Everything on board trembles and panic breaks out: the plane exceeds 1,200 km/h (the speed of sound)

There were many seconds, if not minutes of fear at high altitudes experienced by hundreds of passengers traveling on the plane airplane from Virgin Atlantic It took off from Washington Airport heading to London: the speed of the instruments on board recorded a value exceeding 800 miles per hour, i.e. 1,287 km/hThis is technically faster than the speed of sound (about 1230 km/h).

What happened on the plane?

A video taken by a passenger on the planeAccount X The video is filmed on the Internet: Passengers cling, with maximum force, to the seat in front of them while there is a tremor on the plane: some scream, others make some screams, and no one knows exactly what is happening in those moments while the plane flies at an altitude of 10,600 meters. In some moments, you can also clearly see the sudden changes as if they were empty of air, so much so that the video camera of the person filming those moments cannot stay still: there are also those who seek comfort with their gaze. From the window to get answers.

Wind speed 425 km/h

The National Weather Service office covering the Washington-Baltimore area said winds of 265 mph (425 km/h) were blowing aloft, the second highest since records began in the 1950s. It was about JetThat is, the jet stream that “doubled” the plane's normal flight speed until it broke the speed of sound. “For those flying east in this plane (flow) there will be a nice tailwind“, books Weather service on X. The flight arrived in London 45 minutes before scheduled time.

This event would have occurred in the Atlantic Ocean just east of Long Island as the plane was ascending and entering the rapid flow of the jet stream. Once outside, the speed settled between 600 and 700 mph (roughly 965 to 1,100 km/h). “Although the maximum flight speed was higher than the speed of sound, the plane did not break the sound barrier. Some experts explain to the Washington Post – Even if its ground speed — a measurement that combines the plane's actual speed with the added thrust of the wind — was greater than the speed of sound, it would still be moving through the surrounding air at its normal flight speed. It happened that the surrounding air was moving at an unusual speed.”.

What happened to the other planes?

However, the same fate has also befallen other flights flying over the region using the superjet stream as in the case of United Airlines Flight 64 from Newark to Lisbon which reached a ground speed of 835 miles (1,343 km/h) off the Pacific coast. East Coast of America according to Flight Aware arriving 20 minutes early. The same goes for American Airlines Flight 120 from Philadelphia to Doha, Qatar, which reached speeds of about 840 mph, among the highest ever recorded.