Page 51 - cosmos4

The range of supersonic aircraft can be estimated
with the Breguet range equation. The high per-

passenger take-off weight makes it difficult to
obtain a good fuel fraction. This issue, along with
the challenge presented by supersonic lift/drag
ratios, greatly limits the range of supersonic
transports. Because long distance routes were not a viable option, airlines had little
interest in buying the jets.

The reason the Concorde was unprofitable was, in fact, a side effect of its speed.
When the plane sped up past the speed of sound – about 760 mph – it created shock
waves in the air that would hit the ground with
a loud and sudden thud: a sonic “boom.” It is
so alarming for people on the ground that U.S.
federal regulations ban all commercial aircraft
from flying faster than the speed of sound over
land. British Airways and Air France were able
to operate Concorde at a profit, in spite of very

high maintenance costs, because the aircraft
was able to sustain a high-ticket price. A seat
on Concorde cost around four times the cost of a business class seat -- but Concorde
was not a business jet. The Era of supersonic aviation in the late 90's will always be
remembered as a Revolutionary Technological Change Made for Commercial Airline
Transport.