The Return of Supersonic Commercial Flight

October 24th, 2003, marked the date of the last supersonic commercial flight of the Concorde. Ever since then we have been flying at subsonic speeds to our destinations. It takes current commercial aircraft approximately eight hours to complete a transatlantic flight, the Concorde would do it in around three and a half hours. We live in an age where technology has exploded, the amount of computing power it took to go to the moon now fits in a computer which we put in our pocket. However, the supersonic commercial airline is still not a common mode of transportation. So why do we settle for 8 hour flights across the Atlantic when it can be done in much less time.

One of the first things most people will say is the reason for not having supersonic commercial air travel is due to the sonic boom. The sonic boom created by a large aircraft flying supersonic forced congress to ban supersonic travel over land. Approximately 75% of flights are over land so the usefulness of the Concorde decreased dramatically. One of the other main problems with a supersonic commercial aircraft is the cost it takes to operate. The engines used to allow an aircraft to fly supersonic are not as efficient as the engines used in new commercial aircraft like the Boeing 787. The new Boeing 737 MAX, which is the newest variant in the popular 737 series of aircraft, is another aircraft with increased efficiency and reduced cost limiting the need for a faster airplane. Companies operating aircraft are looking for fuel efficiency and cost saving measures because they are running a business. The aircraft manufacturers are trying to sell aircraft so they are not going to necessarily spend the time and money to develop a supersonic aircraft which may not sell.

Not all hope is lost for the idea of supersonic commercial flight, research is being done by companies like Lockhead Martin and NASA to develop a supersonic aircraft which has a greatly reduced supersonic shock if not completely get rid of the shock all together. If they can pull off the engineering feat there are still roadblocks to go through such as a repeal to the law passed by congress. Engine development is another crucial aspect of developing a supersonic commercial aircraft. Most engines are not designed for sustained supersonic flight unless it is for a military application in a smaller aircraft like the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 Raptor is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world and one of its features no other fighter has is the ability to super cruise. The goal for the design of a new supersonic commercial aircraft is a tight timeline with the hope of having an experimental aircraft by 2023.

It may be possible in the near future it will be common for humans to travel faster than the speed of sound and make the world an even smaller place. Plus, as a passenger the less time on the plane the better so people may be willing to pay a little bit more for the convenience of supersonic flight.