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Prior to the sound barrier being broken there were numerous attempts by those not understanding the physical principles of supersonic flight. It was observed that as the barrier was approached incredible turbulence occurred, such that planes simply were shorn of their wings and crashed to the ground. Such was the conclusion of sense certainty. Discovery of the actual physical principles involved, the fact that a cone formed around the plane of increasingly compressed air, which was responsible for the turbulence, finally led to redesign of the aircraft which minimized the result of the turbulence caused by the cone. Now, escape into the calm air at supersonic speeds, became possible although the calm air which had always surrounded the cone.