United ordering 15 supersonic jets from startup

Question is, will Astro14 get to fly it?

I don't remember if he flies United or American.
He's United, but I wouldn't expect any airline pilot to fly this commercially any time soon. There's just not a huge market for a 55 seat aircraft on long haul flights, no matter how fast you're going. It's an intriguing prospect and if cost could be driven down, it would be widely supported. However, the most promising this I think this project offers is its renewable fuel.
 
so many points…

First, it’s a long way from prototype (which hasn’t flown yet) to production, and then in-service.

Best case, it arrives in 2029, by which time, I’ll be 66 and retired.

I would love to fly it, doubt I’ll have a chance.

It will be first class ticket price, with first class seating, at half the time of a regular flight. That’s very attractive to those who regularly buy first class tickets.

The airplane is intended to be carbon neutral, running on Bio fuel.

The airplane is far quieter than Concorde, and noise severely limited both Concorde’s routes and operating airports.

Right now, supersonic flight is only allowed over water. I don’t expect that to change.

To get from a United Hub to an overseas major city in half the time is a huge advantage in some markets.

UA had to take EWR, and give up slots at JFK, in 2010 to satisfy the DOJ (preventing a monopoly) during the merger.

EWR is more convenient for some, but JFK is much more convenient from Manhattan.

Returning to JFK is a good thing for UAL. Our round trip daily flights from JFK to SFO and LAX are already filling up 767s in their first month of operation.

The post pandemic turmoil in the industry has created opportunities for companies that have the ability to seize them. Companies with cash, with vision, with leadership. Most of the industry lacks one or more of those asset.

New markets, new routes, new cities served, new airplane orders, and now, new types of airplane orders are signs of a company that is seizing opportunity to reshape itself and the industry.

In addition to supersonic airplane orders, United is investing in short range electric commuter airplanes, and Urban Air Mobility with VTOL electric “sky taxis” to get customers where they need to go.
 
He's United, but I wouldn't expect any airline pilot to fly this commercially any time soon. There's just not a huge market for a 55 seat aircraft on long haul flights, no matter how fast you're going. It's an intriguing prospect and if cost could be driven down, it would be widely supported. However, the most promising this I think this project offers is its renewable fuel.
Renewable fuel? ? Once the fuel is used it can be used again??
 
Renewable fuel? ? Once the fuel is used it can be used again??

Thats just being silly. But yeah - designed to run on 100% biofuels. Right now it’s easy enough to use partial biofuel blends, which result in high emissions reduction.

A company a friend worked at bioengineered yeast to turn sugar into diesel and kerosene substitutes. The process worked, but as a practical matter it couldn’t really compete with petroleum at $60 a barrel. They had some deal with Total which sounds like it’s still in effect, but the company says nothing about it any more. They switched to an emphasis on making cosmetic ingredients.
 
...However, the most promising this I think this project offers is its renewable fuel.
In the chemical physics world, there is no such thing as "carbon neutral," just as in Thermodynamics where there is no possibility of a perpetual motion machine because of a principle called, "Entropy".

People who don't pay attention to the scientific details often get caught up in icons, symbols, and subterfuge.
 
He's United, but I wouldn't expect any airline pilot to fly this commercially any time soon. There's just not a huge market for a 55 seat aircraft on long haul flights, no matter how fast you're going. It's an intriguing prospect and if cost could be driven down, it would be widely supported. However, the most promising this I think this project offers is its renewable fuel.


ANA has been using biofuel for a little while now. I suspect other airlines are as well or will be soon enough.

https://www.aviationpros.com/gse/fu...ts-from-japan-using-sustainable-aviation-fuel
 
ANA has been using biofuel for a little while now. I suspect other airlines are as well or will be soon enough.

https://www.aviationpros.com/gse/fu...ts-from-japan-using-sustainable-aviation-fuel

It's actually quite common. There are currently limits to the amount that can be used, but I've heard of some test engines that were run on 100% biofuels. Mostly what is happening is blending a little bit in, where there's a substantial reduction in certain emissions.

https://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/themes/sustainable-aviation-fuel.html
https://hub.united.com/united-expands-commitment-biofuel-powering-flights-2637791857.html
https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/new...acific-biofuel-flights-with-the-a350-xwb.html
 
In the chemical physics world, there is no such thing as "carbon neutral," just as in Thermodynamics where there is no possibility of a perpetual motion machine because of a principle called, "Entropy".

