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Supersonic Flight Without The Sonic Boom
fname writes "Here's a story from Spaceflight Now about a new test aircraft that can travel at supersonic speeds without triggering a sonic boom. The technology works by modifying the shape of the plane. Although it's been believed to be possible for a long time, this is the first actual flight test, barring black box projects I suppose."
It makes it more practical to have supersonic travel in and around cities, which are notoriously noise sensitive. In the past, the routes for such planes were quite limited. Now, if the cost drops, perhaps we'll see them more in the mainstream.
Oh, and there are likely military applications, as well. Anything to reduce chances of someone hearing you coming can help (although, most times, these planes take off far from their mission).
You don't need to throw it out, it just needs a nose job. Witness:
Honk, honk!
You only want to throw the thing out when maintaining it costs more than developing and buying a new one. While it might be hard to modify the concord's swiveling nose this way, it's worth looking into.
The next modification needed is to the law, so that flights that don't make too much noise can fly over the contenetal US. If you can get from New York to California supersonically, people will want to do it and will pay for the above mentioned development and building.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Please please enlighten me on how reducing loudness = no sonic boom?
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Was it entirely necessary to bring your rebuttal down to a middle-school level, by including that last line?
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