Boeing's Answer To The The Airbus A380 - Sonic Cruiser

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This commercial aircraft, is unlike anything you have ever seen.
Its made from the same materials as the SR-71, and it goes fast without creating a sonic boom.
In the early 2000s, Boeing needed a new ace in the hole to combat the rising influence of their european competitor - an aircraft so futuristic, and outside the box thinking, that they would never be challenged again.
But getting there would be nearly impossible, limited by both the aviation industry, and the laws of physics…
This was to be Boeing secret weapon to destroy the Airbus A380 - but the project was canceled just over a year and a half after its reveal…
To celebrate 300,000 subscribers, Lets re-explore the incredible Boeing Sonic Cruiser
Flying higher than commercial aircraft at 40,000 feet, this futuristic aircraft was made for a new world of aviation.
A visional fantasy of lunch in one country and dinner - facilitated by their new aircraft.
The first biggest advantage of the sonic cruiser, and its namesake, was its speed.
It was designed to be a 'subsonic' aircraft, flying JUST under the speed of sound, around 10-20% faster than normal jet aircraft.
This would be around Mach 0.95-0.98 (which is 650 mph (1,050 km/h) at altitude).
Because its below the sound barrier, there would be no sonic boom. And no boom means no problems. The concorde could fly faster than this, but was heavily restricted due to boom environmental concerns..
Over long distances, the sonic cruisers speed made a big difference.
For example a conventional flight between London and Singapore would take 13 hours and ten minutes.
With the Boeing sonic cruiser, the flight only took just over 11 hours (11:10).
But its main target market was the trans-atlantic london to new york route. Typically flights here last around 7h 55m, but for boeing secret weapon, it would have been able to do it in 6 hours and ten minutes - ignoring any slowing down for landing or take off.
While not a huge improvement like the concord - who doesn’t want to get somewhere faster if they can?
Going fast would mean that the Boeing Sonic Cruiser would fly at a higher altitude than other aircraft, over 40,000 feet (12,000 m), for better flight conditions, and avoiding those snail pace airliners like the A380 below.
And this was the beauty of the aircraft design - it really was future proof.
Boeing saw the way things were going - it knew that passengers were more interested in going point to point, rather than through airline hubs.
Why travel to Boston via New York, when a direct flight on a smaller, faster plane, could get you there.
It’s just common sense: people want to go where they want to go, when they want to go, how they want to go. Boeing’s answer to the demand for faster flights, more direct flights and increased comfort is the Sonic Cruiser.
- Peter Rumsey, Director of New Airplane Product Development, Ingenia, February 2002
It was the exact opposite of the Airbus A380 which was made for hub to hub travel and as we know now, looking back in the last 20 years, Boeing was right about point to point travel
But the travelling point of the sonic cruiser, wasn’t right for Boeing - but i’ll get to that nugget in a moment.
First, I want to show you what it would be like to travel on the sonic cruiser!