SUPERSONIC PLANES

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29859, 27 June 1962, Page 5

SUPERSONIC PLANES

Dangers Seen By Expert The introduction of supersonic aviation within the next 15 to 20 years would not be compatible with the sound development of civilisation, says Mr 80. K. O. Lundberg. director of the Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden, in a report published recently.

While airlines are still suffering severe financial difficulties because of large investments in jet aircraft, manufacturers in several countries are already involved in the development of supersonic transports intended to fly at about three times the speed of a subsonic jet like the D.C.-8, he says.

Estimates for development costs run from 300 to 1000 million dollars and the purchase price for each supersonic transport is estimated to be some 10 to 25 million dollars.

Mr Lundberg emphasises that reduction of fares is now much more important for the healthy grow-th of civil aviation than a further increase of speed. Attainment of lower fares will, however, be severely hampered if the “supersonic” line of development is to be pursued, not only because it would impose a heavy economic burden on the airlines, but also because it would detract from the technical resources; that the manufacturers; otherwise could devote to| developing subsonic aircraft with lower operating costs. | Although hampered, sub-1 sonic aviation will, as time I progresses, provide successively decreasing fares, he says. Thus supersonic avia- 1 tion will face increasingly severe competition. The public, both tourists and "expense account” passengers, are likely to prefer travellingmore cheaply to saving only an hour or two. New Problems Two new problems appar-; ently constitute insurmount-1 able obstacles, he continues. These are the cosmic radia-! tion to which the crew and, passengers would be exposed' by flying in the upper, layers of the atmosphere—, the hazard being particularly serious for pregnant women —and the sonic boom or, bang bombarding people on the ground along the entire flight path, up to a width of about 90 miles. The fact that the structure of a supersonic transport will be subjected to high temperatures due to the supersonic speed makes it incomparably more difficult to attain the same safety level with regard to structural fatigue as that of the present subsonic jets, he says. Mr Lundberg says it would be most unwise to introduce supersonic aviation before each of these three fundamental problems has been solved. As the enterprise appears to be financially questionable, even “on paper,” it can certainly not take any “extra" penalty, be it operational restrictions due to the sonic boom, lack of passenger appeal because of fear for radiation or uncertain fatigue safety. Mr Lundberg recommends: “That irrevocable decisions about the introduction of supersonic transports be postponed for at least some 10 years, and “That a general agreement be reached between operators and manufacturers—and possibly also governments — that no supersonic transports be developed or offered on the market during moratorium of the indicated length.”