LAUSR

A resurgence of interest in supersonic flight has emerged due to recent technological advances. Given the global impact of such aircraft, environmental standards and recommended practices (SARP) are being developed under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ensure the mitigation of accompanying sonic booms prior to any re-introduction of civil supersonic flight operations. In 2004, ICAO’s Committee of Environmental Protection (CAEP) established the supersonics work program under Working Group 1 (WG1) to develop SARPs. Current proposed concepts include (1) traditional sonic boom aircraft (like the Concorde), which operate supersonically over water; (2) low-boom designs with overland operation capabilities; and (3) traditional aircraft flying under Mach cut-off conditions. To-date, WG1/SSTG continues to formulate an enroute sonic boom SARP for civil supersonic airplanes. Metrics, test procedures, and a data framework continue to be investigated for suitability and efficiency. A newly form...