Has the FAA given any indication on what the decibel threshold might be to potentially reverse the overland ban on supersonics? You had mentioned in another comment that the tipping point might be the feasibility and eventual popularity from going LAX/SFO - Tokyo but that in and of itself may not be enough satisfy residents and other groups.
Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
341–350 of 488 posts
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#342That's good news for ozone layer. Luckily this seems to be only a few guys, a wish, and a rendering.
> That's good news for ozone layer. Luckily this seems to be only a few guys, a wish, and a rendering.
Sorry, what connection does this have with the ozone layer?
The most sense I can make of your comment is that you're concerned about CO2 emissions from supersonic flight and don't understand the difference between global warming and ozone depletion.
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#343Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had always thought that the small size of the Concorde was what made the per seat cost so expensive and held the Concorde back economically. So my expectation was that to be economically successful, you'd have to build a supersonic plane that carried more people. Clearly you know more about this than me, but can you elaborate on why my view isn't correct?
Actually, Concorde was too big : 100 seats. It worked NY/London but at ~$20k/seat they couldn't fill enough seats several times daily on other routes. Which means you can't have many airplanes, which means no economies of scale. With 40 seats and business class prices, the Boom airplane works on many more routes, which means we can make a lot of airplanes and enjoy economies of scale. Looking into the future, as fuel…
> It worked NY/London but at ~$20k/seat they couldn't fill enough seats several times daily on other routes.
Your price is way off.
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/re...
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#344This is perhaps the best thing about income inequality: Things with initial high cost, low volume are doable until investment dollars, etc, can reduce the cost.
I'm really excited to see this!
However, there's no indication as to what kind of seating you're going for. Will these be economy, premium economy (aka, US-national business), or business (aka, lie-flat) seats?
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#345Earlier quoted context omitted.
What will your pilots do, just as a for instance, if ... say a lone Cessna asks tower for his ground speed ... and then a bit later a navy F-18 pilot also asks tower for his ground speed ? What will they do in that situation ?
Hilarious context, for those who haven't read it yet: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/favorite-sr-71-story-107912704...
Oh man what hilarious story! Thanks for posting it.
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#346Hi - I'm Blake, Founder/CEO at Boom. After watching no tangible progress in supersonics since Concorde was shut down, I started Boom because I want supersonic flight in our lifetime. Not just as a private jet, but something most anyone can afford to fly. Will try to answer as many questions here as I can.
Are there other areas you or other readers can think of in which a technology that was previously available or in use went away entirely with no replacement?
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#347Earlier quoted context omitted.
I lived under the Concorde flight path near Dulles. I couldn't hear it, but we'd go out side to watch it fly over every now and then.
Modern aircraft are so dull! Efficient, safe, cheap, reliable even, relatively comfortable, but so boring . Even the A380 is a boring, and that's an office block with wings. How can something so incredible be so deadly dull? ...yeah, yeah, I know, being dull is an accomplishment in itself, and the duller aircraft are the better they are, and the one thing that every passenger pilot in the world wants is a thoroughly…
A380 passes overhead here every day on final, it is uncanny how it just seems to hang there on account of it being so large that relative to its speed it takes a while to move it's own length. Sure it's still going quite fast but it doesn't seem that it does and this sets of some 'it's going to fall' alarm at the back of my mind. Weirdest feeling.
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#348Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#349Earlier quoted context omitted.
> single-day business trips between two major business centers which were otherwise a full day apart. Was the LON-NYC flight time the problem, though? I think that to go door-to-door right now you spend 50% of the time in the air and the other 50% on the ground. With this company, you'll be spending 3.5 hours in the air and 8 hours getting to and from airports and through security.
It depends on the airport that you are travelling from. London City has famously fast security, currently you can check-in upto 15 minutes before the scheduled time of departure for a flight to New York. [1] [1] http://www.londoncityairport.com/travelandbooking/page/check...
When flying in from Amsterdam that 'famously fast security' takes more time than the actual flight.
Re: Boom (YC W16) – Supersonic Passenger Airplanes
#350Hi - I'm Blake, Founder/CEO at Boom. After watching no tangible progress in supersonics since Concorde was shut down, I started Boom because I want supersonic flight in our lifetime. Not just as a private jet, but something most anyone can afford to fly. Will try to answer as many questions here as I can.
Lots of questions here:
What are your goals/timelines with regards to funding (Very different than SAAS)? For a new plane won't you need hundreds of millions of dollars before you even get a prototype flying?
Why haven't Boeing/Lockheed/Northrup built a plane to fly supersonic ?
Is the execution of building a new plane or patents going to be your path to success ?
Wasn't Warren Buffet investing in this space a few years back ?