Can There Be Another Supersonic Airliner?
This December will mark 100 years of powered flight. Along the way many different aircraft came along and contributed in their own unique way. One of these aircraft was the Concorde, the most popular supersonic airliner known. Sadly, the skies over New York, London, and Paris may never be graced with her beauty again as Concorde’s only two operators, British Airways and Air France, retire their fleets this year. However, it shouldn’t be the end of supersonic airliners. Today’s technology could possibly alleviate the problems that prevented Concorde from reaching her full potential. Concorde came into this world at the wrong time. The noise caused by the powerful Olympus Engines ignited protests and did not meet noise requirements at a majority of the world’s airports. From then on matters just got worse. The oil shortage of the 1970s questioned the need for a gas-guzzling aircraft that can only carry approximately 120 people not in excess of 4,500 miles. These factors significantly bro
