Slashdot Mirror
Successful Supersonic Jet Launch
Cave_Monster writes "Japan has hailed the test of a supersonic jet in South Australia's outback as a success. Unlike the attempt in 2002, this test saw the jet launch successfully from Woomera, South Australia." From the article: "Data gained through the test will be used in joint research by Japan and France towards a next-generation supersonic jet. No budget projections have yet been made for the entire project, which Japanese hope will produce a supersonic passenger jet capable of flying from Tokyo to New York in just under six hours - less than half the current time of a Concorde." We reported on the plan to do this, earlier.
That Woomera was named after an Aboriginal device to assist spear-throwing?
Wikipedia link
I've always thought it's a very fitting name for the town since it's where most of Australia's missle and rocket launches are done from. Whether it is just co-incidence or not I don't know, but it's quite appropriate.
Insightful my foot. At supersonic altitudes a sonic boom isn't an issue. Way back when, U.S. aircraft manufactuers hammered Congrees with exaggerated horror stories of constant sonic booms shaking the pictures off the walls... while the real issue lay in the fact that nothing they had on the drawing boards would compete with Concorde. So they legislated away almost all of the profitiable routes and left the SST with nothing but transoceanic flights.
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
Its happened quite a few times. Air Transat Flight 236 ran out of fuel over the atlantic ocean, and the pilots managed to glide the aircraft (with 306 passengers and crew) to a successful unpowered touchdown in the Azores. This incident holds the record for the longest glide by a widebodied aircraft (19 minutes or 120KM). Aircraft do not 'drop like rocks'.
Or you could do what the rich and self important used to do in the days of Concorde; fly over for a meeting, and fly back the same day. No need to change your timezone at all; you just end up getting a late night.
http://www.themeparks.ie
Are you insane? It gets from NYC to Tokyo in 6 hours instead of 16. Add in your 2 hour security and baggage time and you've still saved 8 hours. Have you ever been on a super-long flight like this? I'd pay a hefty premium to avoid overnighting on the plane, particularly in coach class.
And by the way: you would have to go through airport security either way. What were you going to do, drive to Tokyo?
-Graham