An F16 inadvertently broke the sound barrier on a high speed pass at Oshkosh AirVenture on July 29, 2021 to the surprise of tens of thousands of jovial Air Show spectators!

Aircraft traversing through the sound barrier create two sonic booms, one at the nose of the aircraft and one at the tail, but generally they are heard as one. The F16 was very close, perhaps 400 feet from the camera, so there was no mistaking that there was two explosions and shock waves, especially in person. It sounded like two M80 "barrel bombs" exploding a few feet in front of us.

Breaking the sound barrier at air show is forbidden and I hope the pilot didn't get into too much trouble, because the crowd sure enjoyed it! Incidentally, my wife and I both had ear plugs in, as always, when a jet takes to the air at a show.
Steve Kauzlarich

Copyright Steve Kauzlarich 2021

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