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To: EnjoyingLife

What is that cloud around the aircraft? Is there a name for that phenomena?


2 posted on 11/12/2006 7:46:28 AM PST by Ken522
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To: Ken522
i am not air nautical engineer

thats usually what happens when they break sound barrier

they i think leave the compressed air behind...

my 2c
3 posted on 11/12/2006 7:47:46 AM PST by Flavius (Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: Ken522
What is that cloud around the aircraft? Is there a name for that phenomena?

That is the visual effect of the shock wave created when the plane breaks the sound barrier.

5 posted on 11/12/2006 7:50:00 AM PST by P8riot ("You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone." - Al Capone)
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To: Ken522
Prandtl-Glauert Condensation Clouds
6 posted on 11/12/2006 7:50:03 AM PST by WSGilcrest (Mikey likes it!)
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To: Ken522

It is water. The plane causes a disturbance in air pressure and temperature. The air suddenly cannot hold as much water, so it assembles into visible mist. The name? well there are probably several. Condensation?


9 posted on 11/12/2006 7:52:15 AM PST by loungitude
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To: Ken522; Aeronaut

" What is that cloud around the aircraft?

Is there a name for that phenomena? "


11 posted on 11/12/2006 7:53:21 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: Ken522
Prandtl-Glauert singularity
16 posted on 11/12/2006 8:01:40 AM PST by michigander (The Constitution only guarantees the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.)
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To: Ken522
What is that cloud around the aircraft? Is there a name for that phenomena?

My Vietnam pilot buddy told me it's called 'Breakout'. It's caused by going supersonic. There are many photos of this floating around. Somewhere in my files, I have a video of it happening from the deck of a carrier.

Prandtl-Glauert singularity

18 posted on 11/12/2006 8:01:49 AM PST by Jackknife ( "It's not a real party 'til somebody breaks something.")
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To: Ken522

I think it's called a *vapor cone*


23 posted on 11/12/2006 8:08:51 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Ken522

I googled *vapor cone* and there's tons of links. Here's one:

http://wilk4.com/misc/soundbreak.htm


24 posted on 11/12/2006 8:10:05 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Ken522

Cloaking device...


25 posted on 11/12/2006 8:10:06 AM PST by null and void ("Jihad" just means "[My] Struggle", but then again, so does "Mein Kampf"...)
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To: Ken522
The explanation in response No. 6 is pretty good. The airplane is not actually going supersonic - at least, not overall. However, local flow around parts of the airplane can be supersonic or near supersonic when overall aircraft velocity is as low as 70% of the speed of sound in more or less one-g flight, and even lower when accelerating the air a lot in high-lift conditions.
30 posted on 11/12/2006 8:17:37 AM PST by Phlyer (Poster since 2000, I just changed my screen name.)
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To: Ken522

Ghost Buster!!


38 posted on 11/12/2006 8:56:33 AM PST by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!!)
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To: Ken522

"Climax"!


48 posted on 11/12/2006 9:52:15 AM PST by fish hawk
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To: Ken522

St. Elmo's vapor?


49 posted on 11/12/2006 9:54:16 AM PST by Disambiguator (;^))
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To: Ken522
I have always referred to it as the shock cone. It occurs just before the aircraft goes supersonic (when the humidity is high enough). It mostly disappears when the aircraft goes through the Mach, although you can still see remnants of it further back on the wing. It is caused by a decrease in pressure behind the forming shock wave. You can get it on the top of the wing (positive Gs)by pulling enough G's to decrease the pressure. The more humid it is the lower the required G's or the more pronounced the effect is at higher G's.
63 posted on 11/12/2006 1:22:02 PM PST by Revolutionary
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To: Ken522

it's moisture in the air that is knocked into a mist by the shock wave.


70 posted on 11/19/2006 4:41:31 AM PST by FastCoyote
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