FAA Supersonic Flight Proposal Could Be An Environmental Disaster
by Ayush Syal, April 15, 2020
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had, on the 30th of March, released a set of new noise standards that would apply to supersonic flights and aircraft. The measures include special noise allowances at times of take-off and landing. The plan is currently undergoing 90 days of public approval, also known as Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). It will make a final decision after that. However, many environmentalists around the world are already addressing their concerns relating to this allowance.
The past and the present
The Concorde is one of the most famous aircraft in the world. The supersonic airliner could fly from Washington in the United States to London Heathrow in England in less than 4 hours. Concorde was highly acclaimed for its sharp features and an unprecedented capability to cover long distances with a maximum speed of Mach 2 (2,180 km/hr). However, the aircraft was retired from service in 2003 due to its increasing number of problems and its environmental impact.
Concorde faced numerous challenges during its years of operation. One of them was the massive sonic boom. Flying at twice the speed of sound, the loud bang created by a Concorde could shatter windows. Many countries banned it from their airspace because of this. As a result, most of the planned routes were…