The transcript describes the development, challenges, and future of supersonic aircraft, focusing on the Concorde and two current companies, Spike Aerospace and Boom Supersonic.
The Concorde, an incredible aircraft developed over 30 years, was known for its distinctive delta wings and sleek body. However, it faced criticism for being too expensive, elitist, and noisy. The Concorde's high maintenance requirements and the noise from breaking the sound barrier contributed to its downfall. Despite its retirement in 2003, there aren't any supersonic planes in operation today.
Spike Aerospace is working on private supersonic jets with a reduced sonic boom and a cranked delta wing. They've used composite materials to handle high temperatures and are modifying an existing engine for efficiency. Their planes are expected to fly at a speed of 1,100 miles per hour.
Boom Supersonic, on the other hand, is focusing on larger commercial passenger planes. They've applied innovations to the Concorde's delta-wing approach to create a quiet aircraft with a seamless, continuous design. They're also working on an updated engine for fuel efficiency.
Both companies are expected to test their aircraft in the coming years, and the general public may be able to fly on supersonic jets by the mid-2030s. The future of supersonic flight is promising, but it's unclear when we'll get there.
1. The setting is January 1, 1976, and two supersonic planes are taking off, one from London and the other from Paris.
2. The speed of the planes is 1,350 miles per hour, which is twice the speed of sound.
3. The Concorde, one of the supersonic planes, was an incredible aircraft that took more than 30 years to develop. It was led by aeronautical engineer Sir James Hamilton.
4. The Concorde's design included distinctive delta wings, a tilted nose, and a long, ultrathin body.
5. The Concorde faced criticism for being too expensive, elitist, and noisy.
6. The Concorde's noise, particularly the sonic boom, led to many countries banning its overland routes.
7. By the fall of 2003, Air France and British Airways had retired their Concorde fleets.
8. Companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus are at various stages of development to bring the supersonic passenger aircraft back.
9. Spike Aerospace is working on private supersonic jets, with a design that has reduced the sonic boom to the sound of a car door slamming.
10. Spike Aerospace's aircraft has a long, pointy nose to help bounce the shockwave towards space instead of the ground, and a sleek, windowless fuselage to help lower the cabin noise.
11. Spike Aerospace has updated Concorde's famous delta wing to a cranked delta wing to control the pressure waves.
12. Spike Aerospace's aircraft is built with composite materials, lighter than aluminum and capable of tolerating higher temperatures.
13. Spike Aerospace plans to fly at a slower speed of 1,100 miles per hour, still faster than the speed of sound but slow enough to manage the temperature, sonic boom, and engine efficiency.
14. Boom Supersonic is also working on larger commercial passenger planes and has been building smaller prototypes to test designs for a larger supersonic passenger jet.
15. Boom Supersonic's design is no louder than aircraft flying today, and it uses a principle called area ruling to keep the distribution of cross-sectional area continuous and smooth from tip to tail with the aircraft.
16. An updated engine is in the works to improve propulsion and make the aircraft more fuel efficient.
17. Boom Supersonic aims to test-fly its supersonic jet XB-1 next year.
18. As of now, no company working on supersonic aircraft has conducted a test flight.
19. Companies are testing via traditional wind-tunnel tests and modern computer flight simulators.
20. Drawings are rendered to design each and every part of the aircraft, measuring everything from noise, wind, and speed to temperature.
21. Supersonic jets are expected to be here by the mid-2020s, and the general public is expected to be able to fly in a supersonic jet by the mid-2030s.