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”Boom Supersonic are planning a 55 passenger plane. That is laughable as a commercial proposition.” Do you feel that is too big, or too small? The market for s

”Boom Supersonic are planning a 55 passenger plane. That is laughable as a commercial proposition.” Do you feel that is too big, or too small? The market for supersonic travel is likely to align with the very high-end, private jet market. Those who want to get somewhere fast and don’t care what it costs. It may be easier to overcome noise issues with a smaller design, too.

sokoloff 8y ago
My experience with private aviation suggests that getting somewhere exactly when they want, flying into airports closer to their destination, stepping directly out of/into ground transportation and, to a lesser extent, having privacy en route are significant drivers for the private aviation crowd. Cessna is killing the X, the fastest civilian airplane, in favor of slower airplanes. I'm not convinced that supersonic transport to/from major airports is going to threaten business/private jet aviation.
- Reason077 8y ago
  Assuming noise regulations can be met, is there any reason why a small supersonic aircraft couldn't operate private flights into those same airports? Or do supersonic airframes need longer runways for higher-speed take offs and landings?
  - namibj 8y ago
    It should have sufficient power reserves to work with a normal 747-style runway. And starting/landing is done subsonically anyway, as one does not want wheels outside at those speeds. I see no reason this should not work.
  - sokoloff 8y ago
    All of today's supersonic aircraft need runways longer than a mile. It is my belief that these projected supersonic aircraft will still likely need a mile or more. There are 19K runways in the US, the vast majority of which have a longest runway under 4000'.
TheCoelacanth 8y ago
It's too small for a commercial flight. A commercial flight needs to carry enough people to be cheaper than a private flight. With the exception of exceptionally long flights, private flights can match the total travel time of a commercial flight on a much faster plane because they can can match the passengers' preferred start and end locations and the passengers' preferred schedule much more closely than a commercial flight can.
- Reason077 8y ago
  Supersonic flights will be very much a premium fare option, due to the significant increase in energy use and fuel required for supersonic flight. Make a supersonic aircraft too big and you risk not being able to find enough passengers willing to pay fares that make it viable - which is one of the issues that killed Concorde.

sokoloff 8y ago

My experience with private aviation suggests that getting somewhere exactly when they want, flying into airports closer to their destination, stepping directly out of/into ground transportation and, to a lesser extent, having privacy en route are significant drivers for the private aviation crowd. Cessna is killing the X, the fastest civilian airplane, in favor of slower airplanes. I'm not convinced that supersonic transport to/from major airports is going to threaten business/private jet aviation.

Reason077 8y ago
Assuming noise regulations can be met, is there any reason why a small supersonic aircraft couldn't operate private flights into those same airports? Or do supersonic airframes need longer runways for higher-speed take offs and landings?
- namibj 8y ago
  It should have sufficient power reserves to work with a normal 747-style runway. And starting/landing is done subsonically anyway, as one does not want wheels outside at those speeds. I see no reason this should not work.
- sokoloff 8y ago
  All of today's supersonic aircraft need runways longer than a mile. It is my belief that these projected supersonic aircraft will still likely need a mile or more. There are 19K runways in the US, the vast majority of which have a longest runway under 4000'.

TheCoelacanth 8y ago

It's too small for a commercial flight. A commercial flight needs to carry enough people to be cheaper than a private flight. With the exception of exceptionally long flights, private flights can match the total travel time of a commercial flight on a much faster plane because they can can match the passengers' preferred start and end locations and the passengers' preferred schedule much more closely than a commercial flight can.

Reason077 8y ago
Supersonic flights will be very much a premium fare option, due to the significant increase in energy use and fuel required for supersonic flight. Make a supersonic aircraft too big and you risk not being able to find enough passengers willing to pay fares that make it viable - which is one of the issues that killed Concorde.