Sir Richard Branson wants to bring back supersonic travel. Thirteen years since Concorde ended operations, the Virgin tycoon has revealed the prototype design for a new generation of supersonic business jets developed by the Branson-backed startup company Boom, based in Denver. The firm claims its planes will allow “affordable” journeys from London to New York in just three-and-a-half hours for approximately $5,000 (￡4,000) return, the same as current business class tickets.
理查德·布兰森先生想要将超音速旅行恢复运营。自从协和式超音速喷射客机终止操作13年以来，维珍航空巨头公开了新一代超音速商务喷射机的原型设计，由布兰森支持的创业公司布姆研发，基地设在丹佛。公司称它的飞机可以实现从伦敦到纽约仅用三个半小时，机票费用是“负担得起的”，大概为5,000美元（合4,000英镑），与现在的商务舱机票价格相同。
But there’s still a question over whether Boom can overcome the problems that hindered Concorde. Another supersonic project in the US may already have the edge over Branson’s preferred design. And the success of both projects – and the future of supersonic flight in general – may ultimately depend on the decisions of President-elect Donald Trump.
但是还有一个问题就是，布姆是否能够克服之前阻止协和式超音速喷射客机运行的问题。美国另一个超音速项目或许已经成为了布兰森优选的设计选择。两个项目的成功——超音速航班的整体未来——或许最终取决于总统选举胜出的唐纳德·特朗普的决定。
Boom’s XB-1 will be more efficient than Concorde thanks to lighter, cheaper composite materials and advances in aerodynamics and jet engines. This will be helped by carrying 40 passengers per flight as opposed to Concorde’s 100, despite its ticket price. But ultimately, Boom doesn’t appear to do enough to address one of the key reasons Concorde failed.
布姆公司的XB-1，使用了更加轻盈、廉价的复合材料，在航空动力学以及喷射发动机方面都很先进，这使得XB-1比协和式超音速喷射客机的效能更高。尽管机票价格高昂，但是与协和式超音速喷射客机只能载客100人相比，XB-1每趟航班只载客40人。但是最终，布姆似乎并未能够足够清楚地陈述令协和式超音速喷射客机停止运营的关键原因之一。
Just four years after Concorde’s first flight in 1969, the US effectively banned supersonic travel over its mainland due to concerns of the harmful effects of the sonic boom on the public. This then restricted Concorde’s operations to going supersonic only over the sea, severely limiting the potential routes. Boom is currently not proposing a design that would go far enough to allow flights over land because it doesn’t address the noise pollution issue.
协和式超音速喷射客机在1969年首次飞行，仅4年之后，由于担心超音波爆声对于公众的有害影响，美国有效禁止了在美国大陆上的超音速旅行。这一禁令将协和式超音速喷射客机的飞行限制在洋面，严重限制了潜在的路线。布姆目前并未提出一项可以在美国大陆上进行飞行的设计方案，因为它没有陈述其噪音污染问题。
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