Anyone remember the sonic boom testing that went on in 1964 or there abouts? Not sure what caused me to think about it. Must be getting old!
Our house developed a crack in the chimney. I think I even remember someone coming out to look at it.

A different day and age to be sure.

I definitely do remember it. I even wrote an article about it for one of the national electronics magazines; I was free-lancing at the time and everything was grist for my mill. The result of those tests was one of the major reasons why we never pursued supersonic transport over land.

On April 19, 1995, my first two thoughts were thunder and sonic boom.

I remember it very well and always found it to be fun.

Since I remember them, I would have thought it was later than 1964, as I would have only been 4 at the time.

But there's a lot of great information on this on Wikipedia:


The Oklahoma City sonic boom tests, also known as Operation Bongo II, refer to a controversial experiment in which 1,253 sonic booms were carried out over Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, over a period of six months in 1964. The experiment, which ran from February 3 through July 29, 1964, inclusive, intended to quantify the effects of transcontinental supersonic transport (SST) aircraft on a city. The program was managed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which enlisted the aid of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Air Force. Public opinion measurement was subcontracted to the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of the University of Chicago.

It was not the first experiment, as tests had been done at Wallops Island, Virginia, in 1958 and 1960, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in 1960 and 1961, and in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1961 and 1962. However, none of these tests examined sociological and economic factors in any detail. The Oklahoma City experiments were vastly larger in scope, seeking to measure the boom's effect on structures and public attitude, and to develop standards for boom prediction and insurance data.

Oklahoma City was chosen, as the region's population was perceived to be relatively tolerant for such an experiment. The city had an economic dependency on the FAA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center and Tinker Air Force Base, both of which were based there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_sonic_boom_tests

On April 19, 1995, my first two thoughts were thunder and sonic boom.

Exactly. I was all the way up in Guthrie and it was a crystal clear morning so I figured it had to be a sonic boom instead of thunder.

I remember the sonic booms because we were visiting my grandparents who lived out in Shady Nook (a few miles northeast of Tinker field) that year. They weren't fond of them at all. They kept thinking they were damaging their little house--and were probably right. The biggest of those earthquakes a while back started with something that reminded me of a muffled sonic boom.

Well folks, I need some help here. I heard the sonic booms and I left Oklahoma in 1961. We lost some windows and so did my school. Could the Wikipedia article be referring to a second series of boom? I think I will go to the Oklahoman archives and see what I find.
C. T.

Well, I'm not totally crazy. The first booms were a B-58 on December 15, 1960. Looks like they were originally announced September 25, 1959. This is according to articles in the Oklahoman archives. I was pretty sure since I was a window glazer for the OKC Board of Education in the summer of 1960.
C. T.

I definitely do remember it. I even wrote an article about it for one of the national electronics magazines; I was free-lancing at the time and everything was grist for my mill. The result of those tests was one of the major reasons why we never pursued supersonic transport over land.

What got me thinking about the sonic boom testing was an old thread concerning noise from jet engine testing at Will Rogers Airport. Made me think about how much more quiet modern airliners are compared to those of the 60's. Our house was pretty much underneath the approach path for Will Rogers so plenty of planes passed overhead. That was fine if you liked airplanes like I did, but it could get very noisy. I can remember one time where a passing jet was so loud that I ran out of the house thinking it must be a rocket or something like that passing overhead! No, it was just an old 707, but man was it loud.

The whole SST story is an interesting one. One would think it would just be a matter of making a plane that would fly really fast, but no, it was more complicated than that. As I recall there was considerable protest over allowing the Concorde to land in NYC and Washington, DC, due to the noise. No one had planned on a growing environmental movement to contend with.

I remember them the summer of '64. It seems like they came early in the morning, around 6 am or 7 am. I threw papers in the mornings and remember them.

Bellaboo and jmpokc1957,
I should have mentioned that they were also heard during that time frame, it just appears the first time was in the late fifties.
C. T.

I remember them the summer of '64. It seems like they came early in the morning, around 6 am or 7 am. I threw papers in the mornings and remember them.

As I recall, they occurred around 10 a.m., during my Civics class in high school. Maybe again in the afternoon??

I sort of wonder if "They" are doing Train Horn/Whistle testing now on account of of that French/Concorde/SST has gone the way of the Passenger Pigeon . . . (just kidding . . . Torea =)