If you really want to make an impact on the noise floor, ban gasoline leaf blowers.
I have a special seething hatred for leafblowers. The noise to utility ratio is so high.
Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
101–110 of 207 posts
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
You have to start somewhere before you can build towards an economy of scale that makes it affordable. If people used your same logic about regular airplanes, we wouldn't be using them today.
Supersonic flight will never be suitable for the masses compared to normal flight due to basic physics. It will always require much more expensive planes and more fuel. It's not more viable now wealth inequality just means that there are more rich people to benefit.
There are 28 000 passenger flights in the US every day, imagine the noise under major corridors if a large percentage of them was supersonic.
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#1030.11 pound per square foot is what is being proposed. That's 108 decibels. Which is between standing next to a lawn mower and standing next to a car horn. I don't see how anyone will tolerate that in practice. https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/db
My only experience with a sonic boom was in D.C. a few years ago when fighters were scrambled to intercept a learjet which had depressurized and everyone onboard was unconscious. I believe it ultimately crashed somewhere in VA or WV. Anyway, my windows were open and the "blast" was startlingly loud, but not like a detonation. More of a gentler push like a large fireworks explosion. It was both a loud sound and a pressure wave sufficient to move the curtains in the windows. There were emergency services responding all over the city looking for the source of an explosion.
I guess we'll get used to it if that kind of things becomes routine? I'm not sure.
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are in fact the same. 108dB loud.
A sonic boom and a loud sound are not, in fact, the same thing.
If that loud sound is roughly boom-like in shape and texture, and caused by an object moving faster through its medium than the speed of sound of its medium, then they are, in fact, the same thing.
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#105This is so exciting. The only ones I know working on this are Boom (unless they’ve pivoted entirely into AI DC turbines). Between this and the wind-turbine-blade air transporter it’s an exciting time for aviation. Now if we can only transition off leaded fuel!
Why is this an exciting time for aviation? Or more specifically, why should I (a person who never spends more than $2,000 on air travel) be excited?
Assuming Boom or someone else makes it, it's potentially interesting if you routinely fly business/first class today. Which is thousands of dollars for trans-oceanic flights. So, yeah, if you're looking for bargain economy fares this likely won't ever be for you.
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is this an exciting time for aviation? Or more specifically, why should I (a person who never spends more than $2,000 on air travel) be excited?
Increased adoption will put price pressure on traditional flights making them more affordable
that seems very unlikely. margins are already quite thin, and the airlines are making most of their money with the higher fare tiers. if you remove some of those customers, then its entirely possible that the base fare will increase in response.
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is this an exciting time for aviation? Or more specifically, why should I (a person who never spends more than $2,000 on air travel) be excited?
Increased adoption will put price pressure on traditional flights making them more affordable
Not particularly knowledgable about this, but I was under the impression the front of the bus subsidizes the back. So if the front opts for more expensive supersonic flights then the back will have to increase in cost to make it profitable to fly subsonic flights at all.
Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was 100% in your camp until my neighbor bought an electric blower. The loud, high pitched whine is somehow louder and more ear piercing than a gas blower.
Hey, DC resident. We've banned gas leaf blowers. Maybe perhaps possibly, but this is not my experience at all, ever. Even if you are sensitive and impacted, even if someone buys a particularly shrill one: I can sit indoors and hear gas leaf blowing from blocks away. At least the disturbance you are hearing is localized.
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Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
Increased adoption will put price pressure on traditional flights making them more affordable
that seems very unlikely. margins are already quite thin, and the airlines are making most of their money with the higher fare tiers. if you remove some of those customers, then its entirely possible that the base fare will increase in response.
This big airlines in the US loose money overall operating flights. They make it up on loyalty programs and credit cards.