The Air: Banning the Boom

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A single SST flying supersonic across the U.S., believes Shurcliff, would trail behind it a bang zone 50 miles wide that could destroy the peace of 20 million Americans. He also argues that competition from cheaper, larger "jumbo jets"—which will produce no sonic boom—could turn the SST venture into "a gigantic boomdoggle" with the taxpayers absorbing most of the loss. "We all believe in progress," he says for his group, "but some things just aren't progress. Aviation should be the servant of man, not his scourge."

Though the Federal Government has already spent upwards of $3,000,000 on research, it has still not decided what strength of sonic boom—if any—will be "acceptable" in populated areas. After the FAA bombarded Oklahoma City with eight booms a day for six months in 1964, three out of four inhabitants said they could tolerate it—but one out of four said he could not.

One hopeful note is that altitude attenuates the boom. The SST will take off and land at subsonic speeds, and officials believe that if the plane cruises at over 60,000 ft., the noise would be muted to a thunderlike rumble. One thing Santa Barbara has made clear: no city is likely to tolerate being bombarded night and day by unexpected thunderclaps. The answer must be found reasonably soon. The Anglo-French supersonic Concorde is scheduled to begin flights before next spring, and the SST is expected to fly four years later.