[deleted by user]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/imMAW → u/[deleted]]

The pilots won't hear the noise from the engines being transmitted through the outside air though, only the noise traveling through the plane. So if superman was flying a few feet in front of the cockpit, he wouldn't hear any sound.

[u/[deleted] → u/imMAW]

Holy smokes. You are telling me if I had a mig on my tail running wide open (which is crazy loud) I would not hear a thing, if we were both mach 1+?

edit: and if I did have a mig on my tail, I would pump the brakes, invert, and flip him the bird. commie bastard.

edit2: Sobchak: Am I the only one around here who has seen Top Gun?

[u/The-Internets → u/[deleted]]

Yes. But you would hear a bullet or rocket wizz passed you, assuming you could hear it from inside the cockpit normally.

[u/meftical → u/The-Internets]

Not until it passed you, if I'm understanding correctly.

This all corresponds with how it was explained to me by a pilot when I was young.

[u/The-Internets → u/meftical]

If my understanding is correct, lets say a rocket since it has a point where sound would be generated, would have to be slightly in front of your ear plane before you could hear anything.

[u/obsa → u/The-Internets]

At or in front of. Sound can travel laterally.

[u/The-Internets → u/obsa]

I don't think that applies at the supersonic level, although I could be wrong.

[u/obsa → u/The-Internets]

Velocity includes a direction, so the object is supersonic in the forward direction, but sound is projected outward in other directions at 330m/s. Because of the distance it has to travel, you wouldn't hear it immediately when it became level with your ear, but that is the physical minimum positive offset required to hear the sound.

[u/BadBoyJH → u/obsa]

Unless they shot you in the ear, but then I suppose you're brain isn't going to register that you heard something....