The challenges of supersonic flight. The history of aviation stretches back over two thousand years from the earliest forms of aviation, such as kites and tower jumping attempts, to the supersonic and hypersonic flight of the heaviest jet engines available. the air.
The development of aviation in the last century has been fast and fearless, with aircraft representing the pinnacle of design: fast fighters, long-range bombers and transports, exciting sports biplanes, and experimental aircraft that used the sky as a laboratory. Many of them set remarkable records, helped win wars, increased our mobility, trained thousands of pilots, or influenced aviation in many ways. Anyone remotely interested in the history of flight will instantly recognize the names: SPAD, Fokker Triplane, Vega, Comet Racer, Zero, Spitfire, MiG, Pitts, Starfighter, Blackbird, and Concorde, to name but a few.
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible. It will be difficult, but difficult is not impossible.
In October 1947, Chuck Yeager broke through the sound barrier with the rocket-powered Bell X-1. Since then, the human being has not looked back and, naturally, any new fighter aircraft is supposed to be capable of maintaining supersonic speeds. However, to date only two supersonic transport aircraft, the Concorde and the Tupolev-144, have provided regular service. The last passenger flight Tu-144 it took place in June 1978 and was last flown by NASA in 1999. Concorde’s last commercial flight was in October 2003, with a ferry flight on November 26, 2003 being its last aerial operation. Following the definitive cessation of Concorde flights, no TSMs remain in commercial service.
Technologically, supersonic flight is not complex to achieve. The challenge is to offer an affordable service that the passenger can afford, a less polluting and environmentally clean flight and, most importantly, without a sonic boom that would allow supersonic flight over land. Despite public interest and a revival of entrepreneurship in aerospace, do you think passengers will be able to travel faster than Mach 1, the speed of sound, in the near future?
Three US aerospace companies – Boom Supersonic, Aerion Supersonic and Spike Aerospace – were planning to build supersonic aircraft, of which Aerion Supersonic dropped out of the race in May 2021 due to difficult capital needs for their development.
The future of supersonic aircraft
Before we talk about the new era of supersonic jets, let’s go back to the 20th century, when we saw similar aircraft types, such as the Russian-made Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde. The technology already exists, but the question is whether these initiatives will succeed and what are the impediments to it.
Brazil’s Embraer offers C-390 Millennium to increase India’s heavy transport capacity
pros
Less Flight Time These aircraft reduce flight time by 50%. Take the example of the transatlantic flight between London and New York, an 8-hour flight. But the supersonic plane can reduce the flight time to 4 hours.
Technologically, supersonic flight is not complex to achieve
Cons
Maintenance cost A supersonic aircraft with higher operational ceilings and speeds will require more maintenance and its spare parts will also be more expensive compared to subsonic transport aircraft. For example, the Concorde required 18 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight.
Training Flight crew (pilots and cabin crew), engineers and technicians would have to undergo special training for these aircraft and obviously the scope of training would increase with longer duration.
Propulsion efficiency and emissions A supersonic aircraft will burn more fuel per passenger (1.5 to 1.8 times) compared to subsonic transport aircraft. The supersonic aircraft would operate above 50,000 feet for maximum efficiency. This will directly affect the ozone layer and the emission of CO2, NOX and water vapor in the stratosphere will have a detrimental effect on the atmosphere, further aggravating the impact of climate change.
noise pollution
Noise pollution is already a big problem for many cities around the world. In supersonic aircraft, cruising efficiency requirements dictate the use of a low-bypass engine, which leads to higher exhaust gas velocity. This leads to higher noise levels at the airport and surrounding areas, which can limit operating time over airfields that are close to densely populated areas.
Normative
With regulators pushing hard to make aviation sustainable, it will be very difficult for the supersonic manufacturer to obtain FAA and EASA certificate of airworthiness, while meeting the noise and emissions requirements of a subsonic transport aircraft. .
In supersonic aircraft, cruising efficiency requirements dictate the use of a low-bypass engine, which leads to higher exhaust gas velocity
conclusion
Civil aviation has become an essential mode of transportation that sustains the global economic engines. Affordable, reliable and safe air travel is important for quality of life and economic growth. After the pandemic, whose recovery has been really slow when most airlines are surviving with the rescue package, supersonic business travel will remain just noise for a while and the technology will remain limited to military aviation.
Fly safely. Don’t take chances.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of India or Defense Research and Studies.
Article courtesy of:https://vayuacademy.com/blog/supersonic-transport-aircraft/
Title image courtesy: BBC
Article republished within the framework of an agreement with Dras (Defense Research and studies) to share content. Link to original article:https://dras.in/supersonic-flights-challenges/
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