ROE for supersonic flight over UK mainland
 

I saw it reported in the news today that at least 2 Typhoons (in a pair of 2 ships) went supersonic over the mainland during a QRA scramble to intercept a commercial aircraft that was out of position without comms - or something like that.

Made me wonder if any F3, Phantom, or Lightning drivers ever remember getting the green light to do the same and under what circumstances ?

Pre 9/11 I don't believe the threat was seen as requiring a supersonic intercept.

Not sure about UK but in RAFG Battle Flight would sometimes be cleared "High Speed" on an Alpha Scramble. That would normally involve going supersonic climbing through 10,000ft over Dusseldorf or Koln.

I was even cleared supersonic at much lower level when chasing an F104! I can't really see what all the fuss is about! In Germany we did it all the time!

Their price for coming second, newt? 'Please refer any noise complaints to A. Hitler esq' :E

Not sure about any green light, but I do recall seeing transonic jump on the altimeter of the F-4 in which I was chasing something down the Great Glen...at low level.

Sorry, Mr Osprey...:\

Who remembers those pre-Concorde sonic boom acceptance tests made by a Lightning from Boscombe Down in July 1967? The idea was to see whether the Great Unwashed would tolerate supersonic flight overland.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer was "NO!!".

Living down Zumzet way in the 1960s, it wasn't unknown to hear the odd boom in the Summer of '68 when 892 NAS got a bit carried away with their new jets!

Not uncommon post 9/11

Lot of talk about 'cleared' for overland SS. Wasn't aware they needed a clearance.

Best boom I heard was when sailing from Brest to the Solent - probably early 90s? - when a (sadly French :() Concorde dropped a boom on us, presumably en route to S America.

Rattled the sails it did - very impressive. 'Twas a gin clear day and the crew - mostly aircrew nursing post-Brest nightstop duty free wine hangovers - saw the fast moving contrail a long time in advance and guessed exactly what it was.

A magical moment - completely (just) out of sight of land.....:ok:

Heard them almost every day while on holiday at Woolacombe while on holiday there one year from the outbound morning Concorde from Heathrow (Normally saw the aircraft pass overhead first (Concorde had a very distinct contrail) with the double boom happening a few minutes later).

I suspect that the majority of the great unwashed didn't give two hoots about it. Beagle. The landed gentry on the other hand, very different story.

Was working in Jordan in the middle 80s, Israel just couldn't resist the temptation daily.

If there's a possibility that the nasties have got control of an airliner, then the "good guys" can go as fast as they like as far as I'm concerned.

A few years ago, Pres Obama was visiting Seattle and some nimrod in a GA aircraft entered the restricted area around Air Force 1.
There were some complaints about the sonic booms the intercepting F-16s made :rolleyes:

Most of the south west of England and Wales would hear the boom-boom of a Concorde on a daily basis. It rattled the windows a little but we thought nothing of it.

I remember waiting for the doors to rattle in the Mess at RAF Chivenor during Happy Hour...

LJ

When Concorde was doing its supersonic testing up and down the Irish Sea, concern was expressed by some bunch of god-botherers about the potential effect of the shock waves on some venerable god-shop or other in Cornwall. So it was decided that strain gauges would be installed in the steeple, to check whether the shock waves would affect the structure.

Come the day they sat there waiting; sure enough there was a muffled rumble and the strain gauge needles twitched. "Ah-hah", they said, "you see - it does affect the church!".

Then someone slammed the church door - and the needles pinged off-scale!

Growing up in central RAF Lincs in the Eighties, if the wind was in the right (wrong) direction, you'd hear the occasional double boom blown inland. Lovely at the time.

I have recollections of a passing F-16 driver blowing windows out in Saxilby at some point. Oops.

I saw the reference to transonic jump on airspeed.
So what happens to ASI as you punch through sound barrier?
Does it wobble inaccurately due to shock waves as you transition and then continue to smoothly rise?

On overland bangs there was an "unexplained" double boom over Coningsby/Horncastle a few years back, probably around 2005. It was probably one of va pair of F15c doing 1v1 high overhears but quite visible if you looked. Probably dropped it while descending.

TayC I believe the rules were no supoersonics within 30 miles of the coast it there was an onshore wind.

Tartare - just a mild kick on the needle as you accelerated through the Mach, I think you have the physics nailed. Other than that in the cockpit it was the biggest non event.


Over the seas IIRC it was 10 miles heading away from the coast or 30nm parallel or inbound towards the coast to go supersonic (or was it 35?).


For the 2 ATAF boys it was over 36000 feet and then game on.