A Plane from New York to London Almost Went Supersonic
Passengers on a flight from New York to London last week got to their destination more than an hour early thanks to strong winds that helped their plane reach near-supersonic speed. The British Airways flight made the trip in 5 hours and 16 minutes at ground speeds of up to 1,200 km/h 745 mph, CNN reports. The sonic barrier, or the speed of sound, is broken at 1,224 km/h 761 mph. Not only was the unusually fast flight a boon for the passengers, but, according to a former British Airways Pilot, riding jet streams is fun for the pilots, too. "It's just like surfing," Alastair Rosenschein told the Telegraph. Listen to the most important stories of the day.