Aircraft - Aviation - Balloons - Helicopters

Feb. 26 U.S. supersonic Transport: Early next year The Boeing company will recommend that the United States build two prototypes of this supersonic transport pictured here for the first time. Streaking through the sky at 1, 800 miles an hour, the U.S. SST will reduce travel times on key over water air routes by more than half. No two major cities will be more than half a day apart. New York will be 2 hours and 40 minutes from Paris, Los Angeles 2 hours and 5 minutes from Honolulu, Tokyo 2 hours and 50 minutes from Honolulu. The U.S. SST will have a fixed-sweep wing and conventional tail similar to current jetliners. Built of titanium, it will be 280 feet long, 50 feet high and have a 142 foot wing span, with leading edge sweep of 50 degrees. Powered by four General Electric GE4 jet engines of more than 60, 000 pounds thrust each, the supersonic transport will cruise at altitudes above 60, 000 feet. Carrying up to 280 passengers, production model SSTs will operate from international airports of the mid-1970s, taking off and landing at speeds comparable to current jets. To date 26 airlines have reserved 122 U.S. SST delivery positions. Two prototypes are being developed by Boeing in Seattle, Washington, under contracts administered by the Federal Aviation Administration. The government will recover its development program investment plus billion through royalties on the minimum expected sale of 500 aircraft. First flight is scheduled for 1972

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