Eye-watering simulation shows how fast Mach 10 speed would look at ground level
Published on Aug 10, 2025 at 10:09 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Aug 07, 2025 at 12:43 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Ever wondered what Mach 10 looks like from the ground? A YouTube video just showed us, and it’s both mesmerizing and slightly terrifying.
The simulation isn’t sci-fi – it’s real math brought to life, visualizing a speed most of us will never experience outside a Top Gun: Maverick daydream.
At these speeds, cities whip by like blurs, landscapes disappear in seconds, and your brain barely has time to process what it’s seeing.
And this isn’t just a flashy video trick. The creator actually matched the speed to true Mach 10, and the numbers check out.
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What Mach 10 actually looks like on Earth
The video comes from Airplane Mode on YouTube, and it’s pulled over 1.7 million views.
It’s only 2:20 long, but that’s all it takes to zip from New York City to the San Francisco Bay Area.
The clip starts in the cockpit, then jumps to a view above the clouds at 275,000ft.
By the 1:28 mark, the jet is eating up around 7,200 mph in five seconds – right in Mach 10 territory.
And as if that doesn’t highlight how quick this is, the creator writes that ‘it would take 4 hours and 50 minutes to circumnavigate the world at this speed’ – mind blown.
Viewers were stunned.
One joked the aircraft was moving so fast your brain wouldn’t even process the scenery.
Another pointed out that the shockwave alone would be deadly if you tried this near the ground.
The surreal reality of hypersonic speeds
Mach 10 is hypersonic – 10 times the speed of sound – and almost halfway to the Mach 20 you need to stay in orbit.
Anything moving this fast at low altitude would leave a trail of sonic booms and destruction.
Watching it online is safe, though. It’s a strange mix of hypnotic and humbling, seeing the US flash by in under 150 seconds.
And the craziest part? Compared to light speed, this is crawling.
In a simulation, Mach 10 is a thrill ride. In real life, blink and you’d miss it – if you survived the boom.
Subscribe to Airplane Mode on YouTube for more, or watch the full simulation below:
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
