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Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

forbes.com

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Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#131

Post by throwaway85825 »

logicchains wrote: post #98
michaelmrose wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

>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. You could have used the exact same argument for normal flight 100 years ago. Supersonic flight being more expensive than normal flight doesn't mean it will always be too expensive for the masses unless you assume there'll be no more economic growth e…

Physics doesnt change. It will always cost more energy to fly faster.

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#132

Post by ck2 »

who is rushing out the press releases with just fake news?

NASA only this past month finally did a supersonic flight with their development vehicle

they don't even have data/results yet for the "thunk" test

that's a decade away from commercial success

average person won't even be able to afford a supersonic flight

this administration is beyond bizarre, even when they aren't being destructive they are just wasting everyone's time/money

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#133

Post by idontwantthis »

arjie wrote: post #41

This 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!

Are you talking about Windrunner?

I’m pretty plugged in to aviation news and I had to look up what you were talking about. That seems like an odd thing to be excited about along with Boom. Do they have any kind of prototype yet? I don’t see any major stories about them since 2025.

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#134

Post by budman1 »

yieldcrv wrote: post #112
bearcobra wrote: post #46

On one hand I think we should applaud when regulators target the specific issue (like noise or pollution level) vs using some other metric to achieve their desired outcome. On the other hand I don’t have a ton of faith that current administration will set the targets at levels that have the general public’s interest in mind

I kind of do have that faith. Sean Duffy's reality TV career hasn't really hampered the transportation agencies I think staff at the agencies as well as industry staff are very passionate about what they do in their respective domains, and even with the agency heads being industry plans or uncredentialed susceptible to regulatory capture, I still think I can appreciate the willingness to revisit old prohibitions in c…

If only the staff at the regulating agencies were there. I think they got a dose of DOGE last year.

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#135

Post by inglor_cz »

yborg wrote: post #119

This will free manufacturers to build supersonic private jets for the superwealthy to cruise over flyover America. With normal steerage air travel becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average person, I can't see airlines buying supersonic airliners given fuel costs, they couldn't fill them for what they would have to charge.

How big is the market of supersonic private jets for the superwealthy?

Can someone like Boeing or Airbus live off that indefinitely, instead of ye olde passenger jet production?

"With normal steerage air travel becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average person"

I am 47 and during my lifetime, air travel has moved from the "quite a luxury, plenty of people never experience this" to "you may pay more for the taxi to the airport, a poke bowl at the airport and the taxi in your destination than for the ticket as such" category. Capacity of airports has become a significant bottleneck, because everyone flies.

That's Europe, though, we have a lot of budget airlines there such as Ryanair.

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#136

Post by budman1 »

michaelmrose wrote: post #75
HlessClaudesman wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People finding a way to tolerate what was previously considered intolerable is pretty much the story of civilization.

If supersonic flight is so expensive that less than 1% of the population can enjoy it its not clear why the rest of us ought to tolerate it

Get those rich people out of the private jets and into the supersonic ones. Then the rich people currently in first class can move into the private jets.

Eventually, that means that there will be some seats in the back of the regular plans for everyday wage slaves.

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#137

Post by srean »

WalterBright wrote: post #114
foobarqux wrote: post #8

0.11 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

Back in the 1960s (!) the military would fly supersonic over the town I lived in. I always enjoyed the boom. I would also open the window during a thunderstorm or go sit on the porch because I enjoyed the incredible electric display and the booms.

Memories of a kid on a road trip...Interceptors taking off low, at full afterburners, in the dark of the night, screaming across the highway, for their practice sorties...

I am more anti-(manufactured)-war than most, but these sights were the stuff of goosebumps (the good kind).

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#138

Post by budman1 »

michaelmrose wrote: post #88
ranger_danger wrote: post #85

Earlier 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.

What are we talking about? 5% more? 200% more?

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#139

Post by budman1 »

dylan604 wrote: post #116
foobarqux wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a substantial noise beyond the initial boom which is very loud even relative to the main boom. But even just a half second of a car horn going off right next to you every so often is intolerable.

> But even just a half second of a car horn going off right next to you every so often is intolerable. You must not have a neighbor with a car whose alarm constantly goes off at random points throughout the day right outside your window. You eventually don't notice it. Speaking from experience

live by a railroad track. takes about 6 months till you don't notice it. at all.

Re: Supersonic flight returning to US after half-century ban

#140

Post by pfdietz »

foobarqux wrote: post #61
Robotbeat wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re no longer sonic booms under the appropriate conditions. They still make some noise, as does, for example, high speed rail.

They are in fact the same. 108dB loud.

In Japan, HST noise is limited to 70-75 dB at 25 meters from the track.

The 108 dB sonic boom will be experienced over a much larger area.

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