Concord - the plane of the future?

Despite the fact that since 2003 passenger supersonic airliners are not flying, this does not mean that Concorde is a plane of the last day. The main reasons for which the flights were terminated are excessive fuel consumption, high noise level, safety problems. All this made the operation of costly liners, they did not justify the invested funds.

However, many remember the convenience that the Concorde could give - because the time of the transatlantic flight was reduced to only three hours. In this regard, many companies specializing in the construction of aviation, now conduct programs to develop new supersonic aircraft, lacking the flaws of their predecessors. The developed models significantly reduce fuel consumption, the engines become less noisy. In particular, it is proposed to use hybrid designs from standard turbines and electric motors. At the same time, aviation kerosene is replaced with biofuel.

Another important reason why Concorde (aircraft) lost the ability to fly is the airspace of many countries closed to it. Such measures were taken because of the sound impact that occurs when the speed of sound is exceeded . It is accompanied by a powerful shock wave, and it is perfectly audible even when overcoming the sound barrier at a height of several kilometers. One of the main tasks facing aircraft manufacturers is to maximally neutralize the noise, make it acceptable. To do this, it is proposed to change the design of aircraft to reduce the noise effect. The most extravagant solution is some light aircraft that are being developed, which will be removed to the upper atmosphere to overcome the sound barrier . This move can be effective, but the cost of arranging flights in this case will be much higher than what Concord (the aircraft) or its analogues offered.

It is possible that the first supersonic airliners of business class will begin to make flights in the coming years. Some models are already being certified. At first, only wealthy people will be able to use such services, because the cost of flights will be much higher than that of Concorde - and not everyone could afford to fly on it. However, the gradual improvement of technology should make the flights affordable for the middle class. Moreover, the active development of supersonic flights will lead to high competition between producers and operators, which will inevitably affect prices - they will decline.

To date, Concorde - the most famous aircraft among supersonic aircraft, but soon it will be replaced by other, more advanced aircraft. As already noted, many models are currently under development, others are already tested in the form of prototypes and even are certified. All this indicates that the refusal of the aviation market from supersonic flights was temporary.