Why are there no supersonic private planes?
Why are there no supersonic private planes? The valid reasons are concerns over sonic boom, fuel economy, and market demand ? with the last one being the primary driver. If there are not enough customers buying the planes, companies won't be able to recover their R&D costs or make a profit. That is reasonable.
Why are supersonic planes banned?
Fifty years ago, the federal government banned all civilian supersonic flights over land. The rule prohibits non-military aircraft from flying faster than sound so their resulting sonic booms won't startle the public below or concern them about potential property damage.
Can a 777 go supersonic?
Why does the Boeing 777 sound like a four engine aircraft when it flies over? No, it is not supersonic. The speed of sound (Mach 1) is approximately 767 mph or 661 knots, so the Boeing 777 flying at 660 knots would be subsonic. However, that's still a very impressive speed!
What replaced the Concorde?
Overtures toward commercial supersonic flight Overture will be a successor to the last commercial supersonic aircraft, the Concorde, which operated between 1969 and 2003.
How much did a Concorde ticket cost?
Such speed didn't come cheap, though: A transatlantic flight required the high-maintenance aircraft to gulp jet fuel at the rate of one ton per seat, and the average round-trip price was $12,000.
Was the Concorde loud inside?
The Concorde was famously loud: a take-off at Washington airport in 1977 measured 119.4 decibels. By comparison, a clap of thunder hits 120 decibels while the pain threshold for the human ear is around 110.
Why was Concorde so fast?
Concorde used the most powerful pure jet engines flying commercially. The Aircraft's four engines took advantage of what is known as 'reheat' technology, adding fuel to the final stage of the engine, which produced the extra power required for take-off and the transition to supersonic flight.
Can any jet go Mach 9?
No airplane has ever gone this fast. The speediest airplane ever built is Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird, which traveled at Mach 3.2. Anything above Mach 9 and you lose communications with the ground, as plasma starts enveloping the vehicle, as if it were a spacecraft returning to Earth through the upper atmosphere.
Why don t we hear sonic booms anymore?
The power, or volume, of the shock wave depends on the quantity of air that is being accelerated, and thus the size and shape of the aircraft. As the aircraft increases speed the shock cone gets tighter around the craft and becomes weaker to the point that at very high speeds and altitudes no boom is heard.
What is the fastest plane in the world?
The North American X-15 may be the fastest plane in the world, with speeds at 4,520 mph and Mach 5.93. It's an experimental aircraft used and powered by NASA and USAF.
Could a 747 go supersonic?
The wings of a 747 are nowhere near strong enough to mount an engine capable of supersonic flight. Generally, engines used in aircraft like the Concorde or the F-22 are skinny and long. They also weigh quite a fair amount, further requiring a complete overhaul of the way the engines would be supported.
Can a pilot feel a sonic boom?
And the jet pilots don't feel a sonic boom from the cockpit, just as passengers on a boat don't feel the effects of the wake behind them, she added.