I must be flying on some sort of fancy new MD-88 today...
Aug 5, 2012, 8:32 pm
#4
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Did the plane start to fall apart or burn upon re-entry? 
Aug 5, 2012, 8:51 pm
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The mach calculator I pulled up to check this yields Mach 1.01. Congrats - you're on the first MD-88 to break the sound barrier! Surprised the aircraft is still in one piece ...
Aug 5, 2012, 9:01 pm
#6
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The altitude is not realistic...the mad-dog is limited to something below 49000. (not sure what it is, but probably about 39000 or 41000) The speed on the other hand is completely realistic. The speed displayed is the ground speed...the speed at which the aircraft is moving over the ground. A typical jetliner travels at about 450 knots true airspeed (the speed over the ground in a no wind condition). Add in a 130 knot tail wind and now you have 580 knots. Add the 15% conversion to MPH and you have 667 MPH. That type of tail wind is very common when in the jetstream. Now, given that the flight was from MSP-ATL and the fact that altitude is obviously wrong, I am guessing that the speed is wrong as well, but keep in mind that it is entirely possible to have a GS of what seems to be higher than Mach 1. Mach number is based on true airspeed....not ground speed. The readout is ground speed.
Aug 5, 2012, 9:19 pm
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The altitude is not realistic...the mad-dog is limited to something below 49000. (not sure what it is, but probably about 39000 or 41000) The speed on the other hand is completely realistic. The speed displayed is the ground speed...the speed at which the aircraft is moving over the ground. A typical jetliner travels at about 450 knots true airspeed (the speed over the ground in a no wind condition). Add in a 130 knot tail wind and now you have 580 knots. Add the 15% conversion to MPH and you have 667 MPH. That type of tail wind is very common when in the jetstream. Now, given that the flight was from MSP-ATL and the fact that altitude is obviously wrong, I am guessing that the speed is wrong as well, but keep in mind that it is entirely possible to have a GS of what seems to be higher than Mach 1. Mach number is based on true airspeed....not ground speed. The readout is ground speed.
Aug 6, 2012, 8:34 am
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Aug 6, 2012, 10:09 am
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