[prof-dr-ir]

The article is just generally sloppy.

> .. my recent trip from Abu Dhabi to LA. 24 hours door-to-door. We have the technology to reduce that to under 10.

The direct flight (by Emirates) takes 16h15 mins, so that leaves 7h45 mins not in flight. If we want to bring that down to 10 hours just by making the flight supersonic then that would require a flight time of 2h15, corresponding to a (ridiculous) speed well over Mach 4.

[notahacker]

In fairness, Astro Mechanica and Hermeus claim to have a pathway to Mach 5. Not saying I expect to see it, particularly not for regular people flights to the Middle East, but believing in it is kind of the premise of the article.

(I must admit I was more curious about Astro Mechanica's engine tech before they also threw in the intention to operate Uber for business jets...)

[Reason077]

Not ridiculous if you’re flying above the atmosphere. SpaceX has proposed point-to-point rocket-powered hypersonic flights that connect New York to Paris in around 30 minutes.

Obviously the real problem with this idea is environmental: emissions would be substantial and nobody wants an extremely noisy rocket port near their city.

[LargoLasskhyfv]

How do you imagine that? First thing coming to mind is the loudness of rocket starts and powered landings. Even for airports that would be too loud. At least with current regulations. So you'd probably waste time getting to some dedicated facility, far out in the midst of nowhere to care about, and getting out of a similar hole on the other side of the trip. And again regulations regarding the closure of airspaces and seas for starts and landings, as it's currently done. Which seems rather incompatible with the current system of commercial flight ops, as it's currently done. Other relevant regulations coming to mind are evacution procedures/general survivability provisions for conventional commercial flights, which are mandatory by law.

However I turn that idea, no matter from which point I'm looking at it, I'm not seeing it going anywhere.

[jrjeksjd8d]

Whenever I hear people talk about rocket flights I think of the Stephen King short story "The Jaunt". Humans develop near-instant transportation but you have to be unconscious while travelling. A kid avoids being sedated and is driven insane by whatever interdimensional stuff he sees in transit.

Likewise for every fit 20-something being launched at Mach 5 you'd have 10 octogenarians dying of cardiovascular complications.

[general1465]

And furthermore you would be able to start only in good weather window for takeoff and landing and Gs on Gemini flights (which were doing the same thing) weren't comfortable either.

[ghaff]

Musk has proposed lots of things.