Dive into the biggest issue facing supersonic aircraf in Can supersonic flight ever be sustainable? at bit.ly/SprSncFlight
November will mark the 20th anniversary of Concorde's retirement. And with it, a lengthy pause on regular, paying airline passengers (albeit those with healthy bank accounts) travelling faster than the speed of sound – 343 metres per second, or 761mph (1,224km/h).
Many still mourn the distinctive, dartshaped aircraft's loss, deeming its costly tickets, urgent fuel use and thunderous sonic booms when it breached the sound barrier as acceptable prices to pay for being propelled across the Atlantic at Mach 2 (over 1,500mph or 2,400km/h).
Supersonic travel looks to be on its way back, though, and in a cheaper, cleaner and quieter form. “Concorde was a technical marvel and well ahead of its time,” says Ben Murphy, vice president of Sustainability at Boom. “But it was
