Will Boom Bring Supersonic Back?

Summary

United Airlines has signed a purchase agreement with Boom Supersonic for 15 next-generation supersonic jets, aiming to revive the legacy of the Concorde while addressing its challenges. The Concorde, despite its iconic status and high speed, failed due to soaring costs, limited routes, and high ticket prices. Boom's Overture seeks to improve upon this with advancements like carbon fiber construction, refined aerodynamics, and better fuel efficiency. However, issues such as sonic booms and the need for new engine technology remain. While Boom's ambitious goals are clear, the economic viability of supersonic travel remains uncertain, especially with high operating costs and the challenge of sustainable fuel options.

Takeaways

• 😀 United Airlines signed a purchase agreement with Boom Supersonic to buy 15 future supersonic airliners, marking a potential return to supersonic travel.
• 😀 The Concorde, once a revolutionary supersonic plane, had operational challenges, including high costs, limited seating, and high ticket prices, leading to its discontinuation.
• 😀 Factors such as high fuel prices, limited routes, and the Air France crash of 2000 worsened the economic viability of the Concorde.
• 😀 One of the major obstacles to supersonic flight was the disruptive sonic boom, which caused widespread public annoyance and led to the restriction of supersonic flight over populated areas.
• 😀 NASA's X-59 aircraft aims to minimize sonic boom impacts, but Boom's Overture aircraft might not achieve the same level of quietness, continuing challenges of noise pollution.
• 😀 The Overture will use carbon fiber composites to reduce weight and drag, improving fuel efficiency and range compared to the Concorde, which was made from aluminum.
• 😀 The Concorde and Overture share similar wing designs, notably the ogival delta wings, but Overture's design aims to improve lift and reduce drag for better performance.
• 😀 Overture will not have the Concorde's droop nose, opting for cameras and screens to allow pilots to see the runway, which reduces complexity and operating costs.
• 😀 Technological advancements in computational aerodynamics allow Boom engineers to test designs digitally, speeding up development and optimization compared to the Concorde's traditional methods.
• 😀 While the Overture is designed to improve fuel efficiency, its cruise speed of Mach 1.7 and range of 7,866 km may still not be enough for longer transpacific routes, posing questions about its commercial viability.

Q & A

What was the main reason the Concorde failed as a commercial airliner?

The Concorde faced multiple issues, including high production costs, limited seating capacity, rising fuel prices, and the inability to turn a profit. Its high ticket prices and limited routes made it difficult to attract passengers, especially after the Air France crash in 2000.

How does Boom Supersonic aim to address the issues that led to the Concorde's failure?

Boom Supersonic is focusing on improving fuel efficiency, increasing range, and opening new routes, particularly transpacific ones. They are also working on avoiding the design compromises that led to high operational costs and limited seating on the Concorde.

What was the primary challenge caused by sonic booms, and how has public perception changed since the Concorde's era?

Sonic booms were highly disruptive and were disliked by the public due to their loudness and the potential physical damage they caused to buildings. This led to a ban on supersonic flights over land. Today, the challenge remains, although NASA’s X-59 aims to reduce the perceived loudness to the level of distant thunder.

Why can't Boom's Overture plane use the same low-boom design as NASA's X-59?

Boom’s Overture focuses on increasing range and passenger capacity, which requires a different design. The low-boom technologies used in the X-59, such as a blunt nose and narrow fuselage, would sacrifice passenger space, range, and fuel efficiency, making them unsuitable for a commercial airliner.

What materials will Boom’s Overture be made from, and why is this important?

Overture will primarily be made from carbon fiber composites, similar to the Boeing 787. These materials are lighter, more fuel-efficient, and allow for more flexible design compared to the aluminum used in the Concorde, helping to improve range and reduce drag.

How do the wings of the Overture compare to the Concorde's, and what improvements have been made?

Both aircraft use ogival delta wings, designed to minimize supersonic drag. However, Boom has worked to make the Overture's wings thinner and more seamlessly integrated into the aircraft, further optimizing them for reduced drag and improved fuel efficiency.

What is the area rule in aerodynamics, and how does it apply to Boom’s Overture?

The area rule states that the optimal distribution of an aircraft's cross-sectional area should minimize shockwave formation to reduce drag. Boom’s Overture will benefit from modern materials and design freedom to better adhere to this rule, improving efficiency compared to the Concorde.

What role do engine advancements play in the development of Boom’s Overture?

Engine technology plays a crucial role in improving fuel efficiency. The Overture will benefit from modern advancements in materials, 3D printing, and aerodynamic optimization, though it still faces challenges in developing a supersonic engine without bypass ratios that can take full advantage of these advancements.

What is the significance of Boom's collaboration with Rolls-Royce?

Boom's collaboration with Rolls-Royce is aimed at developing a new propulsion system for the Overture. This is critical, as supersonic engines have not benefited from the same advances in high bypass ratios that subsonic engines have, and a new, efficient engine is essential for the success of the Overture.

What concerns are there about the commercial viability of Boom’s Overture?

The main concern is that even though Boom is developing a more efficient supersonic jet, the high operating costs, fuel consumption, and the niche market it targets (ultra-wealthy passengers) could make it economically unfeasible. The high ticket prices and fuel consumption could still limit its potential as a sustainable business model.