An F/A-18 Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron One Five One (VFA-151) breaks the sound barrier in the skies over the Pacific Ocean, July 7, 1999.  Ensign John Gay, photo officer for Fighter Squadron Two (VF 2), shot this image from the 0-10 level weather deck (the uppermost deck on the island) of USS Constellation (CV 64). It was shot with a Nikon N-90s with a Nikon 70-300 ED zoom lens, using Kodacolor 200 negative film. The camera was set for manual exposure of F/5.6 at 1/1000 sec. The image was acquired with a single shot, panned from left to right, pre-focused at approximately 200-300 yards off the port side of the ship, where the aircraft flew by.

Every so often, just the right combination of conditions and events occur to create an unbelievable event... in this case an F/A-18 passing through the sound barrier. Not only were the water vapor, density and temperature just right, but there just happened to be a camera in the vicinity to capture the moment. The F/A-18 is actually in transonic flight, with normal shock waves emanating from behind the canopy and across the wings and fuselage. The condition will last for only an instant, and once supersonic flow exists completely around the aircraft, sharp-angled sonic cones replace the normal shock waves. The odds of getting a shot like this are staggering.