Could a 747 go supersonic?

The wings of a 747 are nowhere near strong enough to mount an engine capable of supersonic flight. Generally, engines used in aircraft like the Concorde or the F-22 are skinny and long. They also weigh quite a fair amount, further requiring a complete overhaul of the way the engines would be supported.



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Aided by a more powerful jet stream than usual, this rapid journey saw the 747 reach a top speed of 825 mph. Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock. Popular Mechanics reports that the reason for it being so powerful on this occasion was a 'bomb cyclone' near Greenland.

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The Boeing 747–400 cannot top Mach 1, capped at 988 km/h, or Mach 0.8. The plane cannot exceed Mach 1, because its engines are not fast enough to propel the aircraft forward that fast. This also has to do with the plane's aerodynamics, because it is large and has dihedral wings.

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No airplane has ever gone this fast. The speediest airplane ever built is Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird, which traveled at Mach 3.2. Anything above Mach 9 and you lose communications with the ground, as plasma starts enveloping the vehicle, as if it were a spacecraft returning to Earth through the upper atmosphere.

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The power, or volume, of the shock wave depends on the quantity of air that is being accelerated, and thus the size and shape of the aircraft. As the aircraft increases speed the shock cone gets tighter around the craft and becomes weaker to the point that at very high speeds and altitudes no boom is heard.

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A normal landing speed is 160–165 kts (at 600,000 to 650,000 lbs). When completely empty, with a light fuel load (as in a short Mx ferry or repositioning flight after offloading), we could get as slow as 130 kts on landing (below 400,000 lbs).

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Underpowered and heavy The increased MTOW also led to problems for engine supplier Pratt& Whitney (P&W). Its innovative JT9D engine was designed to produce 41,000lb of thrust but would now need to generate an additional 1,000lb to propel the heavier 747 into the air.

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Because of the shape of an A380 wing, a supercritical design, with a slightly curved upper surface, airflow over the top of the wing can achieve supersonic or supercritical flow before the entire aircraft goes supersonic.

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The 747-100, for instance, was tested up to Mach 0.99, almost breaking the sound barrier. Other 747s, such as Air Force One, have approached the sound barrier but never crossed it.

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Yes, in theory, an 400,000 kg airplane like a 747 could be fitted with floats capable of displacing the 400 cubic meters of water required to keep it afloat, albeit with a decrease in performance.

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If you own a private jet or have the owner's permission to smoke tobacco on board, as long as the aircraft complies with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules for passenger and crew compartment interiors, then smoking is permitted.

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