Do supersonic planes make sense today?

For the people of Aerion the answer is: Yes. This company has been created with the sole objective of creating a supersonic executive plane capable of carrying about 12 people across the Atlantic in just over 4 hours at a speed of 1.5 match.

That’s what the Concorde did 30 years ago until it ceased operations.

Aerion is a company located in Florida and is developing the AS2 aircraft model with the participation of other international companies (the Spanish Aernnova is one of them) to reduce financial risk.

The first model will have capacity for between 8 and 12 passengers and they do not rule out if the business is positive to develop another larger plane for about 50 passengers.

The experience of what happened to the Concorde has taught a lot, because the noise it made when flying prevented it from doing so near cities in the USA.

In this case, the AS2 is expected to be able to fly generating a noise level similar to that of current airplanes and therefore be able to approach cities without problems.

Another important feature is that when crossing the sound barrier, the AS2 does not generate the noise of the other supersonic aircraft, because by design the noise rises towards the upper part of the atmosphere and is not heard from the surface of the Earth. And by not being “noisy” it could fly more easily over the USA, which is where its main potential market is.

And as now all aircraft builders are looking to generate the least climatic effect. The people of Aerion say they will use the “latest” biofuel technology and plant trees to offset their pollution and generate a neutral effect.

It is clear that they cannot say otherwise in these times, but the reality we will see what it is.

I have doubts about the “principle” of the need to fly at supersonic speeds, when today we can do almost all the steps online.

Today travel is much less necessary, and even less at high speeds that consume more fuel. Whether or not ecological.

I believe that this plane is made for people who want to feel “different” from the rest and who are willing to pay the price necessary to continue doing so.

Those who 60 years ago were called the “jet set”, and who were the ones who flew frequently, and who today are the great executives and people with a lot of money who create “special needs” (such as raping at supersonic speeds) to continue to feel “different”, and feel “superior”.

The human “ego” has always been with us and will never abandon us stop doing it.

It remains to be seen if the “business” has economic sense.