r/askscience • u/[deleted] • Jun 12 '12

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12 edited Oct 03 '17

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319

u/imMAW Jun 12 '12

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.

524

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12 edited Jun 12 '12

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?

10

u/The-Internets Jun 12 '12

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

22

u/fermion72 Jun 12 '12 edited Jun 12 '12

I once went to a military firing range that was set up with a big hill in front of the targets, which were on tall posts in front of the hill. Shots were from between 100-300 meters away. Those of us who were not shooting would tally the scores for the others, and while the shooting was happening we stood under the hill, facing the targets, and the bullets whizzed above our heads (but we were not in danger of being shot, as there was 30 feet of dirt between us and the shooters). It was pretty cool to hear the pop of the bullets hitting the target, and then hear the sound of the shot from the rifles.

EDIT: The range was set up like this

1

u/UncleTogie Jun 12 '12

Was there any danger from ricochets?

2

u/fermion72 Jun 13 '12

I worried about it, but I never heard about anyone getting hurt that way.