Comments on: Comments on 7356

Post number 7356

Zebulun — Mon, 30 Apr 2001 23:14:57 -0800

Boeing's new boat will be able to fly 6,000 nautical to 10,000 nautical miles nonstop which means it could circle the earth having to only refuel twice. The linked page includes a nice rendering of what the plane will look like (with concords permanently grounded, boeing might actually pull this off)

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 30 Apr 2001 23:39:10 -0800

Boeing's new boat? I see a plane.

By: owillis

owillis — Mon, 30 Apr 2001 23:46:38 -0800

and the Concorde isn't permanently grounded

By: tamim

tamim — Tue, 01 May 2001 00:04:00 -0800

The linked page and the actual press release looks and reads like Microsoft press releases. Pie in the sky promises trying to halt potential customers from buying any competing products.

By: tamim

tamim — Tue, 01 May 2001 00:13:13 -0800

And the range performance images look more like copied from Airbus. I want to fly non-stop to Pago P'ago.

By: costas

costas — Tue, 01 May 2001 01:05:03 -0800

Everything I've read about the Sonic Cruiser talks about speed of 0.95 Mach (Transonic speeds). Current generation airliners hit 0.87-0.88 Mach. So, the speed improvement is a paltry 0.08-0.10 Mach, for a much higher manufacturing cost (aerodynamics change dramatically from below 0.9 to above 1.1 Mach, with the region in between being a total mess). I just don't see it. Unless Boeing has figured out a way (active controls perhaps) to make transonic flight economical, this just sound like vaporware to me --especially after they backed off the 747X idea...

By: tenbroeck

tenbroeck — Tue, 01 May 2001 06:56:19 -0800

In spite of all the problems which, in the scheme of things, shake out as minor, air travel is a modern miracle. And anyone worried about the environment, overcrowding, the rain forest, ocean pollution, etc. has only to look out the window while flying cross-country to know how arrogant we are to assume we humans can truly mess it up.

By: donkeymon

donkeymon — Tue, 01 May 2001 07:33:30 -0800

I must both agree and disagree with you tenbroeck, by saying that probably the best thing that we could do for the planet is to make it unhabitable by humans.

By: ParisParamus

ParisParamus — Tue, 01 May 2001 07:54:55 -0800

One thing's for sure: Airbus' plans for that bigger plane are dellusional; like something out of a failed 1970's Fred Silverman or Aaron Spelling TV show. Does anyone find the idea of a jet with 600 passengers on it attractive (other than terrorists?).

By: tenbroeck

tenbroeck — Tue, 01 May 2001 08:13:40 -0800

What's this? 600 is too many? But 400 on a 747 is acceptable? Come on, ParisParamus... the 747 is the most popular jet in the world and it boasts the best safety record in history. Moving hundreds of people thousands of miles in hours is a great human achievement. Meanwhile, you're still watching reruns of Fantasy Island and bemoaning the demise of Supertrain.

By: rodii

rodii — Tue, 01 May 2001 08:23:09 -0800

Matt, it's a boat in the same sense that a 1976 Buick Electra 225 was a boat.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Tue, 01 May 2001 08:34:53 -0800

Ok, this is a dumb question, but can't supersonic planes, or at least the nasa one, fly so high that we don't really hear the boom?

By: ParisParamus

ParisParamus — Tue, 01 May 2001 09:02:11 -0800

Tenbroeck: you gotta make your sarcasm a little clearer...

By: rodii

rodii — Tue, 01 May 2001 09:46:59 -0800

Here's a picture of the new Boeing. I like it!

By: fusinski

fusinski — Tue, 01 May 2001 10:09:56 -0800

Speaking of big, fast boats...

By: Zebulun

Zebulun — Tue, 01 May 2001 16:02:54 -0800

by boat i meant large vessel.. i was speaking figuratively -- rodii got it

By: davidgentle

davidgentle — Thu, 03 May 2001 16:13:09 -0800

You think that's a fast boat? Take a look at this. Is it a boat, is it a plane? Or is it...an ekranoplan?