It's not the humidity that varies, it's the pressure. The visible shock wave is
due to a
pressure transition as the supersonic shockwave travels back along the
fuselage. The
sudden drop in pressure in the zone just behind the shockwave causes the
moisture in the
air to condense out. The same phenomenon is often visible as streamers off of
the wingtips
or propellor tips of an aircraft in humid conditions - but those examples don't
look
nearly as cool as an F-14 bustin' Mach!
Gary McCormick
San Jose, CA
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justinc@tbg-arch.com wrote:
> Datsun listers
>
> I have a great mpeg of an F-14 going supersonic on a fly-by at sea. it shows
> the effect that variable humidity has on the plane as it transitions,
> including a pretty noticeable nose bobble! the pilot is the brother of a
> client who has been to topgun twice! so i'm told!
>
> but i don't have a web page of my own to post this on....i would love to
> email it to someone who would be interested in posting it for the listers to
> check out?
>
> contact me directly and i can email it to you...
>
> Justin Chester
> 68 - 1600
> justinc@tbg-arch.com
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