Boeing Sonic Cruiser (artist's concept)

The Boeing Sonic Cruiser was a subsonic concept airplane proposed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 2001. Its distinguishing feature was to be its high-subsonic cruising speed, considerably faster than conventional jet airliners. This is a copyrighted promotional image. ... This is a copyrighted promotional image. ... Subsonic has two possible meanings: A speed lower than the speed of sound is called subsonic. ... Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ... Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), based in Chicago, Illinois, is a unit of The Boeing Company, consisting of the Seattle-based former Boeing Airplane Company (the civil airliner division,) as well as the Long Beach-based Douglas Aircraft division of the former McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ...

Background

The Sonic Cruiser was born from one of numerous outline projects in a Boeing R&D program known internally as "20XX" (hinting that, had it entered production, it may have spawned a new "20 series" of Boeing aircraft), the goal of which was to look at potential designs for a possible new near-sonic or supersonic airliner.

The strongest of these initial concepts was dubbed "Sonic Cruiser" and publicly unveiled on March 29, 2001, shortly after the launch of the A380 by rival Airbus. Boeing had recently withdrawn its proposed 747-X derivative from competition with the Airbus A380 when not enough airline interest was forthcoming, and instead proposed the Sonic Cruiser as a completely different approach. March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The A380s first landing on April 27, 2005 The Airbus A380 is a double-decker, four-engined airliner manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. It first flew on April 27, 2005 from Toulouse, France. ... Airbus S.A.S. better known as simply Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is the worlds top commercial aircraft manufacturer measured by orders and deliveries for 2003 and 2004. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ... The A380s first landing on April 27, 2005 The Airbus A380 is a double-decker, four-engined airliner manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. It first flew on April 27, 2005 from Toulouse, France. ...

Instead of the A380's massive capacity, requiring a hub and spoke model of operation, the Sonic Cruiser was designed for rapid point-to-point connections for only 250 passengers. With delta wings and flying just short of the speed of sound at 0.95 Mach (about 1010 km/h or 627 mph at altitude), the Sonic Cruiser promised 20% faster speed than conventional airplanes without the noise pollution caused by supersonic Concorde's sonic boom. The aircraft would have flown at altitudes in excess of 40,000 feet, and would have possessed a range somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 nautical miles. The Spoke-hub distribution paradigm (also known as a hub and spoke model) derives its name from a bicycle wheel, which consists of a number of spokes jutting outward from a central hub. ... Point-to-Point telecommunications is most recently (2003) referenced regarding wireless data communications for Internet or Voice over IP via radio frequencies in the multi-gigahertz range. ... The delta-wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. ... Mach number (Ma) (pronounced mack in British English and mock in American English) is defined as a ratio of speed to the speed of sound in the medium in case. ... Noise pollution is unwanted human-created sound that disrupts the environment. ... The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. ... When an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, an unusual cloud sometimes forms in its wake. ...

According to Boeing's own estimates, the Sonic Cruiser would burn 15-20% more fuel than conventional aircraft. However, it was estimated the aircraft would burn roughly the same amount of fuel as a conventional aircraft flying the same route due to the faster travel-time.

The Sonic Cruiser concept originated in 1999 and a variety of concepts were studied, including supersonic aircraft, aircraft with the engines mounted above the wing, aircraft with a single vertical tail, and aircraft with rectangular intakes. The initial sketches released to the public were highly conjectural. A patent drawing filed by Boeing on March 22, 2001 put the baseline aircraft's dimensions at 250 feet in length, with a wingspan of 164.9 feet. March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

The Sonic Cruiser was replaced by the Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner seen here in the original styling proposal, which has since been revised and updated for full scale production as the 787.

Wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis further refined the Sonic Cruiser concept. Based on artwork released by Boeing in July 2002, the Sonic Cruiser now sported two taller vertical tails with no inward cant. The forward canard was set at zero degrees dihedral. At this point, Boeing had yet to decide on the size or layout of the aircraft's fuselage cross section. Image File history File links Boeing_7E7_New. ... Image File history File links Boeing_7E7_New. ... Rendering of a Boeing 787-8 in Northwest Airlines colors (final design) The Boeing 787, or Dreamliner, is a mid-sized wide body passenger airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and scheduled to enter service in 2008. ... Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the use of computers to analyze problems in fluid dynamics. ...

Outcome

In the end, most airlines favored lower operating costs over a marginal increase in speed, and the project did not attract the interest Boeing had been hoping for. In fall 2002, Boeing released artwork of a notional "7E7" concept aircraft, which would become the Boeing 787. The Sonic Cruiser project was finally abandoned by December 2002, in favor of the slower but fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)(TYO: 7661 ) is the leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington. ... Rendering of a Boeing 787-8 in Northwest Airlines colors (final design) The Boeing 787, or Dreamliner, is a mid-sized wide body passenger airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and scheduled to enter service in 2008. ...

Related content

Related development

• Boeing 787
• Boeing 747-8

Rendering of a Boeing 787-8 in Northwest Airlines colors (final design) The Boeing 787, or Dreamliner, is a mid-sized wide body passenger airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and scheduled to enter service in 2008. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ...

Similar aircraft

• Boeing 2707
• Concorde
• Tupolev Tu-144

Model 733-197 The Boeing 2707 was intended to be the first American supersonic airliner. ... The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. ... Tupolev Tu-144LL The Tupolev Tu-144 (NATO reporting name: Charger) was a supersonic airliner constructed under management of the Soviet Tupolev design bureau headed by Alexei Tupolev (1925–2001). ...

External links

• Boeing Sonic Cruiser Webpage

The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)(TYO: 7661 ) is the leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington. ... Model 733-197 The Boeing 2707 was intended to be the first American supersonic airliner. ... BOAC 707 at London Heathrow Airport in 1964 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... 717 in new Boeing Colors AirTran Airways 717 at BWI The twinjet Boeing 717 is Boeing Commercial Airplanes smallest commercial airliner intended for the 100-seat market. ... Pan Am 707 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... Sun Country Airlines B727-200 The Boeing 727 is a large commercial jet airliner carrying as many as 189 passengers. ... 737 in new Boeing Colors. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ... The Boeing 757 is a medium-range transcontinental commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ... Air Canada Boeing 767-300 British Airways Boeing 767-300 The Boeing 767 is a commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ... Boeing 7J7 (artists concept) The Boeing 7J7 was a short- to medium-range airliner proposed by Boeing in the 1980s, but never built. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 at Changi Airport. ... Rendering of a Boeing 787-8 in Northwest Airlines colors (final design) The Boeing 787, or Dreamliner, is a mid-sized wide body passenger airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and scheduled to enter service in 2008. ...