Friday, April 8, 2016

Supersonic Flight

The last commercial supersonic jet flew about thirteen years ago but the ideas for making a new one have not stopped. The Concorde jet was banned in 2003 due to it's price, accidents, and most importantly, it's sonic boom. While the passengers on the plane felt almost nothing when the plane crossed the sound barrier, the people living on the ground had to endure the full force of the shock wave when the jet passed by. Due to this, Concorde was banned from flying over populated areas and ultimately discontinued.

To build a new supersonic jet, the sonic boom it makes would have to be quietened, and NASA thinks they know how to do that. Due to the Concorde's structure, it would cut through the sound barrier in various places including it's nose, wing and tail creating a very loud sonic boom. The new jet, on the other hand, is much more aerodynamic therefore decreasing the noise made when crossing the sound barrier. However, there are still some drawbacks to this supersonic jet and supersonic flight overall. This plane is a single-seat, single engine jet and doesn't go as fast as Concorde which sped across the Atlantic ocean at Mach 2. This plane will also be very expensive just like commercial supersonic flight will be if it ever becomes a reality.

Unless supersonic flight becomes much cheaper, I don't think that it will be a success as not many people will be able to afford it. But on the other hand we could get to the other side of yhe world in less than 6 hours.

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