Mach number a small area around the object's leading edge. (Fig.1b) Fig. 1. "Mach number in transonic airflow around an airfoil; M < 1 (a) and M > 1 (b)." When an aircraft exceeds Mach 1 (i.e. the sound barrier), a large pressure difference is created just in front of the aircraft. This abrupt pressure difference, called a shock wave, spreads backward and outward from the aircraft in a cone shape (a so-called Mach cone). It is this shock wave that causes the sonic boom heard as a fast moving aircraft travels overhead. A person inside the aircraft will not hear this.
Mach Five 345 horsepower, and cost between $75,000 and $125,000 each. The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California has a mid-engine prototype of the Mach Fives in its collection. The Mach Five appears in the live-action film adaptation "Speed Racer", directed by the Wachowski brothers, produced by Joel Silver, and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Mach Five is an actual vehicle and used in the major race of the film. Instead of being driven on pavement, it was hung from a crane and had its effects computer-generated. Along with the Mach Five, the movie features the "Mach 4" and the