Boeing Sonic Cruiser Project Shelved

jonerik writes "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that Boeing is set to announce the cancellation of its Sonic Cruiser project tomorrow; not because the technology wasn't mature enough, but because the company was unable to make the case for an airliner that would fly at just under the speed of sound in the airline industry's post-9/11 business environment. Too bad, too. It was a very cool-looking plane. Instead, the company will focus on a new ultra-efficient airliner - codenamed 'Yellowstone' - that will look very much like its existing 767 and 777 models. The new aircraft is expected to be ready to enter service in 2008, two years after Airbus' mammoth 555-seat A380 is expected to be ready for service."

Comments

IN NAZI GERMANY

[Anonymous Coward]

You get SHOT for shelving a Boeing Sonic Cruiser project!

Supersonic flight

[PhysicsGenius]

Designing a supersonic craft is kind of tricky. As you start getting closer and closer to Mach 1 (the speed of sound), the air around the leading edges of the plane start getting compressed. That means the air is getting denser and therefore less bouyancy is provided to the plane, which means less lift.

Of course, once you break through the barrier you are flying faster than the air molecules and the rarefaction that creates provides a great deal of bouyancy.

Re:What IS Boeing's business strategy?

[jhylkema]

They WERE doing pretty well, until they murdered 88 people with pencil-whipped maintenance records.