As I sit here listening to the Blue Angels putting on their annual Bay Area advertisement for airborne destruction, I can't help but recall a recent episode of Mythbusters investigating whether or not a sonic boom can break glass. A question I'm sure we've all asked ourselves. And where did they get this idea?
"I came up with the idea of getting 'Mythbusters' to test the theory about a year ago," said Capt. Tyson Dunkelberger, Blue Angels’ public affairs officer. "They were busy filming at the time, but we tried again six months ago and now we’re finally here working with them." To test the myth, the crew built a small shed with a window, parked a car nearby with the windows rolled up and set up glassware on a table. Two Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets then zipped over the test area, directing the sonic boom toward the ground as they passed. [...]
Events like this are part of the Blue Angels public relations mission. "Our role is to represent and promote the Navy and Marine Corps in the best possible way," said Dunkelberger. "An event like this is a great public relations opportunity. If we can inspire someone watching the show to think about joining the military, then the Blue Angels have done their job."
Hey, it sure was helpful of the Mythbusters to produce a prime-time recruiting video for the Pentagon. And it's also fortunate that these F-18s weren't too busy blowing up mosques in Fallujah to do the show with them.
While I can appreciate their dedication to the scientific method, though, the Mythbusters could have saved a lot of time by going to the Gaza Strip and asking anyone on the street about this "myth", since the Israelis have made a regular practice of terrorizing the entire population there with sonic booms:
Israel is deploying a terrifying new tactic against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by letting loose deafening "sound bombs" that cause widespread fear, induce miscarriages and traumatise children.
The removal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip opened the way for the military to use air force jets to create dozens of sonic booms by breaking the sound barrier at low altitude, sending shockwaves across the territory, often at night. Palestinians liken the sound to an earthquake or huge bomb. They describe the effect as being hit by a wall of air that is painful on the ears, sometimes causing nosebleeds and "leaving you shaking inside".
The Palestinian health ministry says the sonic booms have led to miscarriages and heart problems. The United Nations has demanded an end to the tactic, saying it causes panic attacks in children. The shockwaves have also damaged buildings by cracking walls and smashing thousands of windows.
Tonight on Israeli Mythbusters: we know sonic booms can break glass, but can they also shatter the human psyche? Stay tuned!
As much as I wish it would happen, though, I don't think we're going to see a Gaza followup episode. There's just not nearly as much entertainment (or recruitment) value in Palestinian children wetting their beds and having night terrors as there is in showing brightly-painted F/A-18 Hornets screaming through the sky against a bad heavy metal soundtrack.
[ Previous Fleet Week-related thoughts here. ]
Miscarriages stop the next generation of terrorists before they can be born!
Earlier: "1 shot 2 kills".
Posted by: Save the Oocytes | Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 03:44 PM
I live in the "birthplace of aviation" (!!) so you have an idea of what myself and hundreds of vets with PTSD are treated to several 10x a year...
Posted by: KDelphi | Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 02:12 PM