*** Posted by Rapier ***
Hello,

I a modern day Airliner were to change direction if it were going at a supersonic speed the wing's would snap off in a second. It is much easier to change altitude and direction in a fighter because they are built in a compact and have a very strong structure to deal with the stresses of G as you well know Run, so they can make fast changes no problem. As you also know "Concorede" is the only supersonic passanger jet, capable of twice the speed of sound. Notice it is a delta wing aircraft to give good handling and lift, as well as stuctural integrity. You are corect though, although airliners of today cant go supersonic they also have their engines restricted in some way to stop noise pollution. Sometimes even fighter pilot's can get into trouble if they take of using the burner in a built up area when they have been told not to use it on take off.

With regards to the F-16 engine noise I realised that the engine intake is loud but did'nt realise it was that loud at the intake. Thinking about it logically this would be true because the air is being compressed at the early stage, the sound of the air being forced to the rear of the engine from the compression blades. So what's it like in the F-16 when you put the burner in, it must be louder at the rear then? The loudest aircraft I have ever heard was the Panavia Tornado's, they are so loud they make the ground shake when taking off and your insides literally rattle around. They should have called it the Panavia Earthquake. This was confirmed the other day when a airshow about 15 miles away from me was taking place, I had the pleasure of seeing 2 F-16's scream past at about 7000 ft followed by 2 Tornado's about 20 min's later. The Tornado's I could hear much earlier than the F-16's. It was a great site though!

Regards

Rapier