If I understand the most entertaining Mythbusters tests with rifles and the Blue Angels programme correctly, sonic booms aren't usually the direct cause of broken glass, but the pressure wave actually distorts any chamber (such as a room) and flexes things like window frames, opens cupboards, moves objects with the occasional, but not inevitable, result of breaking glass as a secondary effect.

Yes, I'm sure most people aren't interested in the distinction either.

But then maybe this was a Convair and USAF pre-emptive strike to avoid the class action the US Government faced after playing with bangs in Operation Bongo II (you couldn't make it up) over Oklahoma city in 1964? That is a fascinating case study (involving century series fighters, but not F-102s) which addresses a number of questions raised in Brett's cool post.

Sorry about staying away ... had a very busy year that seemed to flit by in a flash (or a boom perhaps).

Chemtrails! At Christmas a year ago (i.e. 2008) I was earbashed for ages about that ... by someone (f) I thought would know better.

Ooooh ... maybe she does?

I wouldn't call what we had glorious; the overnight minimum was 30.6 degrees at a bit before 9 am -- equaling the record for Melbourne. And it's something we will have to get used to, unfortunately.

To tie the weather and the sonic boom topics together, there was some public concern in the 1950s that 'scientists' were inadvertently changing the weather, through nuclear tests, supersonic jets, and so on. (The 1954 Washington windscreen pitting panic could be an extreme version of that.) Today we have chemtrails and (much more legitimately, of course) global warming. Plus ça change.

All very unusual for England. The only thing that can be relied on is the press furore: 'Why oh Why aren't we better prepared?' Like Sweden for example. Cos it only happens once every ten or fifteen years! Unlike Sweden, for example.

Perhaps a few sonic booms would shake the weather up?

Roll on spring.

Contemplating the the point of the ad, seems to be an apology [for the racket].

Along those lines there was a trans-continental record breaking flight by a another Convair, the B-58 Hustler, that was, IIRC, well advertised to towns and people along the flight line ... so they could pop out and listen, and watch the streaking vapour trail. Very exciting. I've watched a youTube vid of it, probably still there.

All the best Brett in 2010.

It's 31° here in Philadelphia - though in our case, that's 31° Farenheit.