Air show primary sonic booms across a seismic network

Abstract

Cates and Sturtevant (2002) and others have shown that sonic booms can be recorded using existing seismic networks. To revive this capability for current research, data from permanent seismic stations were utilized to extract primary sonic boom signals from known supersonic flights. The sonic booms were produced on October 14, 2022 near Edward Air Force Base, CA, associated with an Air Show corresponding to the 75th anniversary of the first supersonic flight. The sonic booms were created by F-22, F-18, and F-15 aircraft. The experimental results show that primary sonic booms were measured at different times by seismic networks in Southern California over an area of not less than 10 000 km2 (∼3900 mi2). Secondary booms did not occur during this event due to inadequate upper atmospheric winds. [Work supported by the FAA through ASCENT Project 57 under the supervision of Sandy Liu. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FAA.]