1988, would there have been low altitude training in the Rockies after dark, sonic boom's?

If so, would there be a bright flash?

West slope Colorado, October. We were in a creek canyon at approx. 9,000' & surrounded by peaks to 12,000, it was well after dark. One hell of a boom & flash. Sonic boom was all any of us could think of but never heard a jet.

Any thoughts?

Maybe this:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-12-25-1998359025-story.html

would have to look at some pubs to see if there is a route in that exact area but yeah it's possible. TFR and goggles were coming into training events regularly 80s and 90s. even as early as late 70s.

by the way, if you want to see something freaking crazy, (I heard a rumor they don't do this here anymore BUT) go to Eielson AFB Alaska during a Cope Thunder.

French Mirage 2000s dropping 2000 lb heavy live. 200 feet at night through the canyons. THAT takes some ballz. I saw them do it.

The location is approx. but off by a decade. Interesting though, thanks.

Approx. 20 miles N of Aspen.

The flash?

Should we have heard a jet?

There were a few drinks around the fire & we could have been laughing at a joke or something, but we hadn't had so many that we imagined the boom, nearly scared the crap out of 8 guys.

I teen a air pane yesser day daddy daddy air pane air pane

globemaster

A boom and a flash without subsequent jet noise was likely a meteor or a satellite re-entry. A double boom without a flash may well have been a jet sonic boom. Jet sonics sound like "baBOOM" with a distinct double report.

Thanks to all & to you Rocky, as you might have the answer that best relates, a single boom it was. The quick flash we saw the only thing that didn't remind me of the one fairly close re-entry I've seen.

The event was obviously a long time ago, but another thread reminded me of it & I realized what better place to ask, but here.

I'm going to assume that the flash came well before the boom, and the timing thereof would give you a clue as to how far away it was. Sound travels at about five seconds to the mile, so a boom 10 seconds after a flash means the "event" happened about two miles from you. Your memory may not be that accurate, and you wouldn't have been accurately counting anyway, but that'll give you a very rough estimate.

Have seen a meteorite do that…….. big flash then a boom.

Pretty neat experience…….

Way back in the dark ages I was scouting for Roosevelt Elk on the West side of Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Up the back country on the Sitkum River Headwaters, I was on a ridgetop at about 4000 feet elevation. River bottom was about 2000 feet below me.

Heard a fighter type aircraft burning up the canyon. This was back when the Navy was still flying E6 Prowlers. Looked all around and above, did not see anything. Then I looked down. A darn Prowler was running TFTA maybe 100 feet above the river bottom, headed up river.

Scary. A few milliseconds away from running into the rocky sidewalls of the narrow, steep canyon. Not to mention the over 200 ft high old growth Douglas Fir trees.

I got off work at a pizza place as a teenager and as I was about to get in my car to leave there was a big flash that lasted 2-3 seconds. This was about 10pm or so at night. I could see the shadow it made on the palm trees. Like it was daylight again for those few seconds. Looked up in time to see a fireball breaking into pieces streaking towards the south. Drive home and came inside to tell my dad and first thing he asks is if I heard a boom outside. I hadn’t noticed but I probably had my stereo blaring. Told him what I had seen. I still have a newspaper article about it somewhere. They projected that the fragments likely ended up south of Gila Bend. Which is on the Barry Goldwater Bombing Range so I don’t think they ever found the strewn field.