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Measurements of sonic booms generated by an airplane flying at Mach 3.5 and 4.8
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Abstract
Sonic booms generated by the X-15 airplane flying at Mach numbers of 3.5 and 4.8 were measured. The experimental results agreed within 12 percent with results obtained from theoretical methods. No unusual phenomena related to overpressure were encountered. Scaled data from the X-15 airplane for Mach 4.8 agreed with data for an SR-71 airplane operating at lower Mach numbers and similar altitudes. The simple technique used to scale the data on the basis of airplane lift was satisfactory for comparing X-15 and SR-71 sonic boom signatures