Originally Posted by
Chesty Morgan
Was that the same year the B1 dropped a little boomlet as it pulled up from its high speed run? It came back a few minutes later, a lot slower, and if an aeroplane could ever look sheepish...
Must have been as I think that was the only IAT event at BD, though I don't recall a boom but could have been the other day. Certainly was moving and there was a suspicion of a shockwave as it arrived just about coincidental with its noise - I was towards the eastern end of the airfield and had spotted a certain brown-ness in the air out to the west as it accelerated towards us, so it wasn't a surprise to me! The only other aircraft I can recall seeing travelling that fast was a Lightning at Biggin Hill in '76 - I'm not entirely sure but I think that didn't go vertical due to LHR restrictions so had to dissipate the energy out over Surrey - and before encountering Gatwick's zone!