Operation Bongo

The Oklahoma City sonic boom tests, also known as Operation Bongo II, refer to a controversial experiment in which 1,253 sonic booms were carried out over Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, over a period of six months in 1964. The experiment was intended to quantify the effects of transcontinental supersonic transport (SST) aircraft on a city and to measure the boom's effect on structures and public attitude, and to develop standards for boom prediction and insurance data.

Oklahoma City's population was perceived to be relatively tolerant of such an experiment, as it had an economic dependency on the nearby Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center and Tinker Air Force Base; and in fact local Chamber of Commerce threw a celebratory dinner when Oklahoma was selected.

Despite this, the testing was stopped early in the wake of damage complaints, and although the final report said that "the overwhelming majority felt they could learn to live with the numbers and kinds of booms experienced" the FAA's poor handling of complaints led to a class action lawsuit against the U.S. government - and the negative publicity associated with the tests partially influenced the 1971 cancellation of the Boeing 2707 project; and the United States' complete withdrawal from SST design.

Starting on February 3, 1964, the first sonic booms began, eight booms per day that began at 7 a.m. and ended in the afternoon. The Air Force used F-104 fighter and B-58 bomber aircraft to produce the booms, along with the occasional F-101 and F-106.

The noise was limited to 1.0 to 1.5 pound-force per square foot (48 to 72 pascal) for the first twelve weeks, then increased to 1.5 to 2.0 psf (72 to 96 pascal) for the final fourteen weeks. This range was about equal to that expected from an SST. Though eight booms per day were harsh, the peak overpressures of 2.0 psf were supposedly an order of magnitude lower than that needed to shatter glass, and are considered marginally irritating according to published standards.

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