Lift the Ban on Supersonics: No Boom
11th February 2025
Here is the crazy part. Civilian supersonic aircraft have been banned in the United States for over 50 years! In case that wasn’t clear, we didn’t ban noisy aircraft we banned supersonicaircraft. Thus, even quiet supersonic aircraft are banned today. This was a serious mistake. Aside from the fact that the noise was exaggerated, technological development is endogenous.
We have the same problem with local housing (and other) codes: They don’t mandate desired performance, they mandate the technology that supposedly produces the desired performance. So when new technology comes along that also produces the desired performance, it has to overcome the curb of the interests (commercial and political) that are invested in the existing technology. And government winds up the fly in the ointment once again.