Will it be feasible for the world to go back to supersonic commercial flight?
What has happened?
The title, a famous Hollywood line from Top Gun, brings back wonderful high-speed memories of the Concorde. The legendary aircraft of old has been grounded and retired since 2003 after more than 30 years of record-breaking commercial flights. However, putting aside its breaking of the sound barrier, the Concorde’s wings were clipped for various reasons, and the major reasons being environmental.
What does this mean?
While most aircraft produce a significant amount of noise, the Concorde brought things to the next level by causing a sonic boom. [1] This meant that when the Concorde flew over land, the windows of buildings were at risk of shattering and causing a danger to inhabitants. This resulted in governments issuing regulations banning supersonic flight over land, limiting the Concorde to only be able to fly over water. [3] Therefore, the Concorde could only fly the London-New York or Paris-New York route over the Atlantic Ocean and could not go transpacific.
The Concorde gave us supersonic transport. But why did this supersonic plane fail? The answer is complicated.
To achieve supersonic speed, there was a trade-off. The Concorde generated three times more nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide than today's subsonic planes. These global emissions contributed five times more to global warming, due to the high altitudes at which it released its emissions. [4].
Nevertheless, there are companies that are planning to bring back the days of supersonic travel. Aerion, a US company, plans to begin flying its AS2 supersonic jet by 2024. [5] In addition to flying nearly twice as fast as commercial aircraft, Aerion developed a patented technology that it calls “boomless cruise.” [6] This means AS2 will fly without creating a sonic boom. [7] Aerion has multiple partnerships with global aerospace companies, including Boeing, to build the airframe of the AS2, and with General Electric to use an “off-the-shelf ” engine core, which may be much less costly than developing an engine from scratch. [8]
Another example is XB-1 by Boom, which will travel at Mach 2.2 or approximately 2.6 times faster than existing commercial jet aircraft. [9] It will cruise at 60K feet, about twice as high as commercial aircraft in a bid to significantly reduce the effects of sonic boom. [10] Test flights will begin in the Mojave Desert in Nevada in 2021. [11]
What is the impact on the legal sector?
Under current aviation law, these machines would only be able to go supersonic over water, and thus their main time savings would be delivered across specific routes. This may not be the case forever, as Aerion’s boomless cruise capabilities could see AS2 flying at Mach 1.2 without the massive pressure wave of a sonic boom ever reaching the ground. [12]
Governments should consider lifting aviation bans on supersonic flights over land if these projects by Aerion and Boom succeed. They should also closely monitor the carbon and noise emissions of the AS2 and XB-1, drawing comparisons with the Concorde to ascertain whether they are fit to remain in the skies for long.
Law firms with aviation sectors should start focusing on securing long-term deals for the manufacturing companies supplying the various parts of the AS2. In the long run, this will help the manufacturing companies solidify their role in this valiant attempt to bring back supersonic flight. Moreover, the law firms will also be able to expand their aviation services to beyond the usual realm of subsonic commercial flight. Securing transactions for supersonic flight will help to improve the reputation of the law firms, and serve as a “rainmaking” opportunity by attracting future business related to supersonic travel.
By Nickolaus Ng
Assessing Firms:
#Clyde&Co #NortonRoseFullbright #Aerion #Boom #GeneralElectric #BirdandBird #Boeing
Bibliography
[1] A sonic boom is a thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound, or “supersonic.” NASA, ‘Sonic Booms’ (NASA Armstrong Fact Sheets, 15th August 2017) < https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-016-DFRC.html>
[2] F. H. Grover, ‘Geophysical Effects of Concorde Sonic Boom’ (1973) Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 14, 141
[3] One of these bans was 14 CFR 91.817 Civil Aircraft Sonic Boom (USA) banning commercial flights at speeds greater than Mach 1 over land in the United States.
[4] Frances Drake and Martin Purvis, ‘The Effect of Supersonic Transports on the Global Environment: A Debate Revisited’ (2001) Volume 26 No.4 Special Issue: Boundary Organisations in Environmental Policy and Science, 501-528
[5] Michael Sheetz, ‘Jet builder Aerion expects to fly silent supersonic planes by 2024, unlocking a $40 billion market’ (CNBC, 16th January 2020) < https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/aerions-as2-silent-supersonic-jet-aims-to-fly-by-2024.html>
[6] ibid
[7] ibid
[8] Loz Blain, ‘The "perfect storm" behind Aerion's supersonic business jet’ (New Atlas, 11th August 2020) <https://newatlas.com/aircraft/aerion-interview-as2-supersonic-business-jet/>
[9] John Blyler, ‘Supersonic Flight is Back’ (DesignNews, 15th July 2020) <https://www.designnews.com/industry/supersonic-flight-back>
[10] ibid
[11] ibid
[12] n5
Disclaimer: This article (and any information accessed through links in this article) is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.