

Experimental aircraft speeds to Mach 5.1 in test flight - adventured
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/03/190327/experimental-aircraft-speeds-to.html

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jared314
Previous Discussions about the Waverider:

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5653515>

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4387725>

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1383627>

A story timeline would be a neat feature for HN.

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cmbaus
I think the more amazing part of this story is that it was launched from a
b-52 which has been in service for over 50 years! Talk about engineering
longevity.

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caf
There are B-52 pilots today whose grandfathers also flew the aircraft in
service.

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hfsktr
When I read about the sound barrier I got lost in the amount of things that
can be learned.

One being that it isn't just a simple thing speed up an airplane to faster
than we have before. They have different designs because the air acts
differently as the speed changes and doesn't function the same. Seeing how the
shape (overall but especially the nose) changes for each type is pretty cool.

A lot of the articles get linked off here if you have an interest:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersonic>

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minopret
Would someone change the title to Mach 5.1 rather than the unconventional unit
of 3000 mph?

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peripetylabs
Congratulations on a successful test flight. Aircraft that fly up to Mach 10
can still use radio communication. That wasn't the case with the Falcon
Project's HTV-2. I guess the Air Force wants a GPS-guided hypersonic cruise
missile.

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iandh
I'm not sure where you got this fact, but HTV-2 had two independent RF
communication systems and flew close to Mach 20.

I do agree with you that the Air Force wants hypersonic flight vehicles. Looks
like air-breathing hypersonics are the priority.

~~~
peripetylabs
Past Mach 10, a layer of plasma is formed on the leading surface of the
aircraft, which RF cannot traverse. This is also why atmospheric reentry
occurs in a blackout. There's a good explanation of the phenomenon here:

[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=piercing-
th...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=piercing-the-plasma)

