enthalpy

Wednesday, June 15, 2005


Two years after the demise of the Concorde, France (and Japan) get the bright idea that a super-sonic airplane is a good idea. Do they not read their own newspapers?
Japan and France are jointly developing a new supersonic passenger plane to succeed the retired Concorde, but with up to three times as many seats and the potential to fly the Tokyo-to-New York route in six hours, officials and reports said Wednesday.

Defense contractors and engineering companies from the two countries are expected to split an annual investment of about 200 million yen ($1.84 million) for research over the next three years to build the faster-than-sound plane, Japan's Trade Ministry said in a statement. The agreement was signed at the Paris Air Show Tuesday.
Three times as many seats as the Concorde is going to not only pay its operating costs, but justify the R&D to get it in the air?

Lots of luck, guys, but oil closed at $56 a barrel today, and I don't think you can get to MACH 2 with your good intentions alone.



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