Did any of the reports say yet why the F15 broke the sound barrier over land? I'm guessing a pilot is having to face a review board now.
I only recall hearing a sonic boom once in my life. I was in a meeting or training seminar at work not long after 9-11 and the class was interrupted by a loud boom like that. Later on the news I heard a passenger on a jet heading towards O Hare airport got unruly and Air National Guard F16s had been scrambled to intercept the airliner and they exceeded the sound barrier over Northern Illinois near my office causing the sonic boom.
They used the usual excuse. Course correction. Lol I knew what it was right away and had a flashback to when I was a kid. Never even thought about it until it happened that most people under 60 have never heard one. They were going nuts!
Here in Springfield in 1972 our air guard flew the F-4. They replaced the F84 Thunderstreaks that were deemed too wornout and dangerous to fly. They were the first guard unit in the nation to get the old worn out F-4's from Vietnam that they were replacing with improved models.
Since the war was ongoing at this time they flew in a squadron of 8 and practiced at low level tree tops and under the trees over the river to train. Wasn't uncommon to have several sonic booms 1 right after the other. After 73 they would do it less but it still happened.
The FAA didn't ban sonic flight until 73 so new boys with new toys broke quite a few windows.
