What I learned today!

[_Res Ipsa]

I learned about Operation Bongo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_ ... boom_tests

When Boeing was planning to build the SST (Super Sonic Transport), it needed to conduct tests to see how sonic booms would effect communities the SST would fly over. Oklahoma City volunteered. Perhaps they thought all those spring and summer thunderstorms had the populace trained to ignore the sonic booms.

As the test began, complaints began pouring in. They went up to something light seven flights a day. The results influenced the eventual cancellation of Boeing's SST, resulting to layoffs and a notorious billboard posted near I-5 that read "Will the last person to leave Seattle please turn off the lights."

Years later, Oklahoma City would rub salt in the wound by stealing and NBA team away from Seattle -- the Seattle SuperSonics.

[_Gunnar]

Speaking of sonic booms, during the first few years of my marriage I was in the Air Force stationed at Edwards AFB near Lancaster Calif, and until our names reached the top of the waiting list for base housing, we lived in the nearby town of Boron, which boastfully claims to be the sonic boom capital of the world.

Not only were we subjected to numerous sonic booms, the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory was just a mile or two away on a hill the other side of the highway from us, and clearly visible from our house. We were there when they were still developing and testing the F1 rocket engines used in the Saturn V rockets that propelled the Apollo missions to the moon. When these engines were tested, you could clearly hear the roar on the main base, where I worked, 10 miles away! You can hardly imagine what the noise and spectacle was like from the much closer proximity of our home in Boron! Sometimes they tested them at night, and the whole sky lit up, and the house we lived it and the ground it was sitting literally shook from the noise! I was driving home from the base one night on the road that went right by AFRPL, when they suddenly initiated one of the tests. I was so startled that I nearly drove off the road!

If anyone is interested, here is an article on research to solve or minimize sonic boom so SSTs can safely fly over populated areas.

NASA and private companies are pushing research to reintroduce supersonic flight to the aerospace market.

[_Markk]

I grew up around 3 or 4 miles from Norton Air Force base and I remember sonic booms shaking the windows at my elementary school in the mid 60's often.

Also, and I have no idea if they were rockets or jet engines but I remember that they often fired what ever they were up and you could hear them from one side of the Valley to the other.

[_Markk]

My new favorite show is "Aerial America," I learn more watching this than I can remember...pretty cool.

I learned today from watching it, that Elvis, for his birthday wanted a rifle, his mother however talked him into buying a guitar for 7 bucks and the rest is history.

[_Res Ipsa]

Cool information, guys. Markk, I’m diggin’ this thread. Thanks for starting it.

[_EAllusion]

One of the most "blow my mind" things I've learned that seems so obvious in retrospect, but doesn't get talked about a lot is that some rich people own stores that lose money simply as a hobby. You ever walk by a storefront sitting in a prime location downtown dedicated to hat polishing and wonder how that could possibly be staying in business? The answer might be that it's slowly bleeding money, but it doesn't matter because it's the personal hobby of someone who doesn't care that they're losing money. I always knew the wealthy have extravagant hobbies. We all know that. It just never occurred to me that might include a losing business proposition because its their passion. For some reason, this gave me a greater appreciation of the depths of extreme wealth than things like private jets.

[_Kevin Graham]

One of the most "blow my mind" things I've learned that seems so obvious in retrospect, but doesn't get talked about a lot is that some rich people own stores that lose money simply as a hobby. You ever walk by a storefront sitting in a prime location downtown dedicated to hat polishing and wonder how that could possibly be staying in business? The answer might be that it's slowly bleeding money, but it doesn't matter because it's the personal hobby of someone who doesn't care that they're losing money. I always knew the wealthy have extravagant hobbies. We all know that. It just never occurred to me that might include a losing business proposition because its their passion. For some reason, this gave me a greater appreciation of the depths of extreme wealth than things like private jets.

Yes!

There are a couple of stores downtown Woodstock like this, they both sell antiques and I rarely ever see customers walking through the store and I don't recall anyone ever buying anything either.

[_Markk]

I learned on Arial America today...that many scientists believe that the Ozark "Mountains" in Missouri, are not really Mountains.

Basically when the oceans subsided a huge plateau was left, and then over time erosion formed what appears to be a mountain, but is really a eroded plateau.

[_Markk]

Not so much of learning something, but a cool find.

I have shared I am in Historic Restoration of old buildings, and today I was crawling under a Victorian built in 1898 doing a structural survey. And I found a empty match book from a local gas station and tire store with a picture of Hitler being punched in the chin by a fist, it read "Smash the Axis".... The store was in Fullerton Ca...and the phone# was " Fullerton 704."

Brought back memories of our phone number as a child..."Turner 62984"

{edit} I googled "Hitler match book" and actually found the exact image, but a different company.

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... xRN1_NxPbM:

[_Dr. Shades]

I have shared I am in Historic Restoration of old buildings, and today I was crawling under a Victorian built in 1898 doing a structural survey.

What do you do about all the bugs?