# plane speed of sound

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-speed-of-sound/113298>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 10, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-speed-of-sound/113298 "2002-06-10T19:15:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Myron\_Bolitar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Myron\_Bolitar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Bolitar)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-speed-of-sound/113298/1 "2002-06-10T19:15:11Z")

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Some friends of mine and I were wondering  
If you’re traveling at the speed of sound in an airplane, and you walk from the back of the plane to the front of the plane, are you going faster then the speed of sound?😕

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-speed-of-sound/113298/2 "2002-06-10T19:18:42Z")

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Yes and No.

Yes, you’re going faster than the speed of sound in the air outside the airplane. Obviously, however, you’re not going faster than the speed of sound in the air _inside_ the plane, which is where I assume you are.

After all, there’s nothing fundamental about the speed of sound; it’s not like the speed of light in a vacuum.

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**Author:** ![Myron\_Bolitar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Myron\_Bolitar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Bolitar)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-speed-of-sound/113298/3 "2002-06-10T19:20:01Z")

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thanks