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The "wake" seen is most likely due to a change in the refractive index of the air around the bullet caused by the air being compressed by the shock wave, i.e. the compressed air around the bullet has a higher density than the AIR not affected by the bullet. edited typo - shoulda been in typing class in 7th grade, and not playing hooky to build go-karts! "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

kbordson: Thanks. Looks like an interesting document. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

I may pee in the shower on occasion. Pee is supposed to be quite sterile. Of course, when I'm a guest in someone's home I will refrain from peeing in their shower. A firm rule follows: I will never POO in the shower, even at home. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

Good to have a Mom who knows how to feed her kids something other than top ramen and kool-aid! "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

I have fired may thousands of ammo rounds in my life. The only things I have killed were a few rabbits as a kid (hit 'em just right and they EXPLODE!) and 20 or so pest birds on my acreage. Never liked the idea of killing anything, even killing the rabbits as a kid. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

CCI .22 LR Stinger ammo doesn't go subsonic until ~300 meters, depending on the gun of course. Sounds like the shape/size of the moving body (plane, bullet, person, potato) might then have a big effect on the sound of the boom. Of course, God loves this stuff! edited for typo "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

Does the "crack" sound different depending on the size of the bullet? Airplanes always sound like a low boom. Maybe that's because the plane is further away and the pressure wave that passes your ears is "wider" making a lower frequency sound. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

Guns are fun. Years ago in N. CA, a friend and I took a new .22 pistol out to shoot for the first time. We went to a place just oustide of Davis, CA where there was a very long railroad bridge traversing a floodzone known as the Yolo Causeway. The bridge had ~12" dia support posts every 20' or so. We found that if we fired the gun parallel to the supports (with a safe backdrop for the bullet of course), we could hear the echo from the sonic boom created by the bullet as it passed each post. It was a series of sharp cracks only mseconds apart. Sounded pretty GDF cool. God, beer makes for wierd posts. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

SkyMama, Thanks for the advice! I told you I had a lot to learn. It looks like S/L's leading to no delay pulls, then longer and longer delays, etc. is not the most common instruction method (bet there's some debate about that, though). I will go with a good local DZ do what they recommend. A question though: Exit, arch, and canopy control were "easy" for me and were scored well by my instrucor. Landings were scored well, but I never liked them (only two solo jumps though with round canopy). The square canopies, while clearly better for control, spook me a bit because I'd really hate to hose up the flare. Is it easy to learn? Which forum would a question about how to judge flare height, rate, etc. be best to use? thanks again. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

I just did the tandem because I was in the right place and bored one day. It was exactly like I thought it would be, no surprises (square canopy, though, was nothing like the 28' round from the SL's). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that tandems and AFF are really introductory or try-it-once things. The thing to do is find a good instructor(s) and go for it. With my interest in wingsuit/BASE, I hope to hook up with the right people early on and learn as much as possible while developing basic skills. Does this seem like a resonable approach? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG

Hi folks. Did a couple static lines in ~'81 and a tandem a few years ago. Interested in making a real commitment to it. Currently, am just hanging out here reading about all the new thing going on; absorbing the safety info., etc. Long term goal is to learn wingsuit flight and BASE. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG