see the pass ...

Thanks John, as ever, one lives and learns!

Once went by bus, from RAF Buchan [near Peterhead, Scotland] to the RNAS Display at Lossiemouth. There was a Scimitar dispaly....one slooow and dirty [landing config] and one b@<hidden> out. The quick one had shockwaves all over....so did the Bucc S1s, 5 mins later :D
That was in 1963

Got my Flash fixed and glad I did!!

The polite version would be 'dear me that's not hanging about' :)

Also very interesting about the super/subsonic areas, never knew that.

I wonder if the ground effect comes into play? Probably the only insurance you'll get at that height. :ok: