The world has been waiting for the comeback of supersonic flights, and the United States is closer to achieving it. New aircrafts development capable of exceeding the speed of sound is what could make the U.S. to have a key role in that awaited future of supersonic flights. Step by step, the U.S. is removing previously implemented restrictions because of the strong noise supersonic flights produced.
Nowadays there are many technological advances on aircrafts, but the people are excited about supersonic flights. However, everything is not going as smoothly as it should be. So, let’s learn more about them.
The comeback of supersonic flights in the U.S.
Since the removal of the Concorde supersonic flight in 2003, these types of aircrafts are coming back in the U.S. The Concorde was a very advanced passenger aircraft considering the time period, it was able to reach supersonic speeds which means going faster than the speed of sound.
After more than 20 years, supersonic flights are back to the public, or at least that’s what the United States wants to do. There are some issues when it comes to the process of manufacturing the aircraft, but they are looking for solutions to launch the much awaited supersonic flights.
The reason why supersonic flights were removed
Supersonic flights flying over solid ground were prohibited many years ago because the strong sound was very annoying, they made a ‘’sonic boom’’ similar to a huge explosion in the air. So, many people were claiming this noise was bothering them, breaking windows and making buildings shake.
What the Concorde aircraft did, having in mind citizens’ situations, was to fly between Europe and the U.S. However, there were limited routes and the Concorde wasn’t worthwhile in the long term.
Donald Trump changes everything
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order to reverse the ban , allowing supersonic flights to fly over the U.S. This means the government is trying to find a new and better way to start a legal and technological journey to make flying much faster.
A new aircraft
Boom Supersonic is a company willing to contribute to this situation by developing an aircraft called Overture, the first supersonic flight to the public since the Concorde.
They have promised the Overture will be more efficient, quieter and safer than the Concorde. Overture is expected to start being used by airlines to make flights faster in important routes like New York-London or Los Angeles-Miami.
Something is going wrong
Although the Overture seems very promising, there is an issue about it: distance. This supersonic flight can reach 4,888 miles which isn’t enough to cross the Pacific Ocean, so no direct flight between the United States and Asia would be possible and this is a shame because this route is one of the most demanded and lucrative in the world.
Boom Supersonic take on this issue
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic company, this year is crucial for the development of Overture. However, he also says there are huge challenges still to solve, so that’s why he mentions the importance of properly executing each stage of the process to make the Overture safe and worthwhile.
Are we ready for aircrafts like the Overture?
The U.S. is seriously thinking about supersonic flight comeback, but there are still many technical issues on the limited distance these aircrafts can reach and the noise. In case they come up with a solution to these problems, we will witness a new aviation era in which flying between continents in a few hours would be a reality.
Can you imagine going from the U.S. to another continent without spending almost a whole day on a plane? That would make the travelling experience way more enjoyable and more people would be able to visit more places in the world.