In the 1970’s, British and French airplane manufacturers built the Concorde, the first supersonic passenger jet. 20 planes were built in competition with the USSR during the cold war. The jets were expensive, loud, and impractical, so they were retired in 2004, considered a failure. The world didn’t have the technology to support a supersonic airliner in the 20th century. Today the concept is much more feasible with advancements in jet engines, materials, and aerodynamics. Air travel is one of the biggest parts of the world’s economic infrastructure, and careful consideration should be taken to make the world even more accessible faster. Anyone who has flown probably wouldn’t mind eliminating the unneeded stress and wasted time in the air. …show more content…
Pressure builds up around the object and releases a shockwave known as a sonic boom behind the object. Sonic booms from aircraft can be extremely loud for miles, even when an aircraft is at cruising altitude. They’re so loud, that most supersonic aircraft aren’t allowed to fly at mach speeds over United States land, which is very understandable for anyone who has heard a sonic boom. Engineers are working on ways to reduce sonic booms and make sure the boom can’t reach the ground. Ed Haering is a physicist working with NASA. He did a study to reduce a jet’s sonic boom by changing the shape of the body; “the work could form the basis of a prototype in which the boom could be reduced to 15 pascals” (Chandler). Noise solutions will allow aircraft to comply with current regulations, while still flying supersonic over …show more content…
The Concorde was criticized for its poor emissions of ozone, carbon dioxide, and other damaging chemicals. The Concorde did release more of these chemicals because it used more fuel than other planes, but it used the same fuel as other planes did -- and still do. Concerns over radiation also arose surrounding the Concorde, because it flew at a higher altitude than other planes. This means a passenger is exposed to more harmful radiation than one would on another plane. A passenger would still receive less radiation than on another flight because he is in the air for less than half the