Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, December 18, 2019
In 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold puts down a $7,500 deposit on a swimming pool. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator, I estimate that amount to be $15,929.48 in today’s dollars.
When I was a kid, I thought all commercial planes would like something like the Concorde jet or something very sleek and stealth like. I understand the economics of why the Concorde is no longer in the air and fitting in the most passengers as safely as possible, but I’m saying in general. I thought all commercial airlines would look cooler or different as we enter the third decade of the 2000’s. I know the modern plane has advanced in technology in terms of engines and materials, but the design is basically the same as what we saw in the Sixties.
NASA’s X-59 supersonic jet is cleared for final assembly
This is NASA’s first large-scale, piloted x-plane (or experimental aircraft) in more than three decades, and its goal is to reduce the loudness of a sonic boom to more of a sonic thump. When the long, slender jet transitions to supersonic speed, it will make about as much noise a car door closing, and since it will be flying 940 MPH at 55,000 feet, that could be essentially inaudible. NASA will test the X-59 over select US communities to gather feedback, as it has done with the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft over Galveston, Texas. Those tests will help establish new rules for commercial supersonic air travel over land.
There was a fire at the Rangers new ballpark. I’m predicting some sort of accident will happen after it opens and it will be tied back to the fire citing, that things were overlooked or sacrificed to meet a deadline so the park will open on time. I do hope I’m wrong.
The fact that basic airplane design save for improvements in materials and engine performance has stayed the same for more than 50 years is a testament to that designs efficiency, both from a performance and financial standpoint.
The fact that basic airplane design save for improvements in materials and engine performance has stayed the same for more than 50 years is a testament to that designs efficiency, both from a performance and financial standpoint.