The wing area of the Lockheed F-104 straight-wing supersonic fighter airplane is approximately 210 ft2. The weight of the airplane while flying level at Mach 2.2 at a standard altitude of 36,000 ft is 16,000 lb.
a. Estimate the wave drag experienced by the airplane. Assume that all the necessary lift is generated by the wing of the airplane. It can usually be assumed that the thin airfoil results are applicable for the wing.
To fly level, the airplane's lift must balance its weight at all time.
b. How far behind the nose of the airplane will the shock wave impinge upon the ground? For this problem, assume that the angle of the shock wave from the nose is approximated by the Mach angle (very weak shock) and the ground is flat and level.