Rocket launches feel the same way. I got to see STS121 launch from the VIP area at Kennedy Space Center a couple of years back, and it felt like a continuous pressure wave pounding on my chest until the rocket was above the clouds. Crazy feeling.
Sure feels like it; don't dare look at a calendar.
STS-121 was 5 years before that. ;)
You either have the worlds most sensitive chest or your memory of the experience is comparable to your memory of the date it occurred, a tad bit distorted. ;)
I was working at a facility where we tested gas turbines and spent a good amount of time studying combustion acoustics. The best way I could describe the feeling standing near the water for the shuttle launch was feeling a continuous combustion pressure hitting my chest. Pounding wasn't the best choice of words.