Module 5 | Application of High-Speed Flight and its Limitations

Bell X-1 Rocket-powered research plane

  • First aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds
  • Piloted by Major Charles E. Yeager of US air Force
  • Flown in October 14, 1947

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XS-1

  • Broke (local) sound barrier @ 1,066 km/hr speed
  • Attained a top speed of 1,126 km/hr or Mach 1.06
  • Dropped from the belly of a Boeing B-29 Mother ship

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Soviet Tupolev Tu-144

  • First Supersonic Transport
  • First flight in June 1969
  • Flying Mail between Moscow and Alma-Ata (Almaty) in 1975

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Concorde

  • First Supersonic Passenger-Carrying commercial airplane
  • Built by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France
  • Made it first Transatlantic crossing on September 26, 1973
  • Entered regular service in 1976
  • 20 Concordes were built
  • 14 Concordes were sold
    • 7 British Airways
    • 7 Air France
    • the rest were built as prototypes and flight test aircraft
  • British Airways and Air France stopped flying it in 2003

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Demise of Concorde

  • Very Costly
    • Manufacturing Cost
    • Operating Cost
    • Maintenance Cost - Complexity
  • Expensive to Operate (3 times as much fuel per passenger mile as a Subsonic aircraft) (Oil Cost)
    • 1970 - 1980
    • Golden Era for Oil Prices
  • High Subsonic Noise Levels during Takeoffs and Landings (High Subsonic Noise near residential area complaints)
  • Generally priced at about twice the regular first-class airfare (due to high cost expenses)
  • Impractical for carrying cargo or mail due to limited space (too narrow thus, no space for cargo and mail)
  • Fatal crash at the 1973 Paris Air Show (same year of debut)
  • Need for Considerable federal funding (pioneer for supersonic air transportation)
  • Lack of interest by the airlines (businessmen see this as not profitable)
  • Major Challenges of addressing environmental concerns (Noise Pollution)

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Disadvantages of High-Speed Flights

  • Cost
  • Noise
  • Profitability

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Advantage of High-Speed Flights

  • Speed and Range

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Main Source of income of Concorde

  • Rich People specifically businessman and politicians who needs to be at a certain place at a certain time

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High Speed Flight Limitations

  • Circadian Dysrhythmia (Severe Jet Lag)
    • It is caused by the body regular asleep and awake cycle being out of sync with local time
    • Certain amount of time to rest is needed before they inboard another flight
  • High Altitude
    • High Speed Flight is conducted much efficiently on high altitude due to less sonic boom effect
    • However, it compromises the pressurization system.
  • Radiation
  • Noise (Sonic Boom)

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Sonic Boom

  • It is a major problem which all supersonic aircrafts face
  • it is used to refer to the shocks caused by the supersonic flight of an aircraft

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Factors Affecting Sonic Boom Strength

  • Aircraft Weight, Shape and Length
    • The Larger the Aircraft, More Air Molecules tends to push back
    • “The larger the Aircraft, the greater the effect of Sonic Boom”
  • Aircraft Altitude
    • Supersonic flights are conducted at high altitudes to lessen the effect of sonic boom
    • “The higher the Altitude, the lesser the effect of Sonic Boom”
  • Aircraft Maneuvers
    • More maneuvers made by the aircraft, more prone to Sonic Boom.
    • “More steady the aircraft, the lesser the effect of Sonic Boom”
  • Location in Sonic Boom Carpet
    • Special topographic features in each area such as mountains, hills and valleys can create multiple reflections of shock waves thus affecting intensity.
  • Attitude
    • orientation of the aircraft’s axes relative to its direction of motion.

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