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Concorde competition?
By Sheldon Yoder
The
Concorde plane crash that occurred, July 25, 2000, gave many pause
to consider the trustworthiness of this venerable supersonic jet.
Ever since its debut in 1976, the jet has remained an option only
a privileged few can afford. With fares of over $12,000 for a round
trip ticket from New York to London and 1960's era technology that
requires a great deal of maintenance, it remains a somewhat uneconomical
flight.
But Gulfstream, a successful manufacturer of private planes, plans
to change this. Working with specialists from NASA and Lockheed
Martin, Gulfstream is aiming to silence the Concorde's biggest drawback,
its sonic boom. Gulfstream is trying to do this by experimenting
with triangle-shaped wings and heat-resistant materials. The goal
is to make a passenger jet that can fly at Mach 2.0 yet remain quiet
enough to fly anywhere.
A plane such as the one Gulfstream is endeavoring to build would
make it possible for an executive to leave New York at 7 a.m., fly
to Moscow for a two-hour meeting and return home before dinner.
The plane would likely still cater to the rich and famous. Because
of the kind of technology required to construct a plane of this
magnitude, it will be some time before it becomes affordable for
everyone.
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