Unbearable to Fly at Speed of Sound

When a fighter jet reaches the sound barrier, the pilot hears a loud "sonic boom" caused by the compression of air molecules in front of the jet. That is the only brief time (less than a second) when the pilot travels at the exact speed of sound, but it would impossible to sustain that for a long time.

Sound moves in waves, at about 343 meters per second through the air. When an airplane is flying slower slower than that, the sound waves move faster than the plane (that’s why you hear the plane shortly before it passes by). Flying at the speed of sound would mean moving at the same speed as the sound waves coming from the engine, making them accumulate and turn flying into very unstable. That’s why they need to cross the speed fast, to move faster than sound, and literally “leave the sound behind” (the jet will pass through you first, and then you hear the sound).

Another fascinating fact, is that sound moves 4 times faster underwater than in air. This is very helpful for marine animals such as whales and dolphins, who use sound to communicate and navigate; the faster speed of sound in water provides a significant advantage, allowing them to gather information and communicate over long distances with ease.

It is interesting that what some see as resistance for some activities, might be a catalyst for others. We typically think of water as something that drags us down (faster if we fly), but if we want to send a sound it is actually much efficient to do it. This can be helpful when thinking about areas that seem like obstacles for us, and think if they can be an advantage in other areas of life.

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