Aviation: SSTupendous

After four months of subsonic scrutiny, the White House last week decided to go ahead with the construction of a supersonic transport. The President authorized Seattle's Boeing Co. to build two prototypes of the delta-winged. 338-ton 1,800-m.p.h. SST, which will fly 300 m.p.h. faster than the Russian and joint British-French prototypes already being built, and will carry 300 passengers to its competitors' 130-odd. The U.S. aircraft, to cost $40 million each, will be able to fly from New York City to Paris in two hours and 20 minutes, v. seven hours for standard jets. Transportation Secretary Alan Boyd estimated...