Is supersonic travel coming back?
As we plan our holiday to another country, you always have to account for how long you will be on a plane before you get to enjoy your well-earned holiday. The further you fly out, the more time spent on a plane rather than on a sunny beach. You might be seated next to a crying baby or your seats aren’t giving you enough legroom.
Here are a couple of long flights you might have considered or even been on:
London to New York: Average time 6 hours
London to Los Angeles: Average time 11 hours
London to Sydney: Average time 22 hours
Only if you could spend less time in the air and more time enjoying a new destination, supersonic travel might be the answer to this problem.
What is a supersonic flight?
Supersonic flight is one of four speeds of flight which are made of the below:
Subsonic – 613mph (Mach 0.8)
Transonic – 767mph (Mach 1.0)
Supersonic – 920mph to 3836mph (Mach 1.2 to Mach 5)
Hypersonic – Over 3836mph (Faster than Mach 5)
Supersonic speeds are greater than the speed of sound which is about 768mph. When travelling at those speeds a plane will cause a sonic boom that sounds like a loud, thunder-like noise heard by a person on the ground. A sonic boom is produced when air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects. When an object travels through the air, air molecules are pushed aside with great force causing a sonic boom.
Concorde
Concorde was the first supersonic passenger commercial aeroplane that was built by Britain and France. Its first transatlantic crossing was on 26th September 1973. Its first scheduled supersonic passenger service was on 21st January 1976 with British Airways flying the aircraft from London to Bahrain and Air France flying from Paris to Rio Janeiro. During its service the aircraft's noise and operating expenses limited its services to only New York City as its regular destination. Its supersonic boom would affect other non-supersonic planes near its flight path, so other planes would need to be diverted away from its flight path. The Concorde was not as fuel-efficient as other airliners especially at cruising speed which could cruise at 1360mph. Along with its limited passenger numbers, the plane was as sustainable in the long run, only a certain percentage of customers could afford its expensive flights and so its last flight was on 24th October 2003. Despite the efficiency issues that the aeroplane encountered, it was way advanced for its time such as the unique design and the ability to travel at supersonic speeds.
Future of commercial supersonic travel
A lot can be learnt from the Concorde to build, improve, and provide supersonic travel for the masses. Especially with technological advancements of today and the sustainable goals of countries and the world as a whole, building a fuel-efficient supersonic plane will be the main objective. The future supersonic air travel aims to cut travel times of long haul flights. By developing supersonic technology to be more sustainable and cheaper to maintain, future supersonic air travel could be more accessible for the masses. Several companies are developing supersonic planes such as Overture by Japan Airlines, which will have the ability to fly at Mach 2.2. The company hopes to travel times in half but for the same fare as today’s business class. NASA and Lockheed Martin are also developing a prototype for a supersonic plane name QueSST which will be much quieter than the Concorde.
Supersonic travel will not be ready for a couple of years but do expect more coverage on supersonic travel and you may find that your flight duration will be reduced sufficiently in the near future.