Critical Mach number and slow down as it travels around the aircraft's structure. When the aircraft's airspeed reaches the critical Mach number, the speed of the airflow in some areas near the airframe reaches the speed of sound, even though the aircraft itself has an airspeed lower than Mach 1.0. This creates a weak shock wave. As the aircraft exceeds the critical Mach number, its drag coefficient increases suddenly, causing dramatically increased drag, and, in an aircraft not designed for transonic or supersonic speeds, changes to the airflow over the flight control surfaces lead to deterioration in control of the aircraft. In aircraft
Mach Loop Typhoon, Hawk jets and C-130J and Short Tucanoas well as U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, which are based at RAF Lakenheath in eastern England and MC-130 and V-22 Osprey from RAF Mildenhall. Many flight simulators have replicated the Mach Loop in Wales, but a notable one is present in the FlightGear flight simulator, created by the FGUK community as an add-on for the simulator, providing the player with the challenge of guiding aircraft at high speed through rings that mark the route. In addition, the scenario has "start" and "finish" points, and each run in the Mach