text: SONIC “BOOMS’ 
  
  From the standpoint of public relations 
  and the maintaining of friendly public support 
  for Naval Aviation, great care must be taken 
  to prevent sonic booms in populated areas. 
  While the ordinary sonic boom does not carry 
  any potential of physical damage, the disturb- 
  ance must be avoided because of the undesirable 
  annoyance and apprehension. As supersonic 
  flight becomes more commonplace and an 
  ordinary consequence of flying operations, the 
  prevention of sonic booms in populated areas 
  becomes a difficult and perplexing job. 
  
  When the airplane is in supersonic flight, 
  the local pressure and velocity changes on the 
  airplane surfaces are coincident with 
  the 
  formation of shock waves. The pressure jump 
  through the shock waves in the immediate 
  vicinity of the airplane surfaces is determined 