People who don't pay attention to the scientific details often get caught up in icons, symbols, and subterfuge.
And blackouts 🕶
 
Two greenies were forced onto the board at Exxon Mobil. At least one has a history with biofuel. I’m predicting Exxon will buy up some canola plants to make jet fuel. This is not new technology. If someone is willing to pay the price then you can power jets with it. This article is from 13 years ago.:rolleyes:

C8E566C9-FFA1-47AE-A1C6-02142B60C7A5.png
 
Two greenies were forced onto the board at Exxon Mobil. At least one has a history with biofuel. I’m predicting Exxon will buy up some canola plants to make jet fuel. This is not new technology. If someone is willing to pay the price then you can power jets with it. This article is from 13 years ago.:rolleyes:

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The ability to turn various organic feedstocks into liquid fuels isn’t a mystery. But how much does it cost? Making it cost competitive with petroleum will make someone very rich.

A lot of biofuels aren’t exactly the same as petroleum hydrocarbons, but they don’t have to be.
 
United was the first commercial airline in the country to fly a passenger flight using biofuel. It was several years ago.

This isn’t just about being green, per se, it’s about getting out in front of regulatory agencies who will force the use of “sustainable“ fuels.

Airlines can sit back and wait for their imposition of policy based on fantasy and/or ignorance, or they can begin working in that space and shaping the future decisions of those agencies based on operational experience.
 
United was the first commercial airline in the country to fly a passenger flight using biofuel. It was several years ago.

This isn’t just about being green, per se, it’s about getting out in front of regulatory agencies who will force the use of “sustainable“ fuels.

Airlines can sit back and wait for their imposition of policy based on fantasy and/or ignorance, or they can begin working in that space and shaping the future decisions of those agencies based on operational experience.
That is true in any industry.
Car manufacturers are best example. They can get ahead of trends or try to lobby and influence something that will eventually become reality. And then they bankrupt.
 
That is true in any industry.
Car manufacturers are best example. They can get ahead of trends or try to lobby and influence something that will eventually become reality. And then they bankrupt.

They can get ahead of the trends, but then new management may decide to abandon the effort. Didn't that happen with GM and the EV1?
 
They can get ahead of the trends, but then new management may decide to abandon the effort. Didn't that happen with GM and the EV1?
Management in companies like GM was/is always interested in short term profit and stock performance. It takes strong leadership to convince stakeholders that investment in the future, which won’t pay off immediately, is ultimately best for the company.
There are a lot of variables that play the role here, and culture is one of the most important ones.
 
All that is doable. It’s the $100 cost that I have trouble swallowing. What does that mean?

I guess someone at the company was claiming that it could be that cheap to fly in future generations of their aircraft. Certainly not with their first generation.

Accessibility is key. His aim is that airlines will be able to set fares at a price point similar to business class -- unlike Concorde, which by the '90s was charging around $12,000 for a round trip, or $20,000 in today's money.​
"That's not travel, that's like a thing you might hope to do once in a lifetime," says Scholl, before adding, "Versus where we want to get, which is anywhere in the world in four hours for 100 bucks."​
Yes, you heard that right.​
"Now it's going to take us time to get there," says Scholl. The four hour, $100 dream is Boom's long-term aim, two or three generations of aircraft down the line.​
"Lots of people think like one or two steps ahead," he says. "I find it helpful to think much further out and say, 'where do we want to be in a decade or two? And what's possible at that time scale?' Then you work backwards and say, 'how do we get there?'."​
 
Something like this could create a scenario where one could fly from SFO to Tokyo, attend a meeting and fly back on the same day. The speed and timing could offer multiple flights each day.
 
Something like this could create a scenario where one could fly from SFO to Tokyo, attend a meeting and fly back on the same day. The speed and timing could offer multiple flights each day.

Not likely any time soon. They'll need a lot more of them than just 15. The other thing is that Narita is just way too far away. If they could change that to Haneda, then it might be doable.
 
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