saw this article at CNN, and being in the travel industry, it truly piqued my interest:<br><br>http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/06/01/supersonic.plane/index.html<br><br>This plane might be able to go 10 times faster than the speed of sound... all without moving parts... talk about a fast flight across the Atlantic eh Stan?<br><br>If this thing works, it could truly revolutionize travel (now if we can just get the cars we drive to emit less pollutants...)<br><br>john<br><br>***<br>"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." <br> -- Ecclesiastes 10:2

I read about this earlier today... it's a little disheartening that the technology could be ready in "just" a few decades!<br><br>For the most parts, jets have remained identical over the last couple decades. Not since the Concorde has there really been any innovation. It's really quite baffling, given how fast the air travel industry is growing. You'd think they'd devise a plane that at least requires less runway, to ease some of the airport congestion.<br><br>

We have very little provocation or inspiration to progress right now. What would spark another technological revolution is a war. A big one.<br>I'm not advocating war, by any stretch of the imagination, just saying thats what is needed to really get things moving again.<br><br>Sad, isn't it?<br><br>I'm sceptical of anything I can't see a working prototype of.<br><br>Cipher13<br><br>

No doubt such speed would be of great help to people who travel great distances frequently. But what are the benefits to the majority of travellers?<br><br>From where I am, in the middle of North America, a flight to Europe runs about 7-8 hours. Bearing in mind that nobody wants a sonic boomer going off over their head on a regular basis, supersonic speeds will be limited, as they were with Concorde, to over the ocean. Meaning, that much of the speed advantage will be dissipated.<br><br>So let's say that, from where I sit, a couple of hours might be shaved off the European trip. Will it be worth the massive fuel-gobbling such a craft will require? What do I do with the two hours once I'm there? Sit out the extra time in a hotel, or perhaps I'll save it at the front end sitting in a traffic jam.<br><br>Concorde was in troble even before the catastrophe because the benefit of the extra speed was outweighed by the major drawbacks: noise, pollution and most of all, cost. Spend an extra couple of grand to save a couple of hours on a trans Atlantic flight? Maybe if you have Steven Speilberg's money, but not likely for regular folks.<br><br>John<br><br>

hoo. i remember the war that was started someone said expressed that over at that other mac site..ahem. im sure we remember. <br><br>ive seen quite a few specials on air travel recently on the discovery channel and theyre working on planes that can hold more than 500 people. big double decker planes. im amazed that something that big can actually fly through the air. i dont know that a faster plane is the answer to whats ailing the airline industry. i think they need to get these super jumbo planes finished.<br><br>

The problem is... if a plan with 200 passengers crashes, 200 could die (excluding ground casualties).<br><br>If planes with 500 people start flying...<br><br>Cipher13<br><br>

you know... just to set the record straight... air travel is safer than automobile travel... and much more efficient... if 500 people start traveling together on one airplane... it might help slow down some of the congestion that the US airports are experiencing... then again if the FAA would modernize it's [censored], that might happen as well...<br><br>***<br>"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." <br> -- Ecclesiastes 10:2

well... guess it won't happen too soon:<br><br>http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1366000/1366648.stm<br><br>damn... and I was just warming up to the idea of traveling the world in like 2 hours... oh well... back to the drawing board, eh NASA?<br><br>***<br>"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." <br> -- Ecclesiastes 10:2