In the 1960s, the first Concorde plane was built in a joint venture by the BAC (British Aircraft Corporation) and the French company Aérospatiale. The Concorde traveled at a supersonic speed of Mach 2.04 (approximately 1,354 mph), and was one of two commercial aircrafts to ever travel at a speed faster than that of sound. The Concorde was able to seat 128 passengers, with tickets averaging out around $12,000 (adjusted for inflation) for a round trip between New York City and London. The high price of these tickets was justified, as the plane was able to make the trip in a mere 3.5 hours. In traditional passenger planes, a trip from New York to London takes around 7.5 hours. Although the Concorde was extremely effective for speed, the plane had a number of drawbacks, causing the last Concorde to take flight in 2003.
The issues associated with the Concorde included: high operating costs, a crash resulting in consumer resentment, and several federal laws prohibiting any civil aircraft from flying at speeds above Mach one. The heaviest contributor to the Concorde’s demise were the federal laws passed by a number of countries. These laws prohibit commercial supersonic flight due to the deafening BOOM of the aircraft when it passes over a viewer. A sonic boom occurs when an object traveling at or above Mach one causes pressure waves to build up, in turn creating a shock wave that releases the boom sound. This is a disruption to everyday life, and causes great disturbance in both human and environmental interactions.
Recently, aviation company Boom flew XB-1, which reached speeds above Mach one. What is special about this aircraft, aside from the fact that it is the first privately developed jet to reach speeds of Mach one or higher, is that it did not release an audible sonic boom. The sonic boom produced by XB-1 never reached the ground as its sound waves bent on a layer of warm air, reflecting upward instead of downward. Like light reflects through water, sound reflects through temperature. While this is not a new finding, XB-1 has new technology which allows it to operate at the perfect altitude and speed to ensure that no sonic boom is ever heard.
While XB-1 is not a commercial plane, it is instead a demonstration of the way in which new technology can be utilized to resurrect commercial supersonic flight. If no sonic boom is audible, supersonic flight does not violate any laws, and can therefore be utilized. While development in supersonic flight operating cost is crucial to its ability to find success commercially, the recent flight of the XB-1 is undeniably a huge step towards you and I stepping onto a supersonic flight.
