Expert: Mark Janus - 7/28/2009

Question
Hello: Popular Science currently has an article about a SU-27 flying at Mach 2 with an open cockpit,apparently as part of a movie.Is this possible,or is it BS? Here is a link to the article:http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-07/going-mach-20-open-cockpit
Thanks

Answer
I would say it's hype...  while being in the wake of an object provides some "protection", at Mach 2 there would be a strong shockwave in front of the vehicle (indeed heating the flow and significantly raising the pressure), and if the flow remains supersonic the open cockpit would result in expansion fans (turning the flow and accelerating the flow) off the windshield which would attempt to turn the flow into the cockpit region...  also, the pilot indicating he stuck his fingers in the flow and they were warm sounds totally absurd the skin friction (shearing force) would probably be sufficient to rip a glove off a hand if not the hand off the arm...   There has been some simulation of a high speed ejection that I have seen and that is pretty wild (but that was a computer simulation of what would actually happen)...  and it wasn't Mach 2...  

Just my 2 cents....

mj