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I really hope supersonic passenger aviation stays dead. Its environmental footprint alone is completely unjustifiable.
by monkaiju 4y ago
I really hope supersonic passenger aviation stays dead. Its environmental footprint alone is completely unjustifiable.
- qayxc 4y agoDepends. If (and that's a mighty big "if") the fuel situation could be sorted out in terms of being able to produce it in a sustainable way, the footprint would be quite minimal compared most other modes of transportation. You also wouldn't need to add any additional infrastructure as opposed to ideas like vac-trains or MAGLEV in general.
- Schroedingersat 4y ago> You also wouldn't need to add any additional infrastructure as opposed to ideas like vac-trains or MAGLEV in general. You still need one of the most expensive parts of that infrastructure which is the rights of way, stations/highway interchanges and a transport corridor from the city to an airport (which can't be as close as a conventional airport due to 5x the flight volume, louder engines and sonic booms). The 900km of a rail corridor in the low population regions doesn't cost as much as that 30km of highway or metro tunnel directly under the CBD and 70km of arterials, onramps and interchanges